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Coronavirus pandemic

Updated at:

Russians evacuated from Diamond Princess arrive in Kazan

There are eight people, including a child

KAZAN, February 23. /TASS/. Eight Russians, who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, have arrived for quarantine in Kazan, a spokesperson for Tatarstan’s president told TASS on Sunday.

"The flight has arrived. They are now heading to an infectious diseases hospital. There are eight people, including a child, and four are from Tatarstan," Liliya Galimova said.

The spokesperson assured that this hospital in Kazan was one of the best facilities that could ensure medical examination and supervision of the patients, who would be placed into an isolation ward.

She also told that 12 medical personnel will provide assistance to Russians during their quarantine.

"Together with them will be medical personnel - three doctors, six nurses and three nurses’ aides. This medical personnel will stay with them for all 14 days, this means that they will also live with them," Liliya Galimova said.

The spokesperson highlighted the self-sacrifice of these doctors, who will devote 14 days to help these patients and monitor their health.

The evacuation

The eight Russians were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship by the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s aircraft. All of them are feeling good, including those three nationals, who have contracted coronavirus in a mild form, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told reporters earlier.

The head of Russia’s Tatarstan republic, Rustam Minnikhanov, has vowed that the evacuated cruise ship passengers would receive all necessary assistance. "First, it turned out that four of them are citizens of our republic and there is one child, and all these eight people were aboard one ship and they communicated. Second, today we have got an infectious diseases hospital, which meets all the requirements, and we had consulted and made a decision that Kazan was able to host these citizens and I’m sure that we will provide them with all they need during their entire treatment period," he said.

The head of Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Anna Popova noted that colleagues in Tatarstan were highly prepared to deal with this situation. She thanked Minnikhanov and doctors who were doing their utmost to preserve the Russians’ health.

A total of 24 Russian nationals were onboard the cruise ship in Japan. The others refused to take this flight.

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