If Belarus was already in the grip of a public health crisis, its president looks hell-bent on turning COVID-19 into a catastrophe for the country.
In defiance of the World Health Organisation's advice, Belarus went ahead with its military parade on Saturday to commemorate the allied victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 - despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Dressed in military attire and shaking hands with all he met, President Alexander Lukashenko told the crowds he had no choice but to hold the parade.
"There will be people who will condemn us," he said.
"Do not rush to draw conclusions, let alone condemn us, the heirs of the victory, the Belarusians. We simply could not act differently."
Most other nations have acted very differently.
The official COVID-19 death toll in Belarus is low at 126.
In Russia too, the ratio of deaths to cases is unusually low - 198,676 cases to 1,827 deaths - which begs the question whether the toll in either country stands up to scrutiny.
These are both ex-Soviet bureaucracies where ugly truths tend to be suppressed.
"There will be people who will condemn us," he said.
"Do not rush to draw conclusions, let alone condemn us, the heirs of the victory, the Belarusians. We simply could not act differently."
Most other nations have acted very differently.
Belarus is not the kind of regime to inspire automatic confidence in official data. However, whatever the real situation it doesn't appear to be doing too badly. Far better than the UK for example. Currently coronavirus deaths per million people are UK 475 Belarus 13. Further down the Sky piece we have an admission that Belarus deaths seem to be very low.
In Russia too, the ratio of deaths to cases is unusually low - 198,676 cases to 1,827 deaths - which begs the question whether the toll in either country stands up to scrutiny.
These are both ex-Soviet bureaucracies where ugly truths tend to be suppressed.
In which case that's the story - ugly truths being suppressed. Yet this is just one example of how the mainstream media continually distort the pandemic in favour of draconian government action. If the Belarus figures are even approximately accurate then there is no basis for predicting a catastrophe for the country. If the figures are wildly inaccurate that's the story, but that one requires research.
3 comments:
The media seem obsessed with draconian government action, but do they favour it (press control? Root and branch review of the BBC?) or do they just like to talk about it?
Stories about overbearing government generate viewers and clicks. They know next to nothing about virology and epidemiology, and nor do their public. So stories are hard to narrate. But everyone loves a good row between authority and rebellion, and everyone is a self-righteous expert on it.
Follow the money.
I suggest the BBC should visit the place and report back - if they can...
Sam - I think the clickbait angle is sound, stories about overbearing government do generate those viewers and clicks. Extremely cynical, but it seems to be the game they play.
Scrobs - good idea. A long term visit would be good.
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