David Agren – The Guardian March 25, 2020
From a bountiful table filled with culinary delights from Oaxaca, Mexico’s president offered unusual advice for a country facing the coronavirus crunch: keep dining out.
“We’re going to keep living life as usual,” a relaxed Andrés Manuel López Obrador insisted in an online video shot during a weekend tour of the southern Mexican state.
“I’ll tell you when not to go out any longer,” the left-wing populist said, explaining that the pandemic was still only in its first phase.
“If you’re able and have the means to do so, continue taking your family out to eat … because that strengthens the economy.”
López Obrador, who most know as Amlo, has responded to the coronavirus crisis with nonchalance – never missing an opportunity to contradict the advice of public health officials or paint the pandemic as a plot to derail his presidency.
In recent weeks Amlo has routinely avoided social distancing and organised campaign-style rallies rife with gladhanding, hugs and baby-kissing
Amlo has also resisted ratcheting up measures to slow the virus – such as calling off mass events until recently or closing schools and businesses – arguing that doing so would unnecessarily harm the vast swaths of the population economically unable to isolate themselves for several weeks or months.
Even his attempts at promoting social distancing seemed petulant. Last week he tweeted a video of a young girl with braided hair lauding his presidential agenda – “we’re with you and your great national project”, she said – to which Amlo replied: “I wanted to smother her with kisses, but couldn’t because of social distancing.”
Is a politician speaking common sense? Very rare, I wonder how long he will be in power, I hope for a long time.
At least some one seems to have a plan, good or bad. Australia is following the guide book on how to f@#%& a country. We constantly shut the gates after the horses have bolted. Closing the borders only after the virus has entered. telling people to stay home after it is in every town. There is no random testing, only testing is done on people who present at hospital. Stopping the use of cash so every single person has to touch the efpos machine. Telling people you don’t need masks when it seems to spread in air-conditioning. Giving stimulus money to the unemployed who will spend it on drugs, drinks and gambling, not in small business. Keeping schools open and packing kids into buses to and from schools. One million people have lost their jobs so far and unemployment is at 10%. The shop shelves are emptying and forcing people to bunch up in ques as they impose social distance rules. (yes there is plenty of room in the shop as hundreds pack together to wait to get in) the government has sent 180,000 overseas backpackers home who work as farm hands picking our food. But it is ok that soon there will be no food because that will save on the non existent toilet paper. All this for a flue that has killed 8 people when over 2000 usually die from the flue each year in the country.
Australia will not recover from this government management for at least 20 years, but as no one could be that stupid, it must be part of the plan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIhW2_r_5dk
President Lukashenko explains that schools in the country should work. Children do not die of COVID-19.
Translation of text from description box:
Alexander Lukashenko has opposed quarantine in schools and the transfer of vacations.
“If parents are afraid, don’t send children to school, we don’t forbid,” the head of state drew attention. In his opinion, if holidays are announced in schools, this will only aggravate the situation, since children who can tolerate coranavirus, their immunity can cope with the infection, will go to grandmothers. And older people, on the contrary, are at risk. “We’ll kill the elderly! Therefore, we don’t have to do anything. It’s planned from the 30th of March to the holidays. Will we have problems in schools? No problems. And if we teach children, parents, teachers, technicians to wash their hands in time and disinfecting, putting on a mask, it’ll be good at all. Society has already begun to get used to it. Why are we doing all sorts of disgraces and unnecessary actions where they are not necessary,” the head of state said.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yelllvs5tU
Translation of text from description box:
Lukashenko told a joke about Zhirinovsky and reminded of the advice to visit the bathhouse. Meeting on the epidemiological situation in the country. Politics News. Belarus – Russia // Vladimir Zhirinovsky recently criticized the President of Belarus for recommendations on the prevention of the virus. Alexander Lukashenko told a joke about Russian politics. Fancy entry diluted serious questions with humor, defused the situation.
President says:
I was told that coronavirus dies in high temperatures. My advice: go to sauna (banya) then! And later shot of vodka (100g). You will get sober to Victory Day (May 9, most important state holiday).
Eccentric Russian MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky criticized Lukasahenko for this advice, but came back home and asked wife for shot of vodka to fight coronavirus. Wife reminded him that he had criticized Lukashenko for alcohol advice. Zhirinovsky replied – I did it for the public. Lukashenko is not stupid. I will take a shot and go to sauna. Wife said then – but Russians drink vodka after sauna. Zhirinovsky – this is Russian way, I follow the Jewish way, vodka shot before sauna and after sauna.