Representatives of international organizations visit largest quarantine center in Uzbekistan

The total area of this complex is almost 15 hectares, and its first part was put into operation in March. Almost 15,000 citizens live in the quarantine territory designed for 20,000 patients. These are mainly people who returned to Uzbekistan on charter flights as well as residents of the city of Tashkent and the Tashkent region who have been in contact with coronavirus patients.

1,010 medical and technical staff look after patients here. The Ministry of Health, the Interior Ministry, the National Guard, the Ministry of Defense and the Agency for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing are all involved in the process.

The quarantine center has a special dining room, which has different sorts of hot meals. The rest of the food products in the form of semi-finished products are supplied in a disposable dish, in compliance with sanitary requirements. People receive a variety of foods every day.

The deputy director in charge of medical affairs in the quarantine zone, Otabek Imonov, spoke about the provision of food to citizens under quarantine.

“The quarantine center is divided into 3 zones. We are now in the “green” zone. The inner blocks are the “red zone”. Each block is designed to accommodate 600-1200 people. Food is loaded into special machines and carried along the “yellow” zone, to the border with the “red” zone. The employees inside get the products. After unloading, the machines get disinfected and return.

The food is distributed in disposable dishes, and after eating it is decontaminated and burned.

The cost of four meals per citizen placed under quarantine is 78,280 soums.

Representatives of the National Center for Human Rights and representatives of United Nations missions, OSCE and WHO in Uzbekistan visited the quarantine center in order to familiarize themselves with the living conditions of citizens. The staff of the center informed them about the conditions there.

The head of the center, Feruz Karimov, explained to representatives of international organizations how parcels entered the quarantine zone.

“Relatives of citizens placed on quarantine are often indignant: “We have sent packages, but they have not reached the destination”. It turns out later that they tried to deliver things forbidden in the center: alcoholic beverages, cakes, carbonated beverages.

If relatives of a citizen under quarantine have brought a parcel and do not know his or her room, they may contact the call center. Each room has a mobile phone. Each block inside has one supervisor attached to it. He makes a list of things citizens need and calls the call center. Things that are requested are delivered inside,” says the head of the center.

In order to study the living conditions of citizens, experts visited the quarantine zone in special overalls. After familiarizing themselves with the situation, the United Nations Permanent Representative in Uzbekistan, Helena Fraser, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, Ambassador John MacGregor and other foreign officials expressed their opinion on the conditions in the quarantine zone and made conclusions.

According to the information provided, 67,000 citizens have been in the quarantine center since its opening. Of these, 2,082 (3.1 percent) tested positive for coronavirus and were sent to the Virology Research Institute.