During the weekend, the Albanian government increased preventive measures against coronavirus. The reaction came following news of increasing infected cases in Italy and following appeals from the opposition.
There are currently 217 confirmed infected people, including five deaths, in Italy, making it the third most affected country after China and South Korea. 1500 to 3000 people coming from 10 Italian cities enter Albania’s airport everyday. A large number of people also arrive via ferry at the Durrës and Vlora ports.
On Sunday, Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha asked the government “to undertake serious and immediate measures” including health inspections at the border. In response, Prime Minister Rama argued that the government had taken all precautionary measures, and that no cases of infection exist in Albania. He also appealed to citizens, asking them not to believe fake news engineered to spread panic, like the kind that circulated following the November 26 earthquake.
Today, the government has doubled the number of medical teams and has issued temperature-measuring instruments in border crossing points. Government officials have also stated that quarantine spaces have been readied if the need arises.
