[MagnumOpus]

In fact fair few parts of the exclusion zone are under discussion to be reopened very soon, and Chernobyl is quite habitable for some definition of habitable. Thousands of people stay and live there (decontamination workers, and a big tourist trade), though they are only allowed to stay three months at a time. They are exposed to less radiation than an airline pilot or a stewardess receives in the course of their job -- so "habitable" is relative.