The head of state made the relevant statement at a government conference in Minsk on 13 April, BelTA has learned.
The head of state instructed the Belarus President Administration to compile a list of enterprises that make protective means or can make them. “I will find time to visit the places I will consider necessary to visit. I will ask them whether they work 24/7 to make face masks,” the president said. “At present masks and the rest – shoe wrappers, goggles, and face shields – cost an arm and a leg. Prices have surged.”
“Various countries have been pestering us with offers to buy things from them… While we are starting to import the things we can make domestically and leave the money in our country at triple the price. I am referring to means of individual protection: face masks, respirators, and so on,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
At the same time the president encouraged citizens to be smart, including smart about using means of individual protection. “Listen, we've gone too far with these masks. I went on a trip around Minsk Oblast yesterday. I was driving the car. People would walk out of the village and go into the fields. I saw a person walking alone with a mask on the face. A strong wind was blowing, the weather is good and dry now,” the head of state recalled. “Take off your mask and breathe some fresh air. If you are in a city where there are crowds of people, put on a mask and walk with it for an hour or two. There is no need to wear a mask when you walk in the field between villages. We've forced people to go overboard. What can a mask protect from in a field?”
After the government conference Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Sergeyenko said that during the conference specific tasks had been given regarding the further development of the healthcare system and the tactics of actions had been determined. “The situation is under control and stable,” Igor Sergeyenko stressed.
The head of state formulated specific tasks regarding the further supply of healthcare institutions with means of individual protection and antiseptics. “Concrete tasks were given to Belarusian manufacturers, the light industry. It is necessary to up the volumes [of production] every day in order to satisfy the demand of healthcare institutions and drugstores,” the head of the Belarus President Administration said.
Written by belta.by
