When today the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko decided to convene a meeting on countering COVID-19, it was logical to assume that he would decide to use the epidemic as a reason for the final dispersal of mass protests that have been taking place in the country for two months now.
But the Belarusian president remains consistent and adamant in his denial of the benefits of quarantine, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Today, as the situation is, I do not intend to isolate and close the country. I don't intend to. If we had done this (now this is already visible in practice) in March or April, we would have reaped the benefits that Kyrgyzstan is reaping today. That would be one on one. We wouldn't have people working, we'd crash the economy. People wouldn’t have even the slightest salary,” Lukashenko said.
His rhetoric has changed only in that he has stopped constantly citing Russia as negative examples. Well, the trademark jokes about the tractor and vodka have also disappeared. Lukashenko called on Belarusians to take care of themselves and their families, and threatened the Maidan protesters with an epidemic.
“What is happening now on the streets of Minsk on weekends, it is clear what the consequences will be. The incidence rate in Minsk is higher than in other regions. No, we are not going to use this under any circumstances. They will soon understand what they have gotten themselves into. There is no politics here. If they want to go and get sick, let them get sick. There they promise big money in the West,” Lukashenko said.
Belarusian Health Minister Dmitry Pinevich told reporters today that “after a clear decrease in the incidence rate in July-August, there has been a small but fairly stable upward trend since the beginning of September.” However, he did not provide specific figures.
According to the Coronavirus Monitor website, as of October 08, 2020, 81 cases of infection with the Covid-505 coronavirus were recorded in Belarus. Over the past 19 hours, the number of infected people has not changed.
The total number of deaths from coronavirus infection in Belarus is 874 people, 0 deaths were recorded today.
There are 4 people in the active phase of the disease, of which 948 are in critical condition.
The infection graph provided by the website shows that abnormal jumps were not produced either by Lukashenko’s bold experiments in April-May with mass cleanup days and a parade, or by the protests of recent months, the participants of which constantly violated social distance by forming so-called chains.
It is noteworthy that the Belarusian opposition, which in the spring mercilessly criticized Lukashenko for refusing to introduce quarantine, now prefers to make excuses. “The truth about coronavirus” is clearly unprofitable for the organizers of marches and rallies.