WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) The number of people meeting cosmonauts and astronauts returning from the International Space Station (ISS) will be limited on order to avoid infection with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), NASA nurse Raksana Batsmanova told Sputnik.
Batsmanova has been cooperating with NASA for almost 10 years and providing medical assistance to astronauts during space launches and landings.
"The entire team that will work on the next landing in April will undergo strict medical supervision," Batsmanova, who is also a senior nurse of the clinic 'European Medical Center' and a nurse at International SOS, said.
"At the moment, every inhabitant of the Earth is vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus. In the case of astronauts / cosmonauts who will return in April 2020, the number of persons meeting them will be reduced and all necessary precautions will be taken to avoid infection," she said.
Batsmanova pointed out that virus data in the medical community about the experiences of other countries is updated hourly, and preventive measures are known.
"All this knowledge helps to reduce the risks of astronauts' infection during landing and helps astronauts return healthy to relatives and friends who are waiting for them," she stated.
Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos told Sputnik earlier in March that it sees no need to delay the return of the International Space Station crew to Earth due to the coronavirus pandemic and the closure of borders between Russia and Kazakhstan.
The ISS crew is expected to return to Earth on April 17. Russian experts and equipment should be brought to the landing area to meet them.
The ISS crew currently comprises Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and US astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir. On April 9, Russian cosmonauts Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, and US astronaut Christopher Cassidy are expected to replace them.
