The suits were manufactured in China, where they demonstrated their effectiveness during contacts with COVID-19 carriers, and comply with the St. Petersburg Healthcare Committee's requirements for this type of clothing.
A total of 4,000 boxes containing the suits were shipped to Moscow by air. After passing through customs, the boxes were transported to St. Petersburg by a convoy of motor vehicles on May 3 in order to be distributed among healthcare facilities.
The biological protection suits will be delivered to some 30 hospitals based in St. Petersburg, including the Botkin Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital, the Alexandrovskaya Hospital, Filatov Children's City Clinical Hospital No. 5, the Hospital for Veterans of Wars, the Pokrovskaya Hospital, and other healthcare facilities. This will help significantly reduce the risk of disease for doctors and medical personnel.
In addition, Gazprom and its affiliate Expoforum International are taking part in the establishment of a temporary hospital for patients with mild cases of COVID-19 at the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex. On May 2, the inpatient facility started admitting patients. At the request of Alexander Beglov, Governor of St. Petersburg, the Company made the decision to hand over another three groups of Lenexpo pavilions – 8 and 8A; 5 and 5A; 1, 2 and 3 – to the city free of charge so as to expand the hospital further. Demolition works are already underway in Pavilions 8 and 8A.
“I am grateful to Gazprom and to Alexey Miller personally. It is a substantial contribution to the fight against the coronavirus. Gazprom is not only providing the city with monetary assistance but also finding and purchasing the required devices and protective equipment for doctors, as well as handing over Lenexpo premises free of charge to convert them into a hospital. This is enormously helpful and supportive to the city in an hour of need,” said Alexander Beglov.
