Travel during the coronavirus pandemic is undesirable, but if movement is necessary, you need to keep a distance and, as far as possible, open Windows in trains, cars and buses, said the chief researcher of the world health organization (who) Sumiya Swaminathan, reports Tengrinews.kz with reference to RIA Novosti.

"The first question you need to ask yourself is: do I really need to go? Is this mandatory? If so, you need to minimize the risks. We know that no trip will be risk-free, but there is much we can do to minimize this risk," Swaminathan said in a video comment posted on the who's official Instagram account.

According to her, you should try to keep your distance when you are on a plane, train or bus.

"If you are on a bus or car where you can open the Windows, or even on a train, keep the Windows open so that there is ventilation. Always wear a mask, " the expert said.

Swaminathan also recommended that you carry a sanitizer and wash your hands frequently with soap. For those who feel unwell, who have a cough or fever, the expert recommended postponing the trip.

"If you arrive at a destination where you need to meet people who are at risk, you'd better go through a 14-day quarantine," she added.

In connection with the upcoming holidays, Swaminathan called for celebrating them with family.

"Try to minimize meetings where many different households and families gather, because this always increases the risk of infection," the expert said.

She added that in countries where the weather allows, family events should be held outdoors.

 https://tengrinews.kz/world_news/voz-ne-rekomenduet-poezdki-vo-vremya-koronavirusa-420144/

About 20% of the snow cover has melted on Eagle Island in the northeast of the peninsula, attributable to an atypical warmth.  The record speed of snow melting was recorded in Antarctica due to high air temperatures, Science Alert reports, citing data from NASA.  According to the publication, on February 9, a temperature record was recorded on Seymour Island - + 20.75 ° C. Now, data from the US Aerospace Agency indicate that high temperatures have melted about 20% of the snow cover on Eagle Island, which is located on the northeastern edge of the Antarctic Peninsula. "Never before has snow melted in Antarctica so quickly. Previously, such a speed (melting) could be observed in Alaska and Greenland, but it is not typical for Antarctica," said American geologist Maury Pelto. In his opinion, high temperatures can be considered the reason. Such figures are not typical for the weather conditions of Antarctica: the average annual temperature in the central part of the continent, as a rule, drops to –57 ° С. According to experts, the snow cover on Eagle Island "lost" more than ten centimeters only from 6 to 11 February. Environmentalists are worried about the frequency of events: this is the third major "large-scale melting" this winter.

Read more: https://sputnik.by/nature/20200225/1044030210/Sneg-rekordno-bystro-taet-v-Antarktide.html

Senator Lyazzat Rysbekova said that the shallowing of the Urals threatens an imminent environmental disaster, the correspondent reports Tengrinews.kz.

"Experts warn that the shallowing of the Ural river, which is the third longest river in Europe, threatens an imminent environmental disaster. The Ural plays a special role in preserving the ecosystem and bioresources of the Northern Caspian, where it flows. Last year, the international geodetic organization assigned the river the fifth and most recent level of pollution, effectively declaring it unsuitable for human use. Over the past five years, the Ural river has become so shallow that navigation on it has become almost impossible, and the number of alluvial land strips called braids has sharply increased. Today, the water level in the Urals has reached a record low.

The Ural is not just a river, but an entire ecosystem. Its shallowing leads to a number of very serious environmental problems: the floodplain of the river is not flooded, numerous lakes that feed the Urals in the dry season dry up, fish die, the ground water level decreases," Senator Lyazzat Rysbekova said, addressing a Deputy request to the country's Prime Minister Askar Mamin.

She added that the shallowing of the river affects the deterioration of the flora and fauna of the river basin, the decrease in agricultural productivity in the region, as well as the supply of drinking water to settlements in the region.

"...for residents of two regions of Kazakhstan, the Ural river is the main source of fresh water. The shallowing of the river has already affected the uninterrupted water supply of the city of Uralsk. If the river is now lost to navigation and water use, then tomorrow millions of people may be without drinking water.

Today, there is an acute problem with water supply in the southern regions of the region (Bokeyordinsky, Zhanybeksky, Zhangalinsky, Kaztalovsky), located in the desert zone. Over the past three years, the channels and estuaries of the districts do not receive enough water due to low water in the Urals, drying pastures cannot provide feed, and the livestock of the villagers is at risk of loss. The existing acute water shortage is also the result of excessive regulation of the Ural river in the upper reaches, " the Senator stressed in her request.

The Deputy considers it necessary:

* create a permanent Kazakh-Russian Commission;

* conduct a large-scale, thorough and comprehensive scientific study by scientists and experts of the Ural river itself and the causes of its shallowing. Only after understanding the reasons and getting the results of research can we talk about what additional measures still need to be taken to solve the problem;

* develop a systematic international program that would solve internal problems in the Ural river basin;

* strictly comply with the requirements of international environmental conventions and obligations signed by the Kazakh and Russian parties (Stockholm Convention on transboundary rivers and lakes);

* carry out continuous environmental monitoring of the Ural river.

 https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/ugroze-ekologicheskoy-katastrofyi-zapade-kazahstana-zayavila-419931/