What to do in case of disaster at ZNPP: Ukrainians advised to stay at home for day

Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs, said this on the air of the United News telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The first thing is to lock yourself in your home for up to 1 day. Until the local authorities, civil defense authorities give an appropriate order to move to a particular area or move around a certain territory," he said.

Klymenko added that the radioactive background that may be in the air will last about 1 day.

"We are talking about a possible thermal release, which will lose its highest concentration during the day. That is, the radioactive background will decrease by 80% during the day," the minister assured.

According to him, during this time, if there are no evacuation measures, every citizen should lock themselves in their rooms and close the ventilation. Ventilation systems - air conditioners, heaters - should be turned off.

Citizens should also seal all openings in their homes or apartments with either a dampened cloth or tape.

"It is necessary to stay in rooms without windows and external doors - it means that everything should be clearly closed. Radiation is, by and large, dust. And protection from dust, if you are outside, is a regular respirator or a mask, which we used during the coronavirus. This is all you need to know," the minister added.

The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs urged people to watch the media, which will inform the public about the situation and safety measures.

As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky instructed Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko to take the necessary measures and to educate the public about the risks at Zaporizhzhia NPP.