Lukashenko comments on situation with coronavirus

When announcing new appointments Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko urged local government officials to keep their head cool over coronavirus and build their work accordingly.According to the president doctors have been taking targeted measures for a long time, and Belarusians themselves generally respond adequately to the situation. At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the focus now should be on the economic consequences of the pandemic:

(soundbite)

We have been putting in adequate response efforts for a long time now, with targeted measures. apart from Minsk and big cities, the situation with the coronavirus is not such a big problem for regions and regional centers. The biggest responsibility, not a problem, for us is the economy. Unfortunately, all these steps undertaken amid the coronavirus outbreak affect the economy a lot. You see, even Russia has closed the border with Belarus.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Belarusians are doing it right. He called upon the local authorities to keep calm and remind the people of the precautionary measures.