Customsmen in charge of duty even in time of pandemic

For him, the death of the former border crossing leader in Vremica, who was infected with the COVID-19 virus, is a major loss for Kosovo Customs. His death, Frokaj says it has affected all Kosovo Customs workers who were working at the time when everything was shut down because of the pandemic.

However, customs officials have served all the time, and being exposed to the possibility of infection because of contact with drivers of trucks dropping goods in Kosovo.

The worst moment for me and the staff has been the moment when the former leader of the crossing point has been diagnosed with COVID, which in some form has made us feel a little more depressed, because unfortunately the former leader of the crossing point which I am now replacing with he passed away. It's been an extraordinary challenge for me because morale in the sense that the emotional part of the officials when I came here was pretty wobble because in some form we grew together. It's very difficult when you, the host of the house, are speaking in the popular jargon, the householder at some point leaves you and it's been very problematic for me to come here and tell them that we're going to continue”, he says.

Although the country's borders were closed for travel, the same stop has not been worth the goods.

Frokaj says they've been working all the time with high responsibility for what they've been driving businesses all the time to get goods into the country.

He points out that they have tried to reduce the number of required documentation, where he says only documents that have been needed and mandatory for customs procedures have been requested.

He values work during the pandemic as extremely challenging, saying that in addition to their self - care, he has had the sorrow of infecting the virus and carrying it to family members.

“We, in addition to having increased care and taking measures in the fight against pandemic, should at the same time protect the borders, must also register customs duties, because without customs duties and other taxes, the state must be maintained financially. This gives us additional motivation by daying the importance we have for the state, it gives us additional motivation to slightly put aside the risk part, the possibility of infection, but never neglecting it by taking strict measures”, he says.

During the period of pandemic COVID-19, Kosovo Customs had reduced staff as a preventative measure for spreading the virus. This, according to Bekim Mehmetaj, leader of the strategic planning sector in Kosovo Customs, has not affected the productivity of this institution.

“Dogana with a small reduced staff, with essential staff, has managed to fulfill its duties and obligations. Maybe here is a very important fact that during the time of pandemic according to the EU initiative, the CEFTA transport secretariat has been created a green corridor where the supply chain, especially for the Western Balkans, has been vital because the supply of goods in no way, at any time has stopped. We as an institution, but also as a state have received praise from the European Commission and other institutions for the dedication and commitment that we have shown”, he declares.

But Mehmetaj says working during that period has not been common. He thinks that in the department where he works during that period there were no more than two or three people. The same situation according to him has been in the entire Kosovo Customs building in Pristina.

There is no doubt that fear existed that it was a new situation that we had not faced before, but by respecting rules and protection measures from COVID. We've obviously had contact with various subjects, with officials, with our colleagues and we've respected those rules, but fear has existed. I'm drawing a parallel, despite the fact that we here at the Kosovo Customs Directorate have been exposed to a certain degree of risk, the greatest risk they've carried to our colleagues who have been at border crossings and the internal customs offices, because the number of contacts and the number of persons who have needed their services has been too large”, Mehmetaj says.

And the hardest job during the pandemic period has been done by customsmen who have been at border crossings.

Bardh Varaku, leader of the border crossing at Merdare, says that every day work has started with the morning gathering, where all customs officers have been instructed to care for their health.

Customsmen in Merdare, Varaku says they have given their best in carrying out their duties.

We came in the morning, I as the changer took the morning meeting or we do the homework assignment, where the first task was to put masks and gloves on them, and the rest was to deal with the menus that came from different countries... it was as a primary one for us, to give them the best we can on our side and give us 100 percent. On the basis of the assessment, like me, as well as my colleagues, I give a hundred percent of all of us, so God wanted us to be through so far without a problem, we didn't have any infection of any colleague”, he says.

All along, however, he says that they have been careful about their health because they have been concerned that the virus can be sent to their families.

It was our main concern, he was the main problem we faced every day. It wasn't fear that we would take the virus, but it was a problem to transmit to family members, where most of us have someone who is older and is now known that someone in years is barely exceeding or exceeding the”, says Varaku.

The Ovidic-19 virus spread almost quickly worldwide, while on March 13th in Kosovo the first case infected with the SARS-COV-19 virus was marked. Since then, some were isolated in the Infectious Clinic and some in their homes. The state suspended school education, closed nests and many other activities.

So far in Kosovo, infected with coronarys, there are approximately 3 thousand people, over 1,000 and 600 people have recovered, and over 60 people have lost their lives.