Children in Belarus this week returned to school after a short break as Minsk persists in ignoring dire warnings from health officials about the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus may be raging across Europe, but President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, has dismissed the global response to the pandemic as a “psychosis” that hurts the economy.

Nearly 40 per cent of children went to school this week, after officials said that parents were free to choose between attendance and distance learning as the extended spring break ended.

The opposition United Civic Party on Sunday issued a call for parents not to let their children go to school.

Teachers in the capital Minsk reported much lower attendance than in rural areas, and Belarusian parents have been arguing in messenger chats about whether it is safe for their children to go to school.

Mr Lukashenko encouraged Belarusians to carry on as normal and has insisted his country is "managing" the outbreak despite multiple reports of overrun hospitals and poor testing.

Belarus has recorded 7,281 cases and 58 deaths, similar to the number of cases in neighbouring Ukraine, which has four times the population.