Isolated Turkmenistan, which held mass aerobic exercises and a cycling event with coordinated tracksuits this week, is one of only a handful of countries to have reported no coronavirus cases.
But like its authoritarian cousin North Korea, experts doubt the country can be immune to the pandemic and worry the ex-Soviet republic may not be telling the full story.
World Health Day celebrated on April 7 has become an important propaganda piece in Turkmenistan, a Central Asian country ruled by a former dentist, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov who tolerates no opposition and portrays himself as a fitness fanatic.
This year was no exception with the regime's television network showing state workers cycling in close formation on a cold, damp day in the capital Ashgabat and participating in stretching sessions in government buildings.
Berdymukhamedov featured prominently in the Wednesday report, trotting around on a grey stallion and cycling both indoors and outside with subordinates. The images contrast starkly with social distancing and curbs on sporting activity seen in other countries overwhelmed by the pandemic.
They also appear to undermine some of Turkmenistan's own measures to ward off the virus.
Berdymukhamedov raised the coronavirus in comments reported by state media Thursday, highlighting preventative measures and a drive to detect potential cases among "all population groups in the country."
The national football federation last month joined others across the globe in suspending its domestic league following World Health Organization recommendations "in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus."
"But I know of Turkmen citizens that live with AIDS."
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