ISLAMABAD         -         With at least 164 countries around the world battling coronavirus, there seems to be only one place that has not been infected –the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has a strategy in place to prevent astronauts from carrying potentially dangerous viruses and pathogens to the ISS known as ‘health stabilization.’ Crews heading to the ISS undergo a physical exam 10 days before launch, which includes swabs and other lab tests to make sure they are not currently infected with a disease. If the results prove negative, each individual is asked to limit contact with the public and then enter into a two week-period of quarantine to determine if they are incubating an illness.

SpaceX is set to launch its first manned craft carrying two NASA astronauts in May and according to both the firm and NASA, the mission to space is still on despite the pandemic spreading on Earth.