Health advice from world leaders

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko prescribed the sauna and hockey. “It’s better to die standing than to live on your knees,” he told state television.

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In Myanmar, a minister told reporters that the country would be protected from the virus by its use of cash. Credit cards, he said, increase the risk of human-to-human transmission.

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Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of Mexico, suggested that people carry amulets and images of saints to protect them against the virus. He also encouraged fine dining “to strengthen the economy.”

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged greeting others with a “namaste.” “The world is making a habit of [it],” he said.

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The National Council on Drug Abuse in Jamaica discouraged marijuana and other substance use over the course of the pandemic.

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In Panama, men and women must move separately over the course of the two-week quarantine. Women can leave their homes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Men can leave on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Sunday, everyone must stay home.

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Kenya has not stopped the use of boda bodas, motorcycle taxis that carry people cheek by jowl. But boda boda drivers can carry only one passenger at a time "so as to maintain some level of distance."

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Indonesian president Joko Widodo recommended drinking a mix of red ginger, lemongrass, turmeric and curcuma three times a day.

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Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro recommended tea with honey instead.

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In Malaysia, the drink of choice is simply warm water. “Drink a glass of water that is warm because the virus does not like warm things. Make sure (the water) is not too hot. The virus will go down (the oesophagus) and when it reaches the stomach which has acids, the virus dies. That's how we eliminate the virus,” health minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said on the radio.

Also in Malaysia, the government told women to continue wearing makeup at home. They suggested speaking in the voice of Doraemon, a popular anime cat. Doraemon talks by “giggling as opposed to nagging.”

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President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil told reporters that he would not get the coronavirus because of his “history as an athlete.” “We’re all going to die one day,” he also said.

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“Shoot them dead,” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said of anyone who violates the lockdown on the island of Luzon. “Let this be a warning to all.”

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Turkmenistan has banned the word “coronavirus.”

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We encourage readers to follow the advice of the World Health Organization.