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Belarus Leader Says He Survived Coronavirus

Charles Maynes

   MOSCOW - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced he had
   tested positive but successfully overcome the novel coronavirus on
   Tuesday -- adding a new twist to a charged presidential election season
   in the former Soviet republic often called the "last dictatorship in
   Europe."

   Lukashenko, 65, revealed the news during a [1]speech before Interior
   Ministry troops in Minsk -- with the longtime Belarusian leader
   speaking in a hoarse sounding voice he blamed on a recent heavy
   workload.

   "I apologize for my voice. I have to give a lot of speeches lately,"
   said Lukashenko.

   "But, more surprisingly, you are now meeting with a person who has
   managed to come through the coronavirus on his feet. That is what
   doctors concluded yesterday. I was asymptomatic."

   The Belarusian leader did not clarify when he became ill or provide
   access to his doctors. Observers noted that Lukashenko's schedule never
   abated from scheduled meetings in recent months.

   Nor was he ever seen wearing a mask or taking other health precautions
   to avoid infecting others around him.

   A Race Unlike Any Other

   His admission that he tested positive for the virus comes as Belarus
   enters a fraught presidential political season that has seen the
   imprisonment of rival would-be candidates and the emergence of their
   wives as stand-ins who are now attracting throngs of followers.

References

   1. https://t.me/pul_1/1190

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