President of Belarus calls coronavirus God's punishment for environmental damage

Experts believe that the situation with the coronavirus epidemic in Belarus is at the point where an urgent decision is needed. The number of cases began to increase by 30-40% per day.

The population of Belarus begins to complain against the fact that the country's president, Alexander Lukashenko, does not introduce any quarantine measures in the country, but, on the contrary, practically denies the existence of an epidemic. Residents made a petition calling on the authorities to quarantine. It has already been signed by more than 150 thousand people.

Moreover, the son of a resident of Polotsk, who died of pneumonia, Lidia Matveeva, who was diagnosed with a coronavirus, wrote a statement to the police demanding to institute criminal proceedings against the president, Alexander Lukashenko.

Economist Aleksnadr Rogers believes that it is too early to talk about the alarming situation, Lukashenko still has time to maneuver.

Here the situation is not simple: Alexander Grigorievich is a stubborn man, if he has decided something, he will not give up. So I'm not sure that he will make another decision. But, on the other hand, it’s also impossible to say exactly how much sick, the tests in Belarus are few, the influx of patients, a certain critical mass is also not observed, and the statement to the police is, excuse me, a cry of the soul, one can only sympathize with a person, - says Rogers.

The expert noted that, according to rumors, an epidemic has been going on in Belarus for a long time, and the death toll is increasing, they just make doctors hide everything, but it is not possible to verify the plausibility of such statements.

Alexander Lukashenko himself laughs at the quarantine question, saying that you can enter quarantine in 24 hours, but "who will feed us" or that "cows on a remote place do not milk."

Political analyst Dmitry Rodionov believes that he has no other option.

Lukashenko will pull to the very last. It’s hard to say where the hell is, when he realizes that you can’t do without quarantine. He may try to hide it, somehow manipulate data, but corpses are corpses. You can’t hide them, ”says Rodionov. - This is a double-edged sword: Russia can survive the quarantine - we have reserves, but Belarus has a small economy, and the country is not rich. You look at America, there over a month already ten million have lost their jobs. And in Belarus, and 100 thousand unemployed enough to start a crisis.

Rodionov believes that the key to this pandemic is the very free manipulation of the number of deaths. On the one hand, it is possible to call all victims of the coronavirus its victims, on the other hand, the death toll from the virus can be underestimated in the same way, transferring death to other causes. Whether Lukashenko adheres to one of these strategies, time will tell.

Dmitry Rodionov noted that elections will be held in Belarus this August, so the absence of economic disruptions is one of the priorities of domestic Belarusian policy.

It cannot be said when Lukashenko will change his attitude towards the epidemic and whether it will, however, most likely, in April it will become clear how the epidemic will go across Belarus. So, Russia should also be ready for such a development of events, since Belarus, despite the specific relations in the field of hydrocarbons, remains our main ally and brotherly country, ”he added.

The publicist Anatoly Wasserman, on the contrary, believes that it makes no sense to cheat with numbers, since the result will be exactly the opposite.

- To hide such things is more expensive. When they try to hide something, they distort the picture for themselves, which means they do not have the information necessary for making decisions. By the way, historians therefore trust the documents of internal reporting more. I note that many quarantine measures in Belarus have been taken for a long time. Borders are controlled by neighbors, even with Russia, transit flows have been supervised from the very beginning, much is already being done.

Also, according to him, there is no consensus among epidemiologists on which system to combat this infection is the best. So Belarusians could experiment.

Behavioral Neurology Specialist Gonzalo Quintana Zunino of Concordia University (Canada) has revealed what are the sex rules during coronavirus infection. The specialist column was published by the newspaper The Conversation.

The author notes that there is currently no evidence of sexual transmission of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, involving vaginal, oral and anal contacts. Meanwhile, the specialist recalls that recorded cases of transmission of infection include not only the airborne droplet, but also the fecal-oral route.

The scientist concludes that almost any sexual practice will lead to the transmission of the virus. “Now is not the time to have sex,” the author is sure, noting that “if you and your partner have no symptoms and you stayed at home, then sex is most likely not dangerous.”

Otherwise, the specialist recommends doing "simple and small experiments." The author writes, in particular, on the use of condoms and latex gloves. “Instead of kisses and sexual intimacy, try erotic massage, chatting, courtship, mutual masturbation, watching or reading erotica, watching your partner enjoy himself,” the author writes.

According to the expert, during coronavirus infection, rimming should “remain completely behind the scenes”, and kisses through a mask will not save from infection.

In March, Louisiana State University (USA) reported that taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers, recommended, in particular, for elderly people with cardiovascular diseases, increases the likelihood of contracting SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in these individuals.

Real stories of virus outbreaks, horror stories about zombies and a philosophical parable about the plague.

Outbreak

The military kept a dangerous virus in the laboratory, but the infected experimental monkey broke free.  Now epidemiologists need to urgently find a vaccine.  To do this, they need to find the first carrier - that same animal.

Contagion

A dangerous virus spreads from Asia all over the world.  Mortality from it is more than 20%, and a quick mutation complicates the creation of a vaccine.  WHO is trying to stop the mass infection and find a "null patient."

World War Z

Former UN employee Jerry Lane stuck with his family in traffic and witnessed a massive outbreak of a zombie virus.  Each bitten after 12 seconds turns into a fast and aggressive flesh eater.  Having managed to get out of a dangerous situation, Lane joins a group that is trying to find a cure for the virus.

Perfect Sense

Chef Michael and epidemiologist Susan have fallen in love.  But they are not able to enjoy a passionate romance, because the world was struck by an outbreak of an unknown virus: people lose their sense of smell, then taste, and then other feelings.

The Andromeda Strain

A military satellite falls to Earth near a small town in Arizona.  A dangerous virus escapes from it, killing all residents in the vicinity, except for an old man and a child who is ill with a ulcer.  A group of scientists gather in an isolated area to study the disease.

Panic in the Streets

Several criminals kill on the street a man who won a large sum of money in their cards.  When the police find the body, the medical examiner discovers that the deceased was infected with pneumonic plague.  Now the detectives urgently need to catch the bandits in order to arrest them for the murder, and at the same time save the entire city from the epidemic.

Morte a Venezia

Composer Gustav von Aschenbach is tired of both creativity and life.  He goes to relax at a resort near Venice.  But soon the hero falls in love with a young Pole and again loses peace.  Meanwhile, the cholera epidemic is beginning in the city.

Busanhaeng

Suk Woo is about to take his daughter Su Ahn to her mother in Busan.  They board the train, but at the last moment a woman infected with a zombie virus jumps into the car.  It turns out that the living dead are already taking over the world.  Passengers need to stop the spread of infection within the train and get to a safe place.

The Painted Veil

The film takes place in the 1920s.  Middle-class physician Walter married the aristocrat Kitty, but their marriage cannot be called happy.  At a certain point, the husband sets a condition: either the wife leaves for her lover, or leaves with her husband in a Chinese village, where he will help fight the cholera outbreak.  And it is precisely Walter’s dedication to the dangerous work that makes Kitty truly love him.

28 Days Later



A simple guy Jim comes out of a long coma and discovers that he missed the start of a terrible epidemic.  An unknown virus turns people into mindless killers.  Jim meets several survivors, and together they try to get to a safe haven.  But in the new world, the problem is not only infected.

A man in the costume of a plague doctor walks along the Kaliningrad streets, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea. It is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania along the Baltic coast. The people look at the tall, thin figure in black with surprise. “Klops” found out who is hiding under a mask with a beak, and why he does it.

Vasily Lunev - 33, is married and works in his own workshop for sewing leather products. He wears a medieval doctor's costume to demonstrate his skills and surprise people.

“I am interested in history, I participate in reconstruction festivals. The“ plague doctor ”character attracts me for many reasons. Most of all, I like that you can hide your face behind a mask with a beak,” Lunev explained.

Vasily’s costume consists of a leather apron, a shirt with a collar, a spacious hood, a mask and gloves.

“Doctors carried cones, bottles, amulets that rang when walking. They also had a knife and scissors. They didn’t have a medical education, they hired them to clean up the bodies of the dead, take tests, and forgive sins,” the man says enthusiastically.

On the street, people have mixed reactions of my outfit. Sometimes passers-by shy away, sometimes laugh. Vasily complains that Kaliningrad is unfriendly to new things which are not the norm.

"Our people are more conservative than in St. Petersburg or Moscow. There, people notice me and my costume is expressing a healthy interest. However, when I walk on the streets of Kaliningrad, very often people advise, "to go to a psychologist or a priest," Vasily shares.

Lunev emphasizes that his outfit has nothing to do with the coronavirus epidemic. He began to wear and wear it a couple of years ago.

“Yes, this is the first chemical protection suit in history, but it won’t save you from COVID-19. A mask with a beak unreliably isolates. According to current realities, a gas mask is better,” he informs.

Bemorepanda is inviting you to see a collection of pictures taken by Mr Lunev:

Reported by Bemorepanda