Contamination has swept the American station McMurdo, the largest base in Antarctica. The National Science Foundation said it had recorded 98 positive tests since early October out of a total population of 993. The institution was “moving to reduce population density to reduce the possibility of transmission” and had implemented a pause in all travel to the continent for the next two weeks to “reassess the situation”. The outbreak comes as the stations prepare for the summer field season at maximum capacity, when many scientists fly in to conduct two to three months of research. For some bases, this year marked the first full season of research in Antarctica after a two-year shutdown due to Covid-19. It is not yet clear what impact the suspension of travel will have on research projects. The Covid outbreak is not the first in Antarctica, but it appears to be the largest. In December 2020, the first cases were identified, with 36 people testing positive at the Chilean base. A year later, an outbreak infected 11 of 30 people at Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth research station, and in January 2022, 24 cases were identified in an outbreak at Argentina’s Esperenza base. Of the 64 active cases, “most have mild symptoms and are isolated in their rooms,” the NSF said. In an effort to contain the outbreak and stop it from spreading further, the NSF will require residents to spend five days in isolation before going to the South Pole or deep field, and will recommend wearing KN-95 masks at all times . Those who test positive must self-isolate for five days, then cover another five days and can return to work after two negative tests. In March, as the world locked down in response to the rapid spread of Covid, Antarctic programs agreed that the pandemic could become a major disaster. With the world’s strongest winds and coldest temperatures, the continent roughly the size of the United States and Mexico is already dangerous for workers at its 40 bases year-round. According to a document from the Board of Directors of Antarctic National Programs seen by The Associated Press: “A highly infectious new virus with significant mortality and morbidity in the extreme and austere Antarctic environment with limited sophistication of medical care and public health responses is a high risk with potentially catastrophic consequences ».
