TIRANA – Citizens living in Tirana and Durres, who have left their houses on the long weekend, should return on Monday morning until 8 o’clock because roads might be closed again, according to an announcement made by Albanian PM Edi Rama.
“They who live in Tirana and Durres and have left their places on a long weekend going to Korca or elsewhere should make sure to enter the locked perimeter when the roads will be opened after Sunday midnight until Monday at 8 am,” Rama said in a post on his FB account on Friday evening.
Earlier a lockdown of Tirana and Durres as well as of some other cities was declared lasting from Friday at 6 o’clock in the morning until Sunday midnight halting the movement of private and interurban vehicles to Tirana and Durres from other parts of the country and vice versa.
Also, PM Rama made public a decision on Friday to close entries and exists of Albania with Greece.”Starting from tomorrow at 10.00 we will close the borders with Greece for travelers of air and land transportation lines,” said Rama. He explained that goods’ transportation will continue normally like with Italy. Earlier on Friday Albania announced the closure of its borders with Kosovo.
Another measure announced on Friday was the decision of the Health Ministry on the closure of coffee-shops, bars, fast food shops and restaurants until April 3, 2020. In addition fines and other punitive measure have been announced by the Finance Ministry against salesmen who increase the prices of their goods exploiting the situation created in the country because of the Covid-19 virus. “All markets are being monitored for avoiding abuses with prices,” said the announcement which has provided a hotline – 0800 14 14- for any information on abuses with prices found by citizens.
In the meantime the President of the Association for the Protection of Traders and Markets (APTM), Nikollaq Neranxi has called on the government to help the businesses, which have been affected by the coronavirus epidemic. While appealing for business burden relief, Neranxi, a well-known businessman and former lawmaker, proposes four ways to the government which can be e relief contribution. First, by removing taxes and fees, which even in non-emergency situations are redundant, secondly, the non-application of interest on late payment of water and energy bills, thirdly, non – application of penalties for late payment of VAT or income tax and lastly negotiations with banks to delay the payment of credit installments.
“In the difficult days that we are going through, both as citizens and entrepreneurs, quick decision- making and solidarity are indispensable,” said APTM’s head Neranxi in the statement.
Covid – 19 virus has affected 33 Albanians so far with a victim in the coastline city of Durres and the stepped up restrictive measures being taken are said to be part of the mounting drive to check the spread of the epidemic in this Balkan country.
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