Kopyl regional executive committee

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has risen to 27 in Belarus, head of the main department for public health, medical evaluation and appeals at the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry Yelena Bogdan told reporters on 13 March, BelTA has learned.

“Coronavirus RNA has been identified in test samples of 27 patients. Three of them have already been cured. These are Belarus' first coronavirus patient and people who came in close contact with previously confirmed coronavirus cases,” Yelena Bogdan said. At present, 24 people are in hospital now. The condition of one of them can be classified as moderate. The others show mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

A child having a severe pneumonia has been saved with the help of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. That was the first time in Belarus the ECMO machine helped save a pneumonia patient, Konstantin Drozdovsky, Director of the National Research Center for Pediatric Surgery, told reporters, BelTA has learned.

“On 21 February Minsk Children's Infectious Diseases Hospital asked us to save a child who had an acute respiratory infection and a viral pneumonia. The patient was in critical condition and was connected to the ECMO machine. The ECMO machine is similar to a heart-lung by-pass machine. By that time the child hardly breathed and would have died without extracorporeal membrane oxygenation,” Konstantin Drozdovsky said.

This machine pumped and oxygenated the patient's blood for seven days. “When the infection was gone, the child started breathing. Seven days later we disconnected the ECMO machine and in another five days the patient no longer needed pulmonary ventilation. The patient's body functions were supported for another 5-7 days. At present the child is recovering. The child breathes, eats and feels better. It was the first time such an intervention was done on a 3.5-year old child with a pneumonia that could kill the child. Thus, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation helped save the child's life,” the doctor said.

This technology became available at the National Research Center for Pediatric Surgery several years ago. “We have two ECMO machines. In the coming two weeks we will receive another two. These machines were purchased for our hospital by the Healthcare Ministry. This will allow establishing a so-called ECMO center at our clinic. Thus, we will be able to save all children with a severe pneumonia that cannot be treated by other methods,” Konstantin Drozdovsky said.

The State Border Committee of Belarus and UNICEF have agreed to cooperate. The Belarusian agency and the international organization will soon sign the appropriate memorandum, BelTA learned from the press service of the State Border Committee.

Chairman of the State Border Committee Anatoly Lappo and UNICEF representative to Belarus Rashed Mustafa Sarwar held a working meeting on 10 March. The parties discussed the situation on the Belarusian border in 2019, irregular migration and prospects of international technical assistance projects.

Anatoly Lappo focused the attention on the situation with the illegal border crossing by migrants with children. “In such cases we create favorable conditions for mothers with children. They are accommodated in medical points of military units, where they receive necessary medical and psychological care. We have been actively cooperating with international organizations that provide humanitarian assistance to such families whenever possible,” Anatoly Lappo said.

Rashed Mustafa Sarwar said UNICEF is interested in developing cooperation with the State Border Committee. “Children should see the border as open and friendly. In the near future we will sign a memorandum on cooperation and start working on topics that meet the interests of our organizations,” he said.

The State Border Committee, in turn, is ready to support the initiative of UNICEF to promote a unique image project, Borders Open to Children. According to the chairman, border guards are interested in developing infrastructure for children at checkpoints, border posts and centers for foreign nationals.

The number of people cured of coronavirus has reached three in Belarus, BelTA learned from the press service of the Healthcare Ministry.

The student from Iran who was Belarus' first coronavirus case has tested negative for the virus three times. The other two coronavirus patients who had come in close contact with him also tested negative. “This week all three of them will be discharged from hospital after all the necessary laboratory and surveillance procedures are done,” the press service noted.

“The other patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are in satisfactory condition. Their temperature is normal; they remain under medical surveillance,” the press service added.

A reminder, three more people tested positive for coronavirus this weekend. Their test results revealed coronavirus RNA. These people had come in close contact with the patients who returned from Italy. “These cases have been confirmed by now. The preventive isolation of these patients and adequate medical assistance allowed preventing the further spread of the disease. These three patients are in satisfactory condition and have no complaints; their temperature is normal,” the press service informed.

It is too early to assess the full impact of the sharp decline in oil prices and the devaluation of the Russian ruble, Belarus Prime Minister Sergei Rumas told BelTA while commenting on the situation in the markets and how it may affect Belarus.

“I think it is not yet possible to assess the full impact of the devaluation of the Russian ruble and the sharp decline in oil prices. We will see how the situation will be developing. The Russians issued a statement that the Finance Ministry will be selling foreign currency. It is an extraordinary decision. The first few days of this week will show how the situation with the Russian ruble will be developing. Our National Bank will build its strategy accordingly,” the prime minister said.

“In any case, the National Bank will be following the market trends and will not artificially restrain the Belarusian ruble,” Sergei Rumas said.

Asked whether any reserves would be used, the head of government said: "If the National Bank is guided by the market trends in supply and demand, this will not lead to excessive spending of the gold and foreign exchange reserves. That is its strategy.”

Sergei Rumas also answered the question what pros or cons the fall in oil prices carry for Belarus. “It is now an additional opportunity to reach an agreement with the Russian Federation. The current situation is very different from the situation in December or January," he said.

The prime minister confirmed that this has an equal impact on the negotiations with other oil suppliers.

BelTA quoted TASS as saying that the cost of futures for Brent crude oil with settlement in May 2020 on the ICE Exchange in London fell by 42.6% to $31.74 per barrel. The cost of the April futures contract for WTI crude oil fell by 48.9% to $ 27.72 per barrel. According to Bloomberg, Brent futures suffered the second-largest decline on record in the opening seconds of trading in Asia, behind only the plunge during the Gulf War in 1991.

Oil price is falling amid news that OPEC+ countries failed to agree on an additional reduction in oil production amid falling demand due to coronavirus. OPEC proposed to further reduce production by 1.5 million barrels per day until the end of this year. However, Russia and Kazakhstan opposed this proposal. Russia, in particular, insisted on the extension of the current agreements only for the second quarter.

The world stock markets have already responded to a sharp drop in the cost of oil. Thus, the futures on the S&P 500 that include 500 biggest companies on the U.S. market are down 145.10 points (4.90%). Dow Jones futures plunged 1,245 points (4.85%). Nasdaq futures tumbled 410 points (4.82%).

The sharp decline in world oil prices caused a mass sale of shares in Asian stock markets. At the start of trading Hong Kong index Hang Seng lost more than 1,000 points, or almost 3.9%. Trading on the stock markets of China, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Thailand is also in the negative. In Hong Kong, shares of Chinese giant Petrochina have fallen by almost 10%. The securities of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) depreciated by 17%.

The situation on the oil market is affecting the exchange rate of the Russian ruble. The rate of the the Russian ruble to U.S. dollar at the international market Forex reached RUB73.47 on Monday. The rate of the the Russian ruble to the euro went up to RUB83.77.

Culture plays a special role in promoting relations between Belarus and Oman, Belarusian Culture Minister Yuri Bondar said. He led the official delegation at the Days of Belarusian Culture in Oman, BelTA has learned.

“We cooperate across many areas and I am really happy that cultural ties play a special role in building good relations between our countries. Our cultures have more in common than it might seem. Preservation and active promotion of spiritual, historical and cultural heritage and traditions and determination to preserve one's national identity – these are common goals for us,” Yuri Bondar said.

The minister noted that the program of the Days of Belarusian Culture in Oman is packed with events. “This year it features the Khoroshki dance ensemble, the exhibition project “Patterns and Symbols: Legacy of the Belarusian Ornament” from the holdings of the National History Museum and a presentation of Belarus' tourism industry. We are glad that the Belarusian Business Week in Oman was co-located with the Days of Belarusian Culture. I am confident that we have many interesting and really useful joint projects and events ahead,” the minister added.

The Days of Belarusian Culture in Oman will wrap up on 6 March. The opening ceremony took place in the Royal Opera House Muscat on 4 March. The dance company offered the acts of its golden fund based on rich folklore materials and the Belarusian history.

The diplomatic relations between Belarus and the Sultanate of Oman were established on 23 July 1992.

International developments make people realize the importance of stability and value of a human life, Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova said at the first joint session of the organizing committee of the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia on 5 March, BelTA has learned.

Natalya Kochanova emphasized that “developments around the world show how important stability is and how valuable a human life should be”.

She recalled that the forum will be timed to the historical legacy of the Great Victory which 75th anniversary is marked this year. “This anniversary is important for every Belarusian and Russian. As Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has recently underlined Belarus is a living monument to this war. The country lost a third of its population during the war,” Natalya Kochanova said.

Belarus put forward proposals regarding the conduct of the forum, the theme of its plenary session and panel sessions. Natalya Kochanova thanked the Federation Council for supporting these proposals. “The Forum of Regions has become a good tradition for our countries. It offers a platform to discuss a broad range of matters of bilateral cooperation, new ideas and initiatives. Every year the forum welcomes new joint projects, helps forge new contacts between our regions, companies and organizations, and strengthen humanitarian ties,” the speaker underlined.

The forum also fosters the youth movement. “This is a very important avenue of cooperation for Belarus and Russia. Youth contacts determine the future of our cooperation and relations between our states,” Natalya Kochanova underlined.

The organizing committee discusses initiatives and proposals, harmonizes approaches to organizing the forum and determines the list of priority events. The business program is just as important. New cooperation agreements and commercial contracts are to be drafted in the run-up to the forum.

The fourth coronavirus case was confirmed in Belarus on 3 March, BelTA learned from the press service of the Healthcare Ministry.

“The National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology is busy processing the test results of people who are under medical surveillance. Today one of the tests of a Belarusian national came back positive, it showed coronavirus RNA. This person had been quarantined because of exposure to one of the patients diagnosed with coronavirus,” the press service informed.

Thus, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to four in Belarus. Another two persons also tested positive, but their tests will be double checked in line the WHO protocols. The findings of these tests will be announced later. All the people who are under medical supervision feel good, including the patients who contracted the virus.

“Taking into consideration that their initial tests came back negative, we can assume that the patients had been isolated before the virus became contagious, which means these people could not pass the infection,” the press service informed.

All in all, by now the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology has conducted more than 5,000 swab tests.

The information on the first death from the novel virus allegedly registered in Belarus is not true, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry.

The federal First Channel of the Russian Television reported that the first deaths from the coronavirus had been registered in the United States, Australia, Thailand and Belarus.

“The Healthcare Ministry stresses that the information which regards Belarus is not true and has nothing to do with reality,” the press service stressed.

“In connection with the spread of fake news about our country, the appropriate response measures will be taken, including through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus,” the press service said.

The Healthcare Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Information Ministry urge journalists to be responsible and attentive, and most importantly - to double-check the information related to such a sensitive topic for the population as coronavirus infection.

According to the press service of the Healthcare Ministry, three cases had been registered in Belarus, where a fragment of RNA, probably belonging to the type of coronavirus 2019-nCoV, had been identified. All three patients feel well. They show no clinical symptoms of the disease.

The Sultanate of Oman will host the Days of Belarusian Culture on 2-6 March, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Culture Ministry.

Belarus' official delegation will be led by Culture Minister Yuri Bondar. The Belarusian National Historical Museum's Director Pavel Sapotko is in the Belarus' delegation too. The opening ceremony of the Days of Belarusian Culture will take place on the stage of the House of Musical Arts of the Royal Opera House in Muscat. The Belarusian State Dance Company Khoroshki will offer its best acts based on the Belarusian rich folklore and history.

The dance performances reflect love to nature, the character of the nation and its historical past. For example, the dance company Khoroshki will show the beauty of the native nature in winter. The spectators will see the real Belarusian winter, which is snowy and cold, but very beautiful with its snowstorms and white fluffy snow. The dance company will also show the everyday life of the Belarusian people. The unique choreographic performance Falconry will take the audience to the castle era of the Belarusian history, show the ancient engagement traditions. The spectators will also be pleased to see the Oriental Fantasy music act performed by the orchestra group of the dance company.

The cultural program will feature the exhibition project “Patterns and symbols: the heritage of Belarusian ornament” from the collection of the Belarusian National Historical Museum and a presentation of Belarus' tourism industry by the Belarusian Sports and Tourism Ministry.

The exposition of the National Historical Museum will work up to 31 May. The main part of the exhibition is the national costume. There will also be the items of weaving, such as towels, bedding, embroidery and ethnographic items. The collection of the traditional Belarusian clothes holds a special place among the cultural heritage of the Belarusian people in the National Historical Museum. It has great artistic and scientific value, gives a perspective of rich traditions, diversity of weaving techniques, embroidery and lace making, ornaments, ways of wearing. The exposition will also demonstrate hundreds of clothes models, festive and ceremonial dresses, skirts, andaraks, belts, wimples, shirts, decorated according to the traditions which existed in Belarus for ages. The collection reflects the colorful diversity of the local traditions, variety of patterns and compositions of geometric, plant and zoomorphic character and abundance of color gamma and motives.

The delegations of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences and the Belarusian Hi-Tech Park will visit Oman to participate in the Belarus Business Week on 3-6 March. The diplomatic relations between Belarus and the Sultanate of Oman were established on 23 July 1992.