On Monday, the government will present a plan that will allow for the gradual return home of Albanians stranded abroad due to coronavirus outbreak and the closing of borders.
Residents of Albania who will be able to find a way home, will be placed under mandatory quarantine for 14 days and strictly monitored, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Friday.
Rama praised his lockdown restrictions and the people’s resilience for saving the country from “hundreds of dead, thousands of wounded in hospitals and a black cloud above out heads.”
Albania cancelled most flights on March 10, and the only company still operating one flight per day from Istanbul to Tirana, Air Albania suspended its flights on March 29. Land and sea borders for people travel were closed on March 15.
Dozens of Albanians have tried to enter the country in the recent weeks, but they were denied entry by the Albanian police due to government’s coronavirus restrictions.
Despite President Ilir Meta’s call for their human and constitutional rights to be respected, Prime Minister Edi Rama insisted he would not let Albanian nationals residing in other countries enter Albania.
However, dozens of seasonal workers returning from Greece, residents of Albania, were allowed to enter after they were left outside in the cold for three days. Police quarantined them in hotels for two weeks, and they have to cover expenses on their own.
