Ukrainians try to return home before lockdown

More than 18,000 Ukrainians have crossed the country's borders since Thursday in a rush to return home from abroad before Ukraine closes them on Friday.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in televised remarks on Thursday that the country's borders will be entirely closed by the end of Friday, and the closure will include Ukrainian citizens abroad, in an attempt to combat the new coronavirus.

More than 6,500 arrived at border crossings with EU countries on foot, according to Ukraine's border service on Friday.

Travellers formed long queues at Ukraine's border with Poland, where at least 1.5 million Ukrainians work.

Border guards at all crossings were checking everyone's temperature as part of the coronavirus screening.

Ukraine has recorded 218 cases of the new virus and five deaths. Four people have recovered, health officials said Friday.

Earlier this month Ukraine shut down its borders for foreign nationals and declared the state of emergency all across the country in an attempt to curb the outbreak.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.