DPR Health Minister Olga Dolgoshapko held a briefing in Donetsk today, on March 16, during which she spoke about the measures to prevent coronavirus infection in the DPR, a correspondent of the DPR Official Website reports.
“As of today, March 16, not a single case of coronavirus infection has been officially registered in the DPR. Under supervision there are two patients, one of whom arrived from the People’s Republic of China on March 9, the first tests came negative and her supervision will be over soon. The other patient arrived from Milan on March 14. She is being supervised under home quarantine. To date, the condition of both patients is satisfactory.
At the meetings of the Emergency Anti-Epidemic Commission, an action plan has been developed to prevent the import and spread of coronavirus infection in the DPR territory, and a procedure has been elaborated for interaction on this issue between various ministries and departments. Today, all healthcare institutions of the Republic are operating in accordance with this plan.
Since March 11, as Operational Headquarters has been working under the DPR Ministry of Health to coordinate actions between various institutions and departments to combat the spread of the infection. According to the order of the Ministry of Health No. 504 On Additional Measures to Prevent the Import and Mass Spread of the Infection Caused by Coronavirus in the Territory of the DPR, the procedure was approved for the actions of medical workers at the Republic’s checkpoints of entry and departure to identify temperature-sensitive persons and their further movement. There were also approved temporary instructions to ensure biological security at checkpoints across the DPR state border and the demarcation line, and a memo to citizens who had arrived from the countries where cases of the disease caused by coronavirus had been registered or who had contacted an infected person.
We are closely watching four checkpoints with Ukraine, three with the Russian Federation, and three more with the LPR. A mask regime and all strict measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection have been introduced at the DPR healthcare facilities.
As for personal protective equipment, given the absence of masks in pharmacies, they can be made at home from four layers of bandage or gauze. Masks should be changed at least every four hours. It is an unnecessary precaution to wear a mask on the street. One should avoid crowds of people in enclosed spaces.
We recommended to refrain from holding mass sports and cultural events,” Olga Dolgoshapko said.
The Minister pointed to an outbreak of the H1N1 flu and seasonal viral infections, and urged residents of the Republic to seek timely medical care.
Answering journalists’ questions, Olga Dolgoshapko noted that tests to identify the coronavirus are available in the Republic already, and they will be used precisely for their intended purpose in specialized virological laboratories. Citizens will be paid a quarantine sick leave, which lasts 14 days.
Besides, today, the DPR Government of the DPR plans to discuss the issue of transferring schools, universities and educational institutions of secondary special education to the distance learning mode.