Cherven Regional Executive Committee

Belarus has established a clear-cut system of epidemic prevention measures, Chairman of the Council of the Republic's standing commission on education, science, culture and social development Viktor Liskovich told BelTA.

Belarus' COVID-19 statistics are reliable and trustworthy.

While delivering a report to the Belarusian head of state on 9 April, Emergencies Minister Vladimir Vashchenko discussed the equipment and gear of rescue workers.

The situation with coronavirus remains manageable in all the regions of Belarus, Healthcare Minister Vladimir Karanik told MPs on 9 April, BelTA has learned.

A delegation of the World Health Organization arrived in Belarus in the evening of 7 April, BelTA learned from the press service of the Healthcare Ministry.

There are more than 20,000 testing kits for COVID-19 in Belarus, Deputy Director of the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology Alina Dronina said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.

A decision has been made to extend school holidays for a week, BelTA learned from the Belarus President Administration.

Belarus will earmark about Br110 million to boost the domestic economy menaced by the coronavirus, Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas told reporters, BelTA has learned.

The global situation requires Belarus to mobilize its efforts and be ready for a prompt response to challenges, Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova said at the opening of the spring session of the upper house of the Belarusian parliament on 2 April, BelTA has learned.

Face masks made in Belarus are meant for the domestic market. The number one task is to meet Belarus' own needs, head of the domestic market and exhibitions departments of the Belarusian state light industry concern Bellegprom Svetlana Kakhro said at a regular meeting of the Expert Community project “Light Industry of Belarus: Challenges and Risks” in BelTA's press center on 1 April.

The Bellegprom representative commented on a possibility to export medical masks. “Our task is to meet our own needs, so that people will be able to buy masks in state-run and private pharmacies. This is our priority now,” she emphasized.

Svetlana Kakhro added that private companies also got involved. “These are the companies with underutilized capacities that have sewing equipment and staff. We help them launch production of face masks,” she said.

Gauze for face masks is made by the Baranovichi Cotton Production Association (Blakit), bandages are produced by Mogilev-based Lenta. Blakit has increased gauze production 2.5 times. The company also launched the production of fabric that can be used instead of gauze due to special treatment.

Some of companies affiliated with Bellegprom were repurposed to produce face masks. The output is growing and now it stands at 300,000 items a day. Last week Grodno-based MedLen rolled out disposable mask filters made of cotton and linen to enhance the protective properties of medical masks. At the same time, Bellegprom points out that it is not overfocused on mask production; the concern's product assortment remains the same.

The developments on the global market could not but have an impact on the Belarusian light industry concern. The whole situation is rather stressful for the concern, however, the concern believes that the domestic economy and consumers can benefit from it in some way. For example, domestic companies will be able to increase their market share on the domestic market, which will contribute to the country's import substitution effort.

A reminder, in order to supply Belarusian pharmacies with as many medical masks as needed, Bellegprom decided to temporarily repurpose some of its companies in order to increase the output of medical products. Now face masks will be made by 15 companies. The aggregate daily output is to be 550,000 masks.