Nicaraguan president reappears after more than a month out of public eye

FILE PHOTO: Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and Chairman of the board of Grupo LALA Eduardo Tricio take part in the inauguration ceremony of a dairy plant at San Benito, Nicaragua May 7, 2015. Picture taken May 7, 2015. REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas/File Photo

MANAGUA (Reuters) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega appeared on Wednesday in a live broadcast on national television after being absent from public life for a month, raising questions about his health and whereabouts as the world reels from the novel coronavirus.

Ortega, a 74-year-old former leftist guerrilla with chronic illnesses, gave no explanation for his 33-day absence but said that the Central American country is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak responsibly.