No masks, social distancing at Ukraine President dialogue supported by WHO

The Ukrainian public cannot be blamed for confusion over coronavirus pandemic protocols after seeing their president in a live televised forum with journalists on Monday where none of the participants - including Volodymyr Zelensky - wore masks or adhered to physical distancing rules.

At the forum - Ukraine 30: Coronavirus Challenged and Responses - Zelensky sat for close to an hour with administration-friendly journalists as he boasted about the country’s handling of the pandemic as well as vaccine procurement efforts.

The forum, which appeared to be a government public relations effort, was supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, USAID, among others. It including a welcoming address by WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in which he urged people to adhere to mask-wearing and social distancing.

Organizers described the two-day forum as an opportunity to “provide Ukrainian society with answers to the main questions regarding overcoming the pandemic.”

Zelensky himself tested positive for the coronavirus last November and spent several days in quarantine. However WHO experts have said that protective antibodies last only a few months at best. Many experts have said people who have had coronavirus should not suspend adherence to well-known protocols.

The Ukraine and European regional offices for WHO did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Ukraine has the 17th highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world. Its case rate per capita is higher than South Africa’s.

In the forum, Zelensky boasted that while other European countries had imposed tough lockdowns, Ukraine adopted a more liberal approach. He cited detractors that are trying to sully Ukraine’s image.

As Zelensky spoke outside a Kyiv conference centre, journalists from three television stations that his administration had deemed as pro-Russian and ordered off-air protested outside.

Zelensky is among several world leaders who had been sickened by the coronavirus. Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.