Crime Committed By Authorities: Coronavirus Outbreak In Homel After Holding Belarus Gymnastics Championship

Coaches at a children's sports school have become infected with COVID-19.

Two new officially confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in Homel. COVID-19 was revealed among the trainers of the sports school of Olympic reserve for children and youth #4 in gymnastics and acrobatics. Now almost the entire coaching staff of the institution and their students are in the hospitals of Homel: they have undergone all the tests, now they are waiting for the results. One of the coaches, whose COVID-19 was confirmed, told tut.by where and how he could get sick.

Aliaksandr (at the request of the interlocutor, the name is changed - TUT.BY) says that the first symptoms appeared last Monday, March 23.

“At first there was chest pain, then a dry cough appeared, the temperature rose,” the man describes his condition.

First, he called a doctor to the house. The doctor prescribed antibiotics, but the man did not get better after taking them. On Sunday, the 29th, it became completely unbearable, and Aliaksandr called an ambulance. He was taken to the City Clinical Hospital # 1, where they put him in an ordinary ward. On the same day, they took a coronavirus test.

- After 12 days [it was Monday] a positive result came. Previously, I was in the ward with a man, he was immediately transferred somewhere. I was left alone, and at night in a special cocoon I was transferred to the infectious diseases hospital. Then my wife and seven-year-old daughter were brought here.

Soon, Aliaksandr found out that his colleague, another coach, also had a positive test for the coronavirus.

All the coaches and students of the youth sports school who were in contact with the sick were put in the regional oncology center, which was converted into an infectious ward.

Three weeks ago, an athlete of the same sports school was diagnosed with the coronavirus. The guy returned from the competitions of the Acrobatics World Cup in Portugal, after which he fell ill. By the way, he already recovered, on March 27 he was discharged from the hospital.

The coach is sure that he was not infected by the athlete: neither he nor his colleagues contacted the guy - they simply did not have time. Indeed, almost immediately after arrival, he went to the hospital and did not even go to school.

But from March 11 to 14, the Republican gymnastics championship was held on the basis of the Youth Sports School. Teams came from all over the country, there were many participants. It was after these competitions, says Aliaksandr, that both coaches and children began to get sick. Many went on sick leave - like, for example, the other coach who was diagnosed with the coronavirus but had pneumonia before.

Aliaksandr does not lose optimism and is convinced that everything will end well for him. This confidence, the man says, is inspired by the work of doctors and medical staff.

- Sanitary services are operating promptly: they immediately interviewed me about all the contacts. Up to which store I went to and at which cash desk I paid in the days before the illness. The doctors in the first hospital, and here, are great guys, they are doing their job clearly, and very attentively to patients. The influx is now serious everywhere, but no one complains. They are real heroes. Be sure to write about it, asks the coach.