Dmitry Meleshko, a member of the presidential hockey team
Hockey player of Belarus President’s team Dmitry Meleshko has tested positive for coronavirus. This was confirmed by the president’s press secretary Natalia Eismont to RIA Novosti.
“The player of the presidential hockey team Dmitry Meleshko is indeed hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia. A positive test result for COVID-19 was received,” the spokeswoman said.
Asked whether Alexander Lukashenko had contact with an infected player recently, Eismont answered negatively.
She explained that Dmitry fell ill about a week after the Belarusian amateur hockey championship ened, the whole team was on vacation at the time. Earlier commenting the news to SPORT.TUT.BY, Dmitry said that he was sick with a cold, not a coronavirus.
“I don’t know where the news come from, but I don’t have a coronavirus. Just a mild cold. Yes, I decided to isolate myself, but this is because my wife has oncology, so we try to minimise risks to zero. I also tested for COVID-19, but so far there is no result,” said the athlete.
Dmitry Meleshko plays for the president’s team in amateur republican competitions. He played in the final matches, where a team led by Alexander Lukashenko defeated the team of the Minsk region. The tournament ended on 11 April.
Asked whether the president has tested for a COVID-19, Eismont said that “there is currently no need to do it” and assured of his good health. “The president has not gone into self-isolation, he has not started working remotely, and he will not do it,” she stressed.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in the world, the president of Belarus has not changed his usual schedule. He continues to make working trips around the country, communicates with enterprises staff, plays hockey, and visits church at Easter.
A spokeswoman for the head of state said that the president holds all meetings in the same format, the president did not wear a mask and is not planning to do so, he also forbade to carry out special medical events at the Independence Palace.