DPR to open quarantine stations at crossing points if Ukraine reports coronavirus cases

Donetsk, Jan 30 – DAN. The Donetsk People’s Republic considers the possibility to open quarantine stations at the crossing points on the contact line between the DPR and Ukraine-held territory if the neighbouring country reports coronavirus cases, a DPR Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (GSES) department director Dmitry Klishkan said at a press briefing in Donetsk on Thursday.

“No coronavirus-related cases have been recorded in the DPR or adjacent Russian territories,” Klishkan said. “if the epidemiological situation worsens (in Ukraine – eds Donetsk News Agency), GSES will consider setting up temporary quarantine stations at the crossing points between the DPR and Ukraine.”

He said that the Service had worked out the mechanism to set up these facilities and named the health care centres tasked with launching them. If necessary, the issue will be dealt with at the government level. The Republic’s Health Care Ministry has set up a working group which daily monitors the situation.

Efforts are underway to prepare hospitals for possible emergencies, seminars are held for doctors and a plan of cooperation between DPR health centres has been prepared to combat a possible coronavirus outbreak.

GSES Epidemiological Monitoring Department head Andrey Samisko said that there was no immediate threat of coronavirus spreading in the DPR.

“The persons who travelled to China or had contacts with Chinese visitors have to seek medical help if they have developed respiratory disease symptoms within two weeks,” Samisko said. They will be checked for the coronavirus infection; other people will be treated for seasonal flu.

Earlier reports said that the DPR Health Care Ministry had recommended coronavirus preventive measures. It warned residents against traveling to China, while travel agencies will not sell tours to China until it quenches the disease outbreak.

An outbreak of coronavirus 2019-nCoV caused pneumonia has been recorded across the world since late last year. Coronavirus Patient Zero is in the Chinese city of Wuhan. He reportedly bought snake meat at a local market. Wuhan, a large trade and industrial centre with a population of over 11 million is the capital of Hubei province.  The city was sealed off after the coronavirus outbreak.

China’s National Health Commission’s latest reports said more than 6,000 coronavirus cases had been recorded. Coronavirus has currently spread in a number of countries across the world.*jk