Belarus hosts large military parade despite sharply rising coronavirus infections

Minsk (Belarus), May 9 (AP) Tens of thousands of people have turned out in the capital of Belarus despite sharply rising coronavirus infections to watch a military parade celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Belarus has not imposed wide-ranging restrictions to halt the virus' spread and authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed concerns about it as a "psychosis."

At Saturday's parade of some 3,000 soldiers, Lukashenko said Belarus' ordeal in the war "is incomparable with any difficulties of the present day."

Some aged war veterans in the stands at the parade wore masks, but in general there were few masks to be seen in the throng of spectators.

Belarus, a country of about 9 million, has recorded more than 21,000 cases of coronavirus infection. (AP) INDIND