The cart is worried about the plans of Belarus to hold a Victory Parade, to which Lukashenko calls the heads of the state of the former USSR

The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern about the decision of the Belarusian authorities to hold a military parade on May 9 despite the epidemic of coronavirus, especially possible participation in the events of the elderly. “We are very concerned about the possible negative consequences of such a mass event during the epidemic,” said Batyr Berdyklychev, the WHO official, whose words are quoted by Belapan .

He recalled that according to the results of the April visit to the country, WHO experts recommended strengthening the measures of physical distance, transfer or cancel mass sports, cultural, political and religious events. "The accumulations of people in whom it is impossible to provide a distance between people of 1.5-2 meters increase the risk of the transfer of the virus and contribute to the further spread of the epidemic," Berdyklychev said.

WHO came to the conclusion that Belarus entered a new stage of the Covid-19 pandemic with the transfer of infection among the population, which is especially noticeable in certain parts of the country, including Minsk, Vitebsk and the Vitebsk region. "The situation causes concern and requires immediate implementation of a comprehensive mixed strategy," experts emphasize.

Among other recommendations of WHO - to ensure the isolation of patients with coronavirus and their contacts with confirmed coronavirus; To suspend the activities of all secondary organizations and enterprises, switch to remote work and distance learning, limit the number of meetings and meetings, optional movements, especially for high risk groups and vulnerable patients.

On May 4, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, during the online re-interpretations with Moldova President Igor Dodon, repeated that he considers it impossible to cancel events dedicated to Victory Day. “We asked for veterans of the Great Patriotic War, and there are already very few of them left, several thousand people, and there are more than 90 years so that they did not insist that we, as usual, would take them to the parade,” Lukashenko said (a quote for TASS).

At the same time, according to him, veterans of the Armed Forces wished to come to the parade. “Here, of course, we won’t be able to restrain them. Naturally, let's think about how to place those people who categorically refused at home at the TV [watch],” the president said. According to Lukashenko, the Victory Parade has a deep ideological and emotional significance for Belarus, so it cannot be canceled, despite the pandemic.

On May 5, Lukashenko invited to the parade of the heads of other states, "at least the former Soviet Union." “It would be right to gather in Minsk. This is a republic that was erased from the face of the earth, which was the first to take a blow, and where the remaining old people and children lived for almost four years lived in swamps, forests, dugouts. This is the most injured republic - a lively monument of that fierce war. And here it was necessary to gather,” the Belarusian leader said ( BelTA quote).

He also expressed the opinion that some invited may not come because it is necessary to "keep the face". “They introduced quarantine, the commandant’s hour and so on. And here Bach went to Belarus ...”, Lukashenko noted, proposing to organize the broadcast of the parade in Minsk on Russian television. According to him, some Russian deputies and senators wished to come to the parade.

According to the Belarusian president, 18,350 cases of coronavirus were registered in the country. He did not name the number of dead patients. BelTA writes that as of the morning of May 5 there were "about a hundred who died from a number of diseases complicated by coronavirus." Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Petrishenko said that the doctors in two months received "confidence that the country is able to cope with a challenge called Covid-19."

In Belarus, restrictive measures were not officially introduced in connection with coronavirus, as in other countries, and the leader of the country openly opposes such measures. He repeatedly called the pandemic "psychosis" and promised that no one would die from coronavirus in the country. On April 25, Lukashenko indicatively took part in the republican subbotnik , to which, according to official figures, millions of Belarusians reached. In the absence of an official reaction, residents of Belarus, organization, educational and cultural institutions themselves take measures of distance and isolation.