MINSK, November 5. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarusian doctors who leave for Poland to aid the COVID-19 effort will not be allowed to return to Belarus, BelTA news agency informed on Thursday.

"They especially seek our doctors. They invite them to come to Poland to help people and the state to fight COVID-19. I would like to say that we don't have any extra doctors. We need our doctors here to treat our people. However, we are not forcing any one to stay here. This is our principle. But, one must remember if you go abroad, there will be no turning back. You will stay there and earn the money you've left your country for," the president said, quoted by the agency.

Lukashenko noted that this is not a threat, this is an instruction for the government.

"Everybody should be shown their place. There is no need to put obstacles for those longing for big money," he said.

Belarus did not impose any coronavirus lockdowns back in the spring, holding mass events, with the presidential election going ahead as scheduled. Later, Lukashenko repeatedly stated that this policy had helped avoid the collapse of the country’s economy. On November 5, Lukashenko ruled to set up regional anti-coronavirus task forces as new cases of the disease begin to mount in the country. The president added that the Belarusian healthcare system has all the means necessary to combat the disease. On October 1, Belarus started testing the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on volunteers, as part of the post-registration trials.