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TIRANA – The upward trend of infected people with COVID-19 in Albania where 69 newly confirmed cases were registered in the past 24 hours has not influenced on the stance of the Technical Committee of Experts which decided on Monday that there is no turning back regarding a possible lockdown.
“During the past 24 hours, 319 tests were conducted, and 69 were positive COVID-19 cases,” the specialist of the Public Health Institute (ISHP), Eugena Tomini told a press briefing. The new cases bring to 1,590 the total number of the people infected by coronavirus since its outbreak, according to Tomini.
In recent days, as the the ISHP specialist noted, positive cases have been found in some enterprises and commercial entities, reiterating the call of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection on businesses to correctly implement safety protocols at work.
According to health authorities, a total of 20,813 tests have been conducted since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country on March 9.
Eleven patients diagnosed with COVID-19 recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the country’s total number of recoveries to 1,055. The death toll remains unchanged at 36.
In a new development on Monday it is reported that the Municipality of Durres closed its doors after an employee was diagnosed with COVID-19. ISHP is now testing all employees and advising them to self-quarantine.
Referring to the record increase of the positive cases Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu declared that authorities are closely monitoring the situation in the country, but she ruled out the possibility of a second lockdown. Like before, the minister blamed citizens for what is happening. “A good part of the work is up to citizens, who need to be made aware of the new normalcy,’ Manastirliu said.
Businesses and citizens were urged to exercise caution and respect the security protocol in face of the ‘phantom enemy’. Since the outbreak of the epidemic PM Edi Rama turned to the use of war terms regarding everything linked with the infection including even the financial support. ‘War salary’, ‘war social assistance’, ‘war financial package’, ‘war pension’ are some of the terms used by the premier which are found in no other country of the world to be used.
In the meantime the government has decided to postpone the resumption of public transport scheduled for Monday due to the sharp increase in the new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past few days and the failure in meeting the conditions set by the county’s Union of Public Transport Associations on Friday. /argumentum.al
