Ukraine’s Healthcare Minister to spend 14 days with quarantined Ukrainians as gesture of solidarity

Ukraine’s Minister of Health Zoryana Skaletska has decided to join the quarantined people at the Novi Sanzhary Medical Center and will spend the next 14 days with them. She wrote about it on her Facebook page after local citizens attacked the bus, which was carrying evacuated Ukrainians, with stones.

"I made the decision to join the people in the observation. I will spend the next 14 days with them in the same room and in the same conditions. I hope that my presence will reassure both those in Novi Sanzhary and the rest of the country ... I want to emphasize one more time: these people are our compatriots, they are no strangers to us. We live in one country and we must take care of their health and safety," Skaletska said.

According to her, the evacuation was carefully prepared and the safe conditions of stay in observation were provided, taking all WHO standards and practices of other countries into account.

"What happened today, all that panic and rejection, the negativity and the aggression struck me very much. The people that were evacuated from China were shocked even more. So I am asking you to express your words of support and gratitude for agreeing to spend two weeks in isolation. I hope that my personal behavior will help with mitigating the situation and reconciliation. It is necessary for all of us," the minister noted.

According to Ukraine's Health Ministry, there were 45 Ukrainians, 27 foreigners and crew members, including three doctors, on board the plane with Ukrainian citizens and foreigners evacuated from China landed at Kharkiv Airport on February 20. They all will be placed under 14-day observation with a strict biosecurity regime in Novi Sanzhary hospital.