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.

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

Ukraine’s first lady tests positive for coronavirus — (FILES) The picture taken at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium on April 19, 2019, shows Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and his wife Olena during a presidential election debate with Ukrainian current President Petro Poroshenko. – “Today I received a positive Covid-19 test result. Unexpected news. Especially given that my family and I follow all the rules – we wear masks, gloves and minimise our contacts,” the first lady Olena Zelenska wrote on Facebook on June 12, 2020. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)

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.

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Related topics: coronavirus COVID-19 ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky