Wochenblick: A. Lukashenko not introduce quarantine

17 февраля 2021
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko did not introduce quarantine because of COVID-19 pandemic and he was right. The Austrian newspaper Wochenblick writes about it. The statistics proved that our leader chose the right tactics.

The publication's journalists note that the introduction of strict quarantine as the only possible measure to counter the spread of coronavirus infection is always accompanied by a "game of statistics". So, in order to force the population to hide in their homes, the media constantly repeat about the number of deaths from coronavirus. At the same time, the fight against COVID-19 in Belarus looks completely different.

"In terms of the number of deaths from COVID-19, the Belarusian indicators are much lower than in other countries. And this is against the background of the fact that Belarus did not impose strict quarantines limiting many areas of public life. Allegations that the country make up statistics on coronavirus are too superficial".

When comparing the statistics of the two countries, as journalists write, the difference in mortality rates is striking, although the total number of cases is approximately at the same level. Wochenblick believes that the explanation for the low mortality rate in Belarus may be connected with the large number of hospital beds as well as a high-quality system for the prevention of infectious diseases and health protection. Austrian journalists note another important point that can explain the low death rates from COVID-19 in Belarus: the country did not declare quarantine at all. In this regard, the article provides the opinion of the American doctor-epidemiologist of Greek origin John Ioannidis. In his studies, he came to the conclusion that strict quarantine and restrictive measures do not have a significant effect on the spread of infection. On the contrary, they cause enormous collateral damage.

"The fact that the death rate in Belarus in 2020, the peak year for coronavirus, was even slightly lower, may well be due to the fact that the population hasn't been subjected to the strict quarantine measures," Wochenblick writes.