Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko on fight against coronavirus: Belarus acts professionally using China’s experience

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MINSK, 24 March (BelTA) – Belarus is taking professional targeted measures in the fight against coronavirus using China’s experience, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Cui Qiming on 24 March, BelTA has learned.

The head of state emphasized that coronavirus cases confirmed in Belarus were imported. “This virus has not been developing here. Apart from that, Belarus was not and is not the place where this virus started,” he noted.

At the same time, in spite of the big number of Chinese nationals working in Belarus, there was no import of the coronavirus from China. “Among the confirmed coronavirus cases, none of them were imported from China. Many people from the People’s Republic of China are working in Belarus (in the Great Stone park and other facilities, at the Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation which we are building with the help of Chinese people and a Chinese loan), and none of the coronavirus cases were imported from China. We have been working and are working very carefully. And it’s not because we are not afraid of anything, this is not the case,” the Belarusian leader said. “We are trying to take professional targeted measures using your and our experience.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked the Chinese side. “I get information about the situation every morning. Chinese specialists, our friends, answer all our questions. They willingly share all the bitter experience that they’ve accumulated during these months with Belarusian epidemiologists, microbiologists, doctors, and so on,” he said. “Thank you and all Chinese people for your help.”

The president told the ambassador about the measures that Belarus has been taking against the spread of coronavirus. “We have a list of countries and test our people and nationals coming from those countries, for example, from Germany, France, Italy, very seriously. We have not closed our country, have not closed our borders with other countries. Various people come to Belarus, and at the airport (people usually come by plane) we exercise very serious control,” he explained. People coming to Belarus are put in quarantine if necessary. “However, some people are complaining about delays, but the situation is like that,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

He also said that in this period people are traditionally more prone to respiratory infections and viruses in Belarus. Therefore, healthcare workers should not forget about patients with other serious diseases. “We should not forget about other diseases. There were no deaths from coronavirus in Belarus. But people also die from other diseases. I have warned the Healthcare Ministry that doctors should also take care of other patients,” he said.

Belarusian doctors, first of all, pay attention to people who are at risk of coronavirus complications. These are elderly people and people with coexisting diseases. “Of course, viruses are extremely dangerous for such people,” the president said. “Our doctors still manage to cope with these diseases, but we are not going to relax.” The social security service, public organizations are also working with those people. They supply them with drugs and food.

“Anything can happen, but the main thing is to avoid panic,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.

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