Owing to the global coronavirus pandemic, all sporting events have been cancelled or postponed and countries are imposing lockdowns all over the world, right? Nope, not in the European country of Belarus where 152 cases have been confirmed. The Belarussian Premier League (soccer tournament) is still on with packed stadiums, residents are free to go to restaurants, bars & cinema halls and there are no travel restrictions.
Lukashenka said that COVID doesn't take Belarus people, because God helps us, that sauna and ice-hockey prevent the infection. It’s only one country where football games are being played; kids go to the circus, and TV anchors mock people who wear masks. pic.twitter.com/Ee1RZz76Pz
— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) March 28, 2020
According to NY Post, President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s advice against COVID-19 is that “People should not only wash their hands with vodka but also poison the virus with it. You should drink the equivalent of 40-50 milliliters of rectified spirit daily. But not at work.”
Lukashenko (President of Belarus) knows how to defeat the virus. pic.twitter.com/VRAI6WGlic
— Coronavirus (@SARS_COVID19) March 30, 2020
Mail Online quoted him adding,
“There shouldn’t be any panic. You just have to work, especially now, in a village. Tractors will cure everyone. The field heals everyone. Go to the banya [a Russian-style sauna]. Two or three times a week will do you good. When you come out of the sauna, not only wash your hands but also your insides with 100 millilitres [of vodka].”
He himself participated in an ice hockey match on Saturday and upon being asked about it, he said, “It’s better to die standing than to live on your knees. This is a fridge, this is healthy, there is nothing better than sport, especially ice which is the real anti-viral medicine,” reports CNN.
Watch the President of Belarus explain why the #Covid_19 Coronavirus isn't a threat and why he's still letting crowds go to sporting events.
Then go lie down. pic.twitter.com/DrNHOzi7f6— Femi – My mask protects you. Please protect me. (@Femi_Sorry) March 30, 2020
There is no clear evidence to suggest that vodka or high temperatures in a sauna can kill the coronavirus. The WHO recommends washing hands with soap, social distancing and avoiding crowds as measures of prevention.