"The chief sanitary doctor (Zhandarbek Bekshin-KazTAG) has the authority for security provision in Kazakhstan. There has been much criticism. We approach it with understanding. Nobody was ready for this. Even the Government of Japan is now in a difficult situation. We are trying to work efficiently. We involved medical students who help us in the airports. We imposed maximum control on the entry to the state. As far as it does not guarantee full security, we are conducting monitoring on the places of residence. I.e. today 1000 people are under constant medical monitoring," he said on the sidelines of the Government.
He has also commented on the quarantine of people who arrived from Japan at night on February 24.
"There are four people from the Japanese liner (Diamond Princess-KazTAG), eight crew members and eight passengers. Totally 20 people. They are not sick, but we placed them on quarantine," he said.
He added they may be transferred to home quarantine.
"The chief doctor will say about it later," he added.
When asked what is more dangerous, the coronavirus or the panic reaction of people to it, Birtanov replied that "inadequate reaction of people is very upsetting."
“ Many countries of the world face similar facts. I would like to address to our people. Quarantined people are not considered sick people. These are standard security measures. We recommend self-isolation for the people who arrived from regions where an outbreak of coronavirus was fixed. Including self-isolation of family members from friends, acquaintances and colleagues. These are safety measures that are being taken around the world. Many countries recommend such measures: not only isolation in special institutions, but also at home since it is simply impossible to accommodate everyone in medical institutions, ” he said.
Photo source: picture from an open source