Opinions & Interviews

Speaker: Belarus takes all measures to minimize impact of coronavirus outbreak

MINSK, 17 April (BelTA) - Belarus is doing everything to minimize the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova said as she addressed UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki during a video conference meeting, BelTA has learned.

Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic Anatoly Isachenko and Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs and National Security Sergei Rachkov also took part in the online meeting.

Natalya Kochanova noted that the programs and projects implemented by the UN in Belarus cover almost all areas of life, including the fight against the spread of coronavirus.

Earlier the UNDP announced the launch of a new mechanism to provide prompt support to Belarus in combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus and handling the social and economic impact. UNDP will join forces with national and local partners, international organizations, UN agencies, business and will provide $250,000 in aid.

The Speaker thanked the UNDP for the support and stressed that it was important to think about the impact of the pandemic. "The epidemic, I am sure, will pass. We will all survive it. But we need to see what consequences there will be for the economies in our countries. Recently the president has been considering certain measures to support both the economy of the country and business. The first priority is, of course, the healthcare system. But we are trying to do our best to minimize the losses that our country will face after this situation is over," the chairperson of the Council of the Republic said.

She stressed that the country's leadership has been taking all necessary measures to respond adequately to the situation. "I regularly visit the Healthcare Ministry where we hold meetings with all the chief physicians of Minsk by videoconference in order to quickly and efficiently address the issues that are on the agenda today. We try to ensure that all measures related to the pandemic are effective and yield results. The most important thing is to save lives of our people and to protect doctors," said Natalya Kochanova.

The head of the Council of the Republic also recalled that experts from the World Health Organization recently visited Belarus. They approved the measures taken in the country to combat COVID-19.

The speaker also touched upon the cooperation between Belarus and the UNDP in the field of sustainable development. "I am confident that you and I will develop excellent relations as we  address these challenges and implement the programs planned as part of the Sustainable Development Goals," added Natalya Kochanova.

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