Belarusian Doctor: Regime Is Digging Own Grave

Dragging on the quarantine issue will lead to fatal consequences.

The Ministry of Health reports an increase in cases of the coronavirus infection. However, quarantine has not been introduced in our country. Lukashenka himself stated that “the world has gone mad because of the coronavirus” and that “for us this is not the main or most terrible thing” and “the tractor will cure everyone”. He also noted that “the situation with the coronavirus is not a bit of a problem for districts and district centers.”

While the authorities of the European countries impose emergency measures and severe restrictions in connection with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, Belarusians are forced to fight on their own.

Alena Tserashkova, a professional doctor and activist of the European Belarus civil campaign, commented on the possible scenarios of the development of the coronavirus pandemic, and what consequences it could have for Belarus, specially for the Charter97.org news website.

- I can say for sure that the virus will spread further. This is evident in the dynamics in all countries. A strong pandemic will be everywhere if strict quarantine measures are not taken. The growth in the number of cases will be the same everywhere, only adjusted for the period of the appearance of the virus in the territory.

Unfortunately, losses cannot be avoided. Sadly, in our country we may not find out about real numbers. There is a constant emphasis on the fact that it is better to classify this information.

Therefore, we will die of what we are told to die of, unlike people all over the world. One must be prepared for this, and not trust the figures that the official Belarusian statistics give as the truth.

In the conditions of dictatorship, the coronavirus can be denied, but it is difficult to fight it.

- Many countries have closed borders, imposed severe restrictions on their citizens. In fact, people can only leave the house to go to the store and pharmacy. Are these measures effective?

- These are very effective methods, because we cannot prevent the infection of everyone around, this virus is quite aggressive, but we can “spread” the epidemic in time. All these measures are taken so that the entire sick country does not fall on doctors at the same time, so that people have time to recover, and make room for those who get sick later.

Probably almost everyone will get this virus, but we all understand that the medical resources are limited, and the later we get ill on a massive scale, the better. Therefore, these are justified measures.

Once again I ask everyone to think. You do not know who is next. Everyone can be infected without knowing it. Therefore, please limit social contacts, if possible, do not participate in the events involving many people, do not go to large stores. Now there is an opportunity for everyone to build their life in such a way as to minimally encounter other people, at least at a time when you can do it. Do not be misguided by the calls, like, you use public transport anyway, so it won’t harm anyone if you go to a store as well, this is stupid. You do not know when a sick person will approach you. I believe that such measures are fair, and it is necessary to act in this direction, not wait for an order from the above, now.

- The Belarusian Ministry of Health disseminated information that there is no sense in quarantine, they say, children do not get coronavirus. What would you say to our ministry?

- Children suffer from the coronavirus, they just develop a mild form of it, so parents don’t go to polyclinics for help, especially at a time when going there is the same as going to a shopping center. There are a lot of people in a limited room. Children, like any sick people, are contagious. I believe that the statement of the Ministry of Health is dictated by political motives, not logic. Children return home, and adults get the infection from them. Including - their elderly relatives, whom the Ministry of Health seems to care about.

It would be better to declare quarantine in schools, close shopping centers and cinemas so that adolescents did not look for a place to hang out, where they are also at risk. But this is already a comprehensive state policy, for which the leadership of our country is responsible.

As for the Ministry of Health, at the beginning of the epidemic we know for sure that one resolution came, and a few hours later another that replaced the first, and even later the third. Such tactics indicate panic. This suggests that we need to take our health into our own hands.

- Why are our authorities not ready to take such a step and introduce quarantine in the country?

- An authoritarian leader always wants to remain a winner. Thank God that our so-called “leaders” do not have the audacity to say that they “cancel the coronavirus”, but while the number of cases of infection is minimal, we can pretend that we are “all right”.

First of all, this applies to people who live in the regions, use the Internet little and do not really know what is happening in the country. If you read Facebook, then many people remember that the villagers are simply unaware. In principle, it would not hurt the state to think about the fact that those who vote will die out. You can get rid of your electorate in just a month. Nobody will come to voting stations, because the epidemic will be in full swing, and people will care of other things. And when people do not participate in the elections, it will be difficult to set up a good political game, not to mention the fact that the death of each of our relatives and friends will be known to a wide circle of people. After all, people are constantly discussing the topic of the coronavirus. The regime is digging its own grave.

On the part of Lukashenka, it would be wise to take care of the real masses now. Perhaps his favorite card is being played “the hero came and put everything in its place”. Then we can expect the introduction of measures with a little delay along with yet another dispersal of officials and pre-election “reformatting”. If such a scenario is really being prepared, then this is an anti-people policy. Delaying the adoption of strict quarantine measures will lead to bad consequences.

- Are our hospitals coping now?

- The 6th hospital, which has actually become the contagious diseases hospital, is working with great stress. Judging by the dynamics, it may happen that all hospitals will be transferred to this mode. It’s too early to say, but it can happen in the future.

- Is there a threat that a full-fledged coronavirus epidemic will start here?

- It will definitely begin, because they do not take sufficient quarantine measures. One acquaintance recently returned from Brazil. Belavia invited them to fill out contact forms. The trouble is that at our airport there was no one to give these profiles to. That is, people just went away with their luggage. If this is called quarantine and control, then I apologize. They arrived from another country where there is the coronavirus, but they were not interesting to anyone. Accordingly, they arrived home with everything they had when taking off the plane. No one showed any precaution towards them.

- There are already some observations of the people’s attitude to the virus. Do people go for coronavirus testing voluntarily?

- We are stuck in some kind of borderline state. In some countries, they check everyone in order to reveal contacts as much as possible, and secondly, they knowingly introduce strict quarantine measures, and Belarus remains in the “happy” version when nothing is done.

What our Ministry of Health and Government is counting on is not very clear to me. Doctors have a list of four countries, after visiting which they can check people with high fever for the presence of coronavirus. This list had to be introduced a month ago, and now expanded as much as possible. If you just want to come to the clinic and get checked, then most likely you will be disappointed.

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