CrimeaSOS Checked Whether COVID Testing Is Being Conducted on the Administrative Border with Crimea (Infographic)

Checkpoint “Kalanchak”: everyone coming from the occupied Crimea is tested

Checkpoint “Kalanchak” has a specially equipped station designed for collecting biological material for express-testing. This station is located in the building of the Center for Administrative Services. However, there is no available information on the testing on the territory of the checkpoint itself.

“The place for testing is located near the reception of the Center for Administrative Services. This is where people come. As a result, there is a potential risk of contact between potentially sick people and visitors and employees of the Center,” said Oleksii Tilnenko, a coordinator of the CrimeaSOS Kherson headquarters.

The testing is conducted by medical personnel from the Kalanchak central area hospital and primary care clinic. The testing station operates from 9 am to 1 pm during the weekdays. Sometimes it works until 2 pm.

“There are no additional employees to conducts testing. Medical personnel is forced to work in the Center for Administrative Services over time,” says Oleksii.

Everyone who comes from the occupied Crimea goes through testing. After two weeks of service at the testing station, it provided help to 49 persons. As of late January, the Kalanchak area hospital allocated 800 express-tests for the checkpoint “Kalanchak.”

The flow of citizens who come to take tests is not even. Citizens mostly find out about the testing station’s work from the Internet resources, social networks, as employees of the testing station and people say.

The station also provides a medical document that confirms the testing result. Then employers transfer information about the test result to the Kalanchak area hospital. If the test result is positive, a person has to come for observation to the Kalanchak area hospital and stay there for 14 days.

According to the medical personnel of the testing station, the station has all the required PPE. The rooms go through regular disinfection. However, the nurse at the station was not wearing PPE.

Checkpoint “Chonhar”: tests for people with fever only

The COVID testing station is located in the building of a bus station. It has a separate entrance. The station occupies two rooms. One is for the reception of attendants. Another one is for taking biological material for the test. The testing station operates seven days a week from 8 am to 4 pm.

“Express testing is being conducted by paramedics of the Red Cross. But this possibility is only available to those Ukrainians who have a fever. Suppose a person has a high body temperature when they cross the administrative border. In that case, they must proceed to the testing station,” says Oleksii Tilnenko.

According to the paramedic, if the test is negative, a person does not have to self-isolate. Representatives of the Red Cross have a software where they register this information. The system includes information about the name of a person, contact phone number, date of the crossing of the administrative border, and information about health and test result.

If, for various reasons, a person does not have an app “Vdoma” on their phone, they have to proceed for observation to the Novotroiska central area hospital. Similarly, if the test result is positive, a person will have to go to the hospital or a family doctor if the sickness is in light form. If a patient had not signed a declaration with a family doctor, paramedics would not help with this problem.

As the Mission of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea informed before, there is a separate hotline for Crimean residents where they can receive medical advice: +38 099 3509728 (Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp).

Since the testing station opened, it only provided ten express tests to people. The total number of available tests is 500. They are distributed according to the need in the Center for Primary Care. The limit is 50 tests per 2 days.

The testing station has all the necessary PPE. White overalls, masks, medical gloves, and protective glasses were available. The station has sanitizers to clean all types of surfaces.

The entrance to the testing station displays additional information, a working schedule, and a symbol of the Red Cross of the Henichesk area.