Ukraine's first lady tests positive for coronavirus

KIEV: Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska said on Friday she had tested positive for the novel coronavirus amid a rise in infections.

Zelenska, 42, added that her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky, and their two children tested negative.

"Today I've received a positive COVID-19 test result," she said on Facebook.

On Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said there had been an "alarming" rise in coronavirus cases as the country eases lockdown restrictions.

On Friday, the ex-Soviet country reported 29,753 cases and 870 fatalities.

The Ukrainian president urged officials to urgently establish the reason behind a spike in new cases.

"Only the observation of security measures will protect us from the threat of getting sick and save our economy from the quarantine," he said.

The first lady said that she felt fine and was self-isolating.

She said the positive test was a surprise as she and her husband have sought to follow social distancing rules and protected themselves.

But the 42-year-old leader came under fire last week when he appeared without a mask in a cafe during a visit to the city of Khmelnytsky in central Ukraine.

Some experts have said the uptick is due to an increase in testing.

Lockdown measures eased gradually in late May and early June with a resumption of public transport, including metro systems and long-distance and local train services.

Ukraine launched domestic flights on June 5 and will resume international flights on Monday.