Belarus is currently the only European country where sports competitions still take place. President Alexander Lukashenko, who publicly trivializes concerns about the corona virus, took part in an ice hockey game on Saturday.

Lukashenko, 65, often described as the last European dictator, has been in power in Belarus since 1994. Last week, he gave his countrymen the following instructions about the corona virus: “Drink a lot of vodka, go to the sauna and work hard.”

The president saw no reason not to participate in a gala hockey game on Saturday evening, his favorite sport. After the game, he emphasized in an interview with state channel ONT again that there is no need to panic.

“It’s better to die standing than living on your knees,” said Lukashenko. “Why should I stop playing hockey? There are no viruses here. At least I haven’t seen them. This is a refrigerator, that’s the best medicine for a virus.”

They also played football again in the Belarusian league on Saturday. For example, league leader FK Minsk won the derby against Dinamo Minsk (3-2) in the second round of the Vysshaya Liga for around 1,800 spectators.

For the time being, there are only 94 confirmed infections with the COVID-19 virus in Belarus. The country has not yet reported any deaths from the virus.

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