Jewish pilgrims pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, in the city of Uman, Ukraine, Sept. 20, 2017. Photo: Reuters /  Valentyn Ogirenko.

JNS.org – Ukraine’s deputy health minister, Dr. Ihor Kuzin, said on Monday that his country would work to ease restrictions on the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in the city of Uman, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

According to Kuzin, a special directive allowing religious pilgrims to enter the country under certain pandemic-related restrictions has been approved and will also apply to Chassidic Jews visiting Uman.

“The directive consists of basic steps for the prevention of pandemics, such as the requirement to wear protective masks, checking body temperature, and oversight of the public transportation used by pilgrims. Additionally, border crossing protocols are well-defined now and the instructions are clear and unequivocal,” said Kuzin.

Informational pamphlets were ready for distribution at the country’s airports and volunteers from Ukraine and Israel have been recruited to facilitate expeditious testing of Chassidic visitors, he added.

Some 50,000 rapid coronavirus testing kits have been allocated by the ministry for those arriving in Uman from Israel, and some 190,000 protective masks and 19,000 hand sanitizer bottles have already been purchased to protect the attendees, he said.