Ukraine has announced a nationwide lockdown while the Sri Lankan authorities continue to entertain the Ukrainian tourists travelling across the country.

Hundreds of Ukrainian tourists were facilitated by Sri Lanka in several batches as part of a "pilot project" to resurrect Sri Lanka's tourism in teh aftermath of the pandemic.

A number of Sri Lankan experts and researches pointed out that facilitating Ukrainian tourists could pose a risk to the safety of Sri Lankans who are already battling a severe outbreak of the pandemic.

Coronavirus infections in Ukraine began rising again in September and have remained relatively high. The country has registered more than 1 million coronavirus cases with 19,588 deaths as of Jan. 8.

The government had decided on the January lockdown in early December, when Ukraine was at the peak of the epidemic and the number of new cases stood at around 12,000-14,000 a day, the Reuters said.

The new measures, which include the closure of entertainment centres and a ban on mass gatherings, will be in force until Jan. 24.