Astronauts in quarantine before mission aboard ISS

(19 Mar 2020) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus132649

An astronaut who's about to leave the planet for half a year is concerned about coronavirus - just like everyone else - even though he's in a quarantine.
NASA's Chris Cassidy said Thursday from Star City, Russia, that when you're an astronaut close to launch, lots of people are concerned about your health.
Cassidy and his two Russian crewmates, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, have been taking precautions to stay germ-free before their April 9 launch to the International Space Station, frequently washing their hands and keeping a safe distance from others.
Cassidy won't have his family - or any other guests - at his Kazakhstan launch.
In fact, he expects to say goodbye to wife Julie on Friday, three weeks sooner than expected because of the coronavirus outbreak.
"It's none like any other time in our in our lives as a generation, really, right. Like to me, this is goes into. Where were you when JFK was shot? Where were you when you landed on the moon and where were you when coronavirus was happening? And I'll have my own interesting story to tell in years to come," Cassidy told the Associated Press.
On top of the global outbreak, Cassidy, a 50-year-old Navy captain and former SEAL, is coping with a rare, late-in-the-game crew change.
He will spend 6 1/2 months at the International Space Station with two Russians named to the flight just one month ago, after one of the original cosmonauts suffered an eye injury.
Liftoff remains set for April 9.
The space station's staffing will drop from six to three one week after Cassidy's arrival.
It will remain at three people until SpaceX launches two NASA astronauts as early as May, or until another crew arrives on a Russian Soyuz capsule in the fall.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.
For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

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