Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

This Bolivian minister has used these toys from the The Avengers to encourage citizens to be responsible and fight COVID-19 which he compared to evil character Thanos.

Bolivian Minister of Public Work Ivan Arias reportedly used the Marvel superheroes toys such as Ironman and the Hulk to help get his message across, saying citizens need to “give the best of ourselves ” to fight against the “Thanos” of coronavirus.

Reports say Arias started the press conference using a map of Bolivia to explain how the coronavirus was spreading across the country and then he took the toys out of a bag.

Arias told local media: “It is in our hands to give power to Thanos or The Avengers, our Avengers, our best strength. This map is telling us that Bolivia is being taken over by the virus, Thanos.

“Thanos, pain, death, is taking over. We Bolivians are facing the dilemma of despising this (the COVID-19 virus) and need to give the best of ourselves, the best Avengers inside us.

“We have to protect ourselves from Thanos. What we are showing to you is not fiction, it is reality. This (Thanos toy) means chaos and death. This (Hulk and Iron Man toys) order, respect, and thinking about the common good.”

Local media report that Bolivia began easing the lockdown restriction on 1st June.

City councils and local governments across the country are responsible for deciding how they ease the restrictions depending on how the territories are affected by the pandemic.

Some departments such as La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro and Chuquisaca have eased the restrictions on allowing locals to go out to work.

According to the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University, there have been 11,638 cases of COVID-19 in Bolivia and 400 related deaths.

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