Coronavirus in Belarus: not only Lithuania, but also the entire EU is at risk

On Sunday, a total of 36,198 cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infection were detected in Belarus (an increase of 954 cases per day).

Since COVID-19, 199 people have already died in the country.

What happened in Belarus?

Ru.DELFI.lt editor-in-chief Oleg Jerofeyev recounted what the coronavirus looked like in Belarus at the beginning of its spread. According to him, the journalists and bloggers themselves, realizing the lack of information, had to look for other channels.

“I will remind you that the information from Russia at the beginning was quite curious, when the Belarusian leader spoke of the coronavirus as stupidity, psychosis, he said that it could be cured with the help of vodka and a tractor.” Here were his first words. After journalists and anyone interested in the situation began to observe what was happening, they realized that the information was limited, then began to collect it in other ways, and that information flowed abroad.

The true scale of the pandemic began to emerge, but the comments were as follows, for example, when a famous Belarusian theater actor died, Lukashenko said he was the culprit and continued to speak in that style. After that, he was forced to admit that the coronavirus is not an activist, a member of the opposition, that he could be taken into custody and that the problem will end for him, and that he needs to react more seriously, especially when inquiries from the stranger about what’s happening to him. That restriction was then somewhat less, but journalists bloggers they had to search for information themselves, “says O. Jerofejev.

Vytis Jurkonis, a professor at the Vilnius University Institute for International Relations and Political Science, says Belarusian society was like a hostage to the government, because the virus was not taken seriously at first.

“We know what is happening there, at least from official data, the numbers are impressive enough to show that the scale of the pandemic is considerable, and Belarusian society was somewhat hostile when authorities initially denied and mocked the pandemic, and now they realize that the situation is more serious than originally said. 36 thousand the number of patients is quite serious, “says V. Jurkonis.

The electoral process can change

According to the interviewee, the pandemic can still make some adjustments to the electoral process itself.

“It must be admitted, history shows that for many years the Belarusian electoral institute, to put it mildly, limps, does not comply with democratic processes, but a pandemic can affect the electoral process itself. You can imagine when unannounced pandemics, unannounced quarantines announce election dates, not postponed. This caught some opposition candidates unprepared, they were still planning some kind of congress in late May, and when the election date was announced, they practically had to mobilize in a week to form their own initiative groups, now they have to collect signatures and imagine how difficult it will be for them to do it during a pandemic, “says the interlocutor.

“And Lukashena, who also has an administrative apparatus, is already announcing that he won several votes, and in reality it would be very difficult for those independent candidates to gather 100,000, even under normal conditions, let alone the conditions of a pandemic.” Jurkonis

Risk of opening walls

According to the political scientist, when asked if there may be a danger when the borders are opened, the risk would increase significantly, but the issue of opening the borders is not just a Lithuanian problem, it is a dilemma for the entire European Union.

“The opening of the borders must be coordinated with all the countries of the European Union, because the situation and the information we receive from Belarus cannot be trusted at all.” The President of Belarus talks about being in control of the situation, but these morbidity figures show that he is far from being. I think there is a great risk of opening the borders now, it is not the case that it is closed blindly: traffic continues, long-distance drivers with residence permits may come under certain conditions, but we understand that the season is approaching holidays and a big part Belarusians would like to come to Vilnius just for coffee, visit shops and as the tourist season approaches I think the flow should increase. This is a great risk when the neighboring country has not yet controlled the virus, “said the political scientist in the program.

It is true that predicting how things will change in Belarus is very difficult. Fortunately, there are alternative sources of information that can be followed, as well as information on how the number of people with coronavirus is changing.

“It is difficult to predict how things will be, even in a democracy. Even when it comes to prognosis in Lithuania, I would have more confidence in doctors and their opinion. In Belarus, unfortunately, doctors work at full speed, they rarely appear in the air, but based on information we received from civil society, there are incredible initiatives similar to the ones we had when we raised funds for medical and voluntary assistance.

Definitely fascinating, business also contributes. There are still independent media, and all we have to do is follow the information and we’ll see, based on official data and alternative information, when we actually see a reduction in the disease, and then I think it’s up to politicians to assess their responsibility to see if they are safe enough. ready to open borders, “says V. Jurkonis.