Few masks and little distancing as thousands pack Black Sea beaches

Tens of thousands of people descended on Black Sea beaches in Russia and Ukraine over the weekend but despite significant COVID-19 outbreaks in both countries, there was little evidence anyone was heeding public health advice. Few were seen wearing face masks or trying to maintain social distancing on the overcrowded beaches of Odessa and Sochi. Both are even more packed this year because of the EU's ban on travellers entering from outside the bloc. Fifteen countries have been exempted from the prohibition, but neither Russia nor Ukraine are on the list.