Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko took off his face mask while meeting a coronavirus patient. <br /> <br />Lukashenko was visiting a hospital in the country's capital Minsk. <br /> <br />Belarus is among the few countries in the world that never imposed a lockdown, and continued to hold public events during the pandemic. <br /> <br />The real number of coronavirus deaths in the country is thought to be much higher than the 1,200 officially recorded. <br /> <br />Meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered in Minsk to demand President Lukashenko’s resignation. <br /> <br />Mass demonstrations have gripped the country since a disputed election in August 2020, which gave the authoritarian leader a sixth term in office. Report by Avagninag. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
