Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced Tuesday, July 28, that he had been contaminated with Covid-19, the severity of which he has continuously minimized, however specifying that he did not have symptoms. “ The amazing thing is that today you meet a person who had the coronavirus but continued to work. Doctors came to this conclusion yesterday, ”he said during a meeting with officials from the Interior Ministry.
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" Thank goodness I was one of those who did not have symptoms, " Lukashenko added, according to images broadcast on Belarusian public television. The President of Belarus is one of the only leaders in the world who has not ordered mandatory containment measures in the face of the epidemic. He had previously called it “ psychosis ” and recommended drinking some vodka or going to the sauna to avoid getting sick.
At the head of this former Soviet republic since 1994, he has been criticized for his handling of the pandemic, while Belarus has recorded more than 67,000 cases of coronavirus and 543 deaths, according to official figures.
Alexander Lukashenko, who has never been seen wearing a protective mask, continues his campaign for the presidential election on August 9, in which he is running for a sixth term. This campaign was marked by a wave of anti-government protests suppressed by the authorities and the arrest of leading opponents.