COVID-19 situation in Belarus 2023

Over 994 thousand COVID-19 cases were registered in Belarus as of March 11, 2023. Nearly 6.7 million first vaccination doses have been administered in the country. The first-dose vaccination rate stood at over 72 percent.

Were there COVID-19 restrictions in Belarus?

Unlike the rest of Europe and neighboring Russia and Ukraine, Belarus did not impose a national lockdown, remaining the only country in the region which kept its borders open, even though the country’s health ministry issued recommendations for COVID-19 prevention and physical distancing. On May 9, 2020, it held the Victory Day parade in the capital Minsk. The Belarusian society organized several measures independently, with companies introducing remote work opportunities and volunteers providing personal protection equipment to healthcare workers. The handling of the pandemic was reportedly among the reasons for growing dissatisfaction with the state in Belarus, which led to protests of citizens disagreeing with official presidential election results in August 2020.

COVID-19 impact on the Belarusian economy

COVID-19 affected export-led activities and trade with major partners of Belarus, worsening the already ongoing trade imbalance. According to the report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released in April 2023, the impact of the pandemic was expected to be temporary though severe for the economy of Belarus. In particular, the country’s GDP declined by nearly five percent in 2022.