As all Albanians, doctors working to deal with the Coronavirus crisis are forced to listen to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s voice message during they frequent work-related communications on mobile phones.
Phones are the primary means of communication at work for medical staff, at hospitals and other medical institutions. In a single day’s work dozens, if not hundreds, of calls are made by each doctor.
Since yesterday, before you place or receive a call you are played automatically by the mobile operator a recorded voice message by the Albanian Prime Minister giving instructions on how to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Part of his advice: “protect yourself from media”.
Having to listen to the message may become a hindrance if one is placing a call during an emergency. More importantly, having to listen to the same message over and over again seems a waste of time and leads to a loss of patience.
The content of the voice message: It’s Edi. Please wash your hands often. Don’t leave the house just because you feel like it. Keep your windows open as much as you can. Protect yourself from the media. Don’t be afraid but be very careful. Any symptoms you have, call 127 [Albanian emergency number]. Hugs from afar.
Exit received a message from someone, claiming to be a doctor in the infectious diseases emergency room, asking us to publicly appeal to the mobile companies to stop playing the incessant messages. He writes that he threw his phone away in a moment of irritation when he had to listen to the message again while he had to place an urgent call.
Today, Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha said that the government should stop using cell providers for propaganda, and instead have them provide free internet access to isolated students who are taking online classes after schools were closed down by the government.
