From the BBC:
“Coronavirus: Belarus orphanage
seeks help amid 'critical' outbreak”
Authorities in Belarus have
confirmed an outbreak at an orphanage for children with severe disabilities At least 23 people have been infected with
coronavirus at an orphanage for children with developmental disabilities in
Belarus. The Vesnova orphanage in the central Hlusk district is home to 174
children and young adults with severe disabilities and weak immune systems. Ten staff members and 13 children were
infected as of Thursday. The orphanage has appealed to the Belarusian
government to relocate the sick to hotels and other accommodation. The Vesnova
orphanage is financially supported by Irish charity Chernobyl Children
International. It largely cares for abandoned children, and those whose parents
are too impoverished to support them. The charity's founder Adi Roche said the
situation there was "critical", and that some of the children were
"extremely ill". Ms Roche said the orphanage had taken measures to
try to protect the children, but faced difficulties as they live in
"dense" conditions in dormitories. "There are no painkillers, no
cough bottles. We are really worried and we feel we cannot abandon the
children," she told Irish Public broadcaster RTE. The severity of their
disabilities means "their chances of survival would be very poor",
she added. Authorities in Belarus confirmed the orphanage outbreak on Friday,
but did not disclose the exact number of cases. There have been 8,773 confirmed
coronavirus infections in Belarus, and 67 reported deaths, according to data
from Johns Hopkins University. The country's President, Alexander Lukashenko,
has labelled fears about Covid-19 a "psychosis", and warned a
shutdown would harm the economy. In defiance of medical advice, he has cited
drinking vodka and regular trips to the sauna as ways to ward off the virus. Belarus
has not closed it borders. There have been no strict lockdown measures, and
schools reopened last Monday following a three-week holiday.
^ Because another leader doesn’t
take Covid-19 seriously the innocent and vulnerable become its victims. ^
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