TIRANA – As the pandemic is taking threatening proportions in North Macedonia the government has said it is strengthening security on its northern and southern borders due to “increased volume of entries and transits of migrants through the country”.
Since the oubreak of coronavirus crisis the highest number of fatalities was confirmed on Thursday. According to reports, 15 infected people lost their lives during the last 24 hours out of whom 9 in Skopje, and in Tetovo, Struge and Gostivar 2 in each towns and 1 in Ohrid.
The number of the new infected persons mounted to 173 as 1,653 tests were made.
In the meantime the state of crisis regarding the migrants will last for 30 days after it entered into force on Thursday, with the option of prolonging it. It allows the army to boost its presence and assist the police in controlling the two borders.
“The government has tasked the Crisis Management Centre to prepare an action plan for prevention and dealing with the entry and transiting of migrants… as well as a complete overview of the personnel and material resources,” the government said in a press release as quoted by BIRN on Thursday.
The southern border with Greece has long been the main entry point both for legal and illegal entries for many refugees and migrants from the Middle East who cross North Macedonia towards Central and Western Europe.
At the height of the migrant crisis in 2015 and 2016, North Macedonia erected a fence on parts of its border with Greece as more than a million people crossed the border and transited the country, according to estimates. The army has since maintained a heightened presence there./argumentum.al
