Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Closes for Quarantine: Over 90 Coronavirus Cases Found

63 cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infection were recorded in a single day in the main shrine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Moscow Patriarchate – the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. As a result, the Lavra has been placed under quarantine.

This was reported by the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klychko.

According to him, this decision was made by the Emergency Committee of the capital. The mayor also urged law enforcement officers to monitor compliance with this decision.

"Of the 79 cases reported [in Kyiv] over the past 24 hours, 63 were in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra," the statement reads.

According to Klychko, on April 13, mobile X-rays and a team of physicians will be sent to the Lavra to collect samples through PCR testing.

The news comes almost a week after it emerged that the community of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was tested for COVID-19.  The abbot of the Lavra, Metropolitan Pavlo, was among the monastics tested for the virus. Four Lavra workers were also diagnosed with coronavirus infection.

READ MORE: Coronavirus Causes Abbot of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra To Enter Self-Isolation

The Lavra’s clergy had previously called on believers to ignore state-imposed restrictions on the quarantine imposed due to the threat of coronavirus. However, eventually, the UOC-MP agreed to hold closed-door services at the Lavra for the duration of the quarantine.

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