(MENAFN) Face mask mandates have been reinstated in hospitals across two regions of Ukraine as Covid-19 cases surge once again.

Andrey Karaush, head of the Rovno Regional Council, confirmed the measure on Monday through his Telegram channel, noting that a prominent local hospital has adopted the mask requirement. Additional medical facilities in the region are expected to implement similar mandates in the coming days.

“Since the beginning of August, almost half a thousand cases of the disease have been officially confirmed in the region,” Karaush stated.

Reports circulating on various Telegram channels and media outlets also indicated that mask mandates have been imposed at multiple hospitals in Odessa Region, with some sources claiming restrictions on visits as well.

According to recent data, Kiev has recorded 1,121 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the past week alone.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s Ministry of Health confirmed the arrival of the new ‘Nimbus’ and ‘Stratus’ Omicron subvariants, which are believed to be contributing to the uptick in cases both locally and globally. These strains have been linked to rising infection rates in the US and the UK in recent weeks.

During the peak of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, many countries worldwide imposed strict mask mandates and mass vaccination campaigns. Although many of these measures have since been relaxed as the virus's severity decreased, several regions are now revisiting some of these Covid-era procedures as cases rise.

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