Belarusian President Lukashenko Says He Had Asymptomatic Coronavirus

As of 28 July, Belarus has confirmed 67,251 coronavirus cases, including 538 deaths and 60,492 recoveries from the disease. Belarus is among the few countries that did not lock down the economy and restrict the movement of people during the pandemic.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said in a statement that he went through the coronavirus “on his feet” and asymptomatically.

"The most surprising thing is that today you are meeting with a man who managed to go through the coronavirus on his feet. Doctors made such a conclusion yesterday. Asymptomatically", the president said.

Lukashenko made this statement during a meeting with leadership and personnel from departments of the National Security System during a visit to military Unit 3214 of the Interior Ministry’s troops.

Prior to this, the Belarusian president decided not to cancel the military parade this year, despite the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to refrain from any mass events, including political ones. Speaking during the 9 May parade, he said Belarus "had no other choice", since the country was a living monument to the war and those who died in it.

Lukashenko emphasised that the local response to COVID-19 chosen by Belarus instead of isolation was justifying itself.

According to the WHO, the global coronavirus death toll has surpassed 646,000 people, with the number of cases worldwide exceeding 16.1 million.