Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday said he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and that he is asymptomatic.
Lukashenko made the announcement at a meeting with security officials, the state news agency Belta reported. He had previously dismissed concerns about the coronavirus as “psychosis.”
“Today you are meeting with a person who managed to survive the coronavirus on his feet. Doctors made such a conclusion yesterday: asymptomatic,” he said.
Belarus took no comprehensive measures against the coronavirus, such as lockdowns or ordering social distancing.
The country has about 67,000 confirmed cases of infection and 543 reported deaths.
World leaders who tested positive for COVID-19
Several prominent politicians, members of the royal family and ministers have tested positive for the coronavirus in countries across the world, including a handful of world leaders.
These include British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez.
As of Tuesday, the COVID-19 pandemic had caused over 1.6 crore cases across the world and over 6.5 lakh deaths. Over a million cases are being reported every 4-5 days at a global level.
With inputs from PTI