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[54]World

Coronavirus and Antarctica: 'Isolated within isolation'

By Sam Proffitt BBC News
* 14 May 2020

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Related Topics
* [74]Coronavirus pandemic

Pradeen Tomar in Antarctica Image copyright Pradeep Tomar Image caption
Extreme isolation: Fact of life on Antarctica

It's cut off from the rest of the world for months at a time - and
there's not been a single case of coronavirus. So why are the research
teams at Antarctica following isolation rules to combat the virus when
it's probably not even on the continent?

"A case of Covid-19 here could be disastrous. So we are taking lockdown
measures, too. It feels like we are isolated within the isolation.
Prevention is much better than the cure,"

That's Pradeep Tomar - a medical doctor on a research mission to
India's Bharati base, in Antarctica.

He is five months into a year-long deployment to the station.

And if Covid-19 reached an Antarctic research base, it could be
devastating. There's nowhere else to go, medical facilities are limited
- and the likelihood of spreading it to others would be high.

And so despite being on the only continent without any cases of
coronavirus, the 23-strong team at the facility has been on lockdown
since February.

Anyone coming to Antarctica is now quarantined for 14 days.

And if someone starts showing Covid-19 symptoms in Antarctica, they
must be isolated immediately, alongside anyone they've had contact
with.
Image copyright Pradeep Tomar Image caption Antarctica: Isolation taken
to the extreme

There are 29 countries with bases in Antarctica.

And before lockdown started, there would be regular visits to Bharati
from neighbouring expeditions.

The visitors' national flag would be raised for their arrival. The
different teams would celebrate important national days together. And
if one of the bases needed equipment they did not have to hand, they
would borrow it from their neighbours.

"This level of harmony among nations is not visible in the real world,"
Dr Tomar says.

But he has not seen anyone from another facility since the beginning of
March, when joint activities were paused.
Image copyright Pradeep Tomar Image caption Bharati base was
constructed from 134 prefabricated shipping containers

When Dr Tomar arrived at Bharati, on 15 November 2019, to study the
psychological effects of a polar expedition on the researchers, the
world was much the same as it had always been. Now, he says, there is a
constant anxiety on the site, fuelled by the lack of information about
coronavirus - and constant worrying about their families back home.

Dr Tomar and his colleagues have only a vague idea of what the global
pandemic and subsequent lockdowns entail.

He is relying on friends and family for updates.

And some consequences of the social distancing he is struggling to
imagine at all.

"Friends have been telling me that they are surviving in a situation
like ours, isolated and glued at home," he says.

"It is beyond my imagination to realise the entire world going out with
their masks on."
* LOCKDOWN UPDATE: [75]What's changing, where?
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* THE R NUMBER: [78]What it means and why it matters
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With quarantine measures in place around the world, travelling to and
from the base and others may become difficult.

And it could mean scientists will have to stay for many more months
longer than they expected in the cold and inhospitable climate.
Image copyright Pradeep Tomar Image caption Members of the Bharati team
launch a weather balloon

Situated on the Larsemann Hills, overlooking the Southern Ocean, the
Bharati base, which started operations in 2012, is one of the remotest
research outposts on the planet. The nearest mainland is South Africa,
more than 5,000km (3,000 miles) away. The only transport is by boat -
and then only in the Antarctic summer, between November and the end of
March.

Those in such an inhospitable place are uniquely aware of how people
cope with lockdown.

You may also be interested in:
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* [85]'I've done the blame game, isolation is my life for a year'
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Everyone works from "home" for the duration of their stay at the
facility.

There are no shops. There is no option for a casual stroll. Outside,
the threat is the temperature dropping as low as -40C.

All the team at Bharati received comprehensive training before they
arrived, to learn how to mentally and physically survive Antarctic
winters.

The constant social isolation and lack of sunlight puts them at risk of
developing depression.

And on a continent that spends many winter months with no sunlight at
all, maintaining a regular sleep pattern can be difficult.

"We encourage people to practise good sleep hygiene here," Dr Tomar
says.
Image copyright Pradeep Tomar Image caption Bharati is located between
Thala Fjord and Quilty Bay, in Antarctica

When Dr Tomar arrived, he was wary of the dangers of the Antarctic
landscape.

"There is a constant threat to life when you are here," he says. "Vast
sheets of ice are packed with hidden crevices to fall into."

But now, he is more fearful for the people at home. The world as Dr
Tomar knows it could change beyond recognition during his year on the
frozen continent. While he had been trained for the social isolation,
compatriots at home have not.

"I truly wish I could serve my country in this time of need," he says.
"Nobody has ever witnessed something like the ongoing crisis. I hope to
see the same world again when we go home."
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Related Topics

* [95]Coronavirus lockdown measures
* [96]India
* [97]Coronavirus pandemic
* [98]India coronavirus lockdown
* [99]Antarctic

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More on this story

* 'Nobody told us about the coronavirus pandemic'
21 April 2020
* Coronavirus: 'Will we have to stay in isolation for a year?'
8 May 2020
* My Money: 'I've gone from being a photographer to a farmer'
11 May 2020

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189. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree
190. https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms/
191. https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc
192. https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/privacy/
193. https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/cookies/
194. https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/
195. https://www.bbc.co.uk/guidance
196. https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact
197. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnewsletter
198. https://www.bbc.co.uk/help/web/links/

Hidden links:
200. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52624208#core-navigation
201. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52332899
202. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52524857
203. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52578720
204. https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-52638382
205. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-52589043/teens-document-their-lockdown-life-around-the-world
206. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52579200
207. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52630346
208. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52632880
209. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-52649919/how-denmark-reopened-its-primary-schools
210. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52572494
211. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52624208
212. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52632475