The city of Murmansk in Russia’s Arctic has opened a new coronavirus field hospital two weeks after breaking ground on construction.
Nowhere in the country has a hospital been erected as quickly, regional authorities say.
The 10,000-square-meter hospital in Murmashi, about 15 kilometers south of Murmansk, has 700 beds for coronavirus patients. It consists of nine blocks with various specializations. There are both “clean” and “dirty” zones, and 100 of the beds are reserved for patients needing intensive care, regional authorities said.
The hospital was officially opened on June 6 in a ceremony led by Murmansk Governor Andrei Chibis and deputy emergency situations minister Andrei Gurovich.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry and Health Ministry built the facility. Experiences from the project can now be applied to other places in the country, Gurovich said.
The number of coronavirus cases in the Murmansk region has stabilized in recent weeks, with less than 50 new daily cases now registered in the region’s official Covid-19 statistics.
A total of 3,576 individuals have contracted the virus in the region, 2,288 of whom are employees at Novatek’s Belokamenka natural gas yard outside Murmansk.
Following a major outbreak at Belokamenka, the Murmansk region was for weeks among the Russian regions with the highest numbers of new Covid-19 cases.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
