Is Time for Relief of Isolation Measures

The Kosovo government on March 13th, with confirmation of the first cases with the new Corleone, began to take measures to prevent spread of pandemic.

Measures to curb the virus have included closing schools and cutting down work on many economic activities, as well as limiting the movement of citizens in 90 minutes a day.

Kosovo Health Ministry Information Department Director Faik Hoti told Radio Free Europe that they are watching how it will take place after 4 May.

May 4th is the date until, under a decision by Kosovo's acting government, measures that have entered power on 15 April are in place.

The current “measures are in effect by 4 May. The Ministry of Health with other ministries and agencies at expert levels are working on any variant that will be implemented after that date, depending on the epidemiological situation with COVID-19 and recommendations that will emerge from the Kosovo Institute of Public Health (ISHPK)”, says Hoti.

Early exit from isolation “would be dangerous”

Some countries in the world affected by the Coronavirus have already announced the relief of restrictions imposed on the pandemic.

Italy has announced it will ease isolation measures. This country will reopen several small and production businesses this week.

But authorities warned that physical distance and wearing facial masks will remain in force.

Microbiologist from the National Institute of Public Health, Lul Raka, tells Radio Free Europe that easing the measures is necessary.

Neither Kosovo nor any state in the world can afford these measures until the discovery of the vaccine, when we would finally win the fight against the coronary. Therefore, gradual release of retributive measures” is necessary, Raka says.

To make the measures easier, Raka says there are some determining criteria, such as epidemiological criteria, which show that the spread of the disease has been significantly reduced and stabilised for a stable period of time as well as other criteria.

Lul Raka:

• The spread of the disease by 4 May is controlled by responsible authorities.
• There are capabilities for detection, testing, isolation and treatment of each case with COVID-19 and any contact traced.
• The threat of explosion is managed at health institutions and at homes of the elderly.
• In the unopened workplaces, there are preventive measures (dance, masks, facial covers, gloves, surface disinfectation).
• The risk of importing infections is manageable.
• The population is fully involved in implementing new standards of conduct.

The business community in Kosovo has demanded that starting last week of April be started with the reopening of some economic activities.

Of the first decisions to be made, according to the Kosovo Economic Ode, is for Pristina to leave quarantine, which by April 11th has been declared quarantined by preventing entry and exits to this municipality.

The chairman of the Kosovo Economic Ode, Berat Rukiqii, has said that in some sectors, such as construction, work should be allowed.

The business community in Kosovo has proposed that work in the entire retail chain be started during May.

Our proposal is that this be allowed in objects up to 800 square metres and this be from the first week of May. Then, from the third week of May, the start of work in the entire service sector and at the same time draw up an operational plan for the gradual opening of the hotel sector, restaurants and cafes, as well as the transport of travellers”, Rukiqi has said.

The ease of measures and the restoration of economic activity, according to microbiologist Lul Raka, should be done in phases, making sure that state authorities and businesses do this safely.

Kosovo until April 28th has registered 780 cases with the new coronary, 22 people dead, and 201 recovered.

The first coronavirus cases in Kosovo were marked on March 13th.

On 12 April, Kosovo had recorded 79 cases of Corleone, the largest number of cases in one day so far, according to data from the Kosovo Public Health Institute.

Valbon Krasniqi, infected at the Infectious Clinic at the University Clinical Centre in Kosovo, tells Free Europe Radio that an analysis must be done by the country's authorities in general before it can start at the ease of the measures.

I think the Ministry of Health with the businesses and with the mayors and experts should analyse and discuss this matter seriously. I'm surprised that they're not sitting down and doing a detailed analysis, let's see where we are, how many tests have been made, have the groups become, how much in relation to tests made have proved positive how potentially the number of infected people at the country level, that we don't know how much danger can be, and many more tests of”, Krasniqi says.

According to the IKSHPK, from February 8th to April 27, 2020, in the laboratory of Medieval Microbiology, a total of 6,705 suspected cases in the SARS-CoV-2 virus were tested, and a total of 780 cases resulted.