‘When Did the Regime Take Care of People?’

Why does Belarus not introduce the coronavirus-caused quarantine?

In Belarus, 12 cases of coronavirus have already been officially confirmed. Unlike neighbouring countries, the Belarusian authorities do not introduce quarantine in educational institutions and crowded places. Reports of the Ministry of Health about new cases following the information on regional sites.

It's also become known about the non-public ban and criminal liability for the heads of medical institutions for the dissemination of information about coronavirus cases.

What can this policy of the authorities lead to? An activist of the European Belarus civil campaign from Brest Palina Charenda-Panasyuk answers the questions of Charter97.org.

- How do you assess the actions of the authorities in the face of the coronavirus epidemic?

- How one can assess them if they escape liability in everything. By the street of “By-and-by” one arrives at the house of “Never”. I think they also have their plans for this coronavirus. They can manipulate the date of the presidential "election". It seems to me that they even expect this epidemic and do not take measures on purpose, unlike other countries where school classes are limited. Then Lukashenka will be able to say: "The situation in schools is bad, let's move the "election" by a year or six months because of the coronavirus." And tрут the situation may change for him for the better. This is a tricky collective farm plan.

- The Belarusian Ministry of Health, unlike its Western colleagues, does not update the data on ill people in Belarus for several days. Will the authorities hide information from the population if the epidemic spreads?

- They'll hide it anyway until it just comes out, like boiling out milk in a pot. They will remain silent till the bitter end, pretending that "everything is under control" and "nothing happened".

- Italian hospitals talk about the lack of medication. What is the availability of modern equipment in regional and district Belarusian hospitals?

- Belarusian hospitals are several decades less advanced than even Italian hospitals. There is no modern equipment in our hospitals. In Brest, for instance, we do not have a normal MRI machine. One can only find it at a private clinic and pay much money. Our public health services are very poor. My children were sick. It was a challenge to get a certificate because people spend three or four hours to get a certificate. What modern methods can we talk about? They just do not exist.

- Are anti-epidemic drugs available in shops and pharmacies now? Can one freely buy medical masks or antiseptics?

- My friends wanted to buy masks but did not find them. I think people will use folk remedies.

- The representative of the Ministry of Health said: "Healthy children should study". Why can't the authorities introduce quarantine in schools?

- There are several reasons. Firstly, they are too stubborn to admit the problem. I think there is an instruction from above not to do it but to wait for the epidemic when everything starts to fall apart. Only then they may decide to introduce quarantine. Such indifferent behavior is a crime.

Public-sector employees are the only left who go to work more or less regularly. Of course, this will cause additional difficulties for parents, because they will have to stay with their children at home. But it is unlikely to have a big impact on the situation. Children will not stay home 24 hours a day anyway.

The authorities will not cancel the events on the background of the ideology "we cope with everything" and "everything is under control". They are so "good" that even the coronavirus cannot infect them. That's the paradigm. Naturally, they have everything prepared for themselves: modern equipment and medication. When did this occupation regime take care of the people? When? Everything is done for the record.

- Are the elderly people in Belarus secured enough from a possible epidemic?

- I don't think so. They are not secured from anything at all, even from normal life, having worked for 30-40 years. The regime takes advantage of it: there's no need to pay pensions if only little elderly people left.

- Will the Belarusian authorities have the courage to openly admit their failures, if they fail to fight the epidemic and the situation gets out of their control?

- On the one hand, I believe that they will not admit it to the bitter end. Only after calculating the steps profitable for them. They will not call it a failure. They'll come up with some "formula" about the epidemic.

- What is your advice to the Belarusian compatriots? How could they protect themselves and their families?

- The same as other countries do. The authorities there develop an algorithm of actions. This is hygiene, a healthy lifestyle. There's nothing super complicated. Avoid crowded places, if possible.

We go outdoors rarely, wash our hands, try not to take children anywhere, travel less by public transport. What else can we do in our situation?

If you like this article, you can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL 97 1160 2202 0000 0002 1671 1123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com