As the world scrambles to discover a cure for the coronavirus, the strongman leader of Belarus is promoting his own unique recipe for staying healthy: drink vodka, work hard in the countryside and visit the sauna.

President Alexander Lukashenko has mocked what he calls the “panic” gripping countries that have imposed lockdowns to minimise deaths.

“The world has gone mad from the coronavirus,” he said. “This psychosis has crippled national economies almost everywhere in the world.”

In Belarus, a former Soviet state of 9.5 million people, shops and markets are bustling, theatres are staging premieres and the borders remain open.

It is also the only country in Europe where top-flight football is continuing in front of paying fans. In yesterday’s big match, Slutsk lost 1-0