NAGORNYAK: “IN 2002-m to year due to SARS in China a month and a half has been quarantined”

Mentor Junior team of Ukraine U-16 Sergey nagorniak talks about how he survived the SARS epidemic

– What was it?
In 2001-2003 I was playing in China for the team “Shandong Luneng” from the city of Jinan. In November of 2002 near Beijing outbreak of SARS – severe acute respiratory syndrome. In consequence of this championship was interrupted. In total, the quarantine lasted for about a month and a half, some time was preparing for the resumption of the season. In General, the pause in the championship lasted just less than two months.

– I had to endure?
– When it started, I had a plane to send to family in Ukraine. In General, air traffic is not blocked, and limited; the first two weeks of quarantine the aircraft almost did not fly, then all gradually resumed. Links between cities and provinces is also not blocked, however, introduced measures: for example, crashing your car into some town, you have to measure the temperature. The housing on my team was like this: the Chinese lived on the base, the aliens settled or hotel, or apartments. I lived in an apartment, but my house was about 100 metres from our training base. So the first two weeks of quarantine were fed there. Eventually we were allowed to go to the city. In General psychological atmosphere was not very good, however, is much easier than it is today.

– How did you spend your free time?
– The most important thing that we have not interrupted a workout. And these – the whole team, not groups of players. And I saw this: I was closely associated with three other foreigners, we gathered at someone’s apartment, played cards, and dinner ordered at the restaurant. Ordered this: with us was a local taxi driver we took from the restaurant menu, showed him the finger, what to buy, he went and brought, and we were paid. It is worth a penny.

– That memorable …
– The Chinese are very disciplined people. They said not, they performed. We, the foreigners, did not forbid anything, and “persistently asked” very politely. I remember getting into town or to the supermarket, and everywhere is empty, although under normal conditions, all reminiscent of an anthill.