Bielorrusia, uno de los únicos países de Europa que no ha instituido medidas estrictas de bloqueo en medio de la crisis del coronavirus, hasta ahora ha logrado mantener las muertes relacionadas con virus impresionantemente bajas.
El presidente bielorruso, Alexander Lukashenko, ha disparado contra las élites del mundo, acusándolas de aprovechar la pandemia de coronavirus para poner «billones de dólares en sus bolsillos» mientras la economía mundial arde.
“El coronavirus ha puesto a todo el planeta en un estado de psicosis … Lo llamo una psicosis porque alguien claramente necesita esto. Y probablemente te hayas dado cuenta de quién. Es lo mismo de siempre: después de la gripe porcina, la gripe aviar, el SARS … hoy nos enfrentamos a otra pandemia, otra neumonía, solo que en una nueva forma. Y recuerdas quién se aprovechó de estas situaciones en el pasado, quién puso miles de millones en sus bolsillos ”, dijo Lukashenko, hablando con funcionarios en la región de Mogilev el sábado.
“El mundo entero hoy se ha detenido; La economía global no solo se ha estancado, sino que ha sido demolida. Pero las principales empresas, los principales multimillonarios y los estados han puesto billones de dólares en sus bolsillos ”, agregó el presidente, refiriéndose a la crisis actual.
«Por eso siempre he hecho la pregunta, hace tres meses, como recordarán: ¿Quién necesita esto? ¿Es este un evento hecho por el hombre, esta pandemia de salud? Hasta ahora no tengo una respuesta a esta pregunta, y espero que tú tampoco «, señaló Lukashenko.
The Belarusian president also went after his critics, recalling how media and the internet joked about his ‘advice’ to treat coronavirus with vodka, sauna, tractors and work in the field. “I said this as a joke, and it became a kind of a ‘Lukashenko brand’, used to say ‘see, he’s crazy, he doesn’t know how to treat people,’ even though behind these comments were very serious ideas,” Lukashenko said, recommending that people take up sports and engage in outdoor exercise to build up their immune systems and prepare for any possible ‘second wave’ of infections.
“I emphasize again: everything that people say criticizing me is a bluff: nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow,” the president concluded.
Belarus faced the wrath of media and medical experts around the world after refusing to institute mandatory lockdown measures, with the country’s factories, farms, schools, shops, restaurants and other amenities remaining open throughout the past several months even as its neighbours closed down. However, recently published data have shown that while the country’s per capita infection rates are comparable to other European nations and the US, its mortality rates have been among the lowest in the world, ranking 45th among 49 countries with 10,000 or more cases where sufficient data is available.
This week, the Institute for Policy Studies, a Washington-based think tank, concluded that in the US alone, billionaires have added $565 billion to their fortunes since mid-March, with their total wealth up by 19 percent since the pandemic began. The figures were published amid reports that close to 39 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits amid the crisis. Similar trends have been observed in countries across the world, from Europe to Asia.