COVID Update/ State of Natural Disaste

TIRANA – The rising trend of the Covid-19 affected persons was sharp on Wednesday with 23 new cases confirmed during the last 24 hours which marks the highest number in Albania since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

“During the last 24 hours 23 new cases infected with COVID-19 were confirmed and 111 tests were made,” deputy health minister Mira Rakacolli said in the daily update of the situation in the country adding that the total number of the infected people has amounted to 146. According to her, the town of Kruja, central Albania, has been added to the map of the spread of the virus, while the highest number of the affected persons has been confirmed in Tirana, Korca, Fier, Durres, Lezha.

As before Tirana tops the list with 83 cases followed by Fier with 14 cases and Korca with 11 cases. Korca, a southeastern city, has recently been added to the map of the spread of the disease.

“We inform that there are currently 72 patients hospitalized in the infectious hospital of Tirana out of whom 4 are in intensive therapy. The rest are in stable condition so far,” said the deputy minister.

But she called ‘good news’ the fact that 17 citizens have already been declared recovered after two tests. “But they have to stay in confinement for 14 days.”

Inter-ministerial Committee of Civil Emergency in Action

Against the backdrop of the worsening of the situation Albanian government has declared the Covid-19 epidemic a national emergency under the Civil Emergencies Act a decision which was made public on Tuesday evening after its publication in the Official Gazette.

The State of Natural Disaster was declared three weeks after the outbreak of the epidemic in the early days of March 2020 an act which was repeatedly demanded by the opposition and certain experts’ circles.

The measure provides that the government is now empowered to take extraordinary measures including the limitation of people’s movements, imposing isolation or quarantine on individuals or the entire population, house-to-house searches by civil emergency personnel, etc.

With regard to the financial implications the government should compensate all individuals and businesses for any damages or losses arising from the natural disaster or government’s extraordinary measures to cope with the disaster.

Albania is under a national lockdown, with people allowed to move out only between 05:00 and 13:00 during the day while all public gatherings are banned. Only food stores and pharmacies remain open across the country.

The Inter-ministerial Committee of the Civil Emergency (KNEC) is the highest body for the coordination of the actions of the state institutions and private subjects as well as of the financial and material resources to face the natural disaster caused by Covid-19, according to the decision of the Council of Ministers No. 243 dated 24.3.2020. The mandate of the Committee will last 30 days. /argjumentum.al