Belarus president after playing hockey: Sports are an 'anti-virus remedy'
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While almost the entire world is on pause amid the coronavirus pandemic, it's business as usual in Belarus.
The European nation is still moving along with sporting events in front of large crowds. The Belarusian Extraleague, the country's top professional hockey association, is still proceeding, even though Russia's KHL canceled its playoffs on Wednesday.
Authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko took part in a hockey game on Sunday in Minsk, the country's capital.
"There are no viruses here," Lukashenko said, as The Guardian translated. "You haven't noticed them flying around, have you? This is a fridge. Sports, particularly on the ice, this fridge here. That's the best actual anti-virus remedy."
Belarus had 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Friday.
Soccer is also still going strong in the nation, as a Belarusian Premier League match drew a capacity crowd of 3,000 people on Saturday.
Lukashenko advised residents to drink vodka and take saunas instead of panicking over the virus, according to ESPN.