ISS Crew May Be Quarantined In Kazakhstan After Landing In April - Doctor

ISS Crew May Be Quarantined in Kazakhstan After Landing in April - Doctor

The International Space Station (ISS) crew that is expected to land in Kazakhstan on April 17 could be sent into quarantine for 14 days as part of relevant epidemiological measures amid the ongoing pandemic, Sergei Savin, chief epidemiologist at the Gagarin Research and Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), told Sputnik

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) The International Space Station (ISS) crew that is expected to land in Kazakhstan on April 17 could be sent into quarantine for 14 days as part of relevant epidemiological measures amid the ongoing pandemic, Sergei Savin, chief epidemiologist at the Gagarin Research and Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), told Sputnik.

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.

"Russian and Kazakh authorities have decided to place all arrivals from abroad into a 14-day isolation. This requirement will certainly apply to Oleg Skripochka after his return from the ISS. This means that the entire traditional program for post-flight rehabilitation is currently in question," Savin said.

According to Savin, in the light of the coronavirus pandemic and the closure of borders between states, it is still unclear to specialists whether the Russian cosmonaut will be able to go on vacation abroad or stay in Russia after returning from the ISS.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 780,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, and over 37,800 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.