MINSK, Belarus — More than 2 million Belarusians, including doctors and nurses, took part in a government-decreed national day of civic labour Saturday despite worries about the country’s sharply rising coronavirus infections.
The work, including painting, tree-planting and general clean-ups, was ordered by President Alexander Lukashenko, who has dismissed concerns about the virus even though Belarus has recorded more cases than neighbouring Ukraine, a county with four times as many people.
Lukashenko, a former collective farm manager, has retained many Soviet-era practices during his quarter-century in power, including the day of civic labour — known as a “subbotnik” from the Russian word …read more
Source:: National Newswatch
