On Sept 17 the Ukrainian government warned thousands of Hasidic Jewish Pilgrims who had gathered at the Ukraine border will not be let into their country, because of current COVID restrictions. They had gathered to travel to the city of Uman, to visit the grave of a very important Hasidic Rabbi who died in 1810, Nachman of Breslov.

Many orthodox Jews travel to Uman every year in September for the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah. This year it is being celebrated on Sept. 18-20. Some did manage to make it into Uman before they closed their borders in the later half of August, due to a major increase in COVID infections.