Can municipalities implement government measures against coronavirus

Ferizaj and Vushtrria, along with Pristina and Prizren, are four Kosovo municipalities, which are estimated to be the most affected by the coronavirus, for which the Kosovo Government has made a decision Sunday to implement the measure of total restrictions of citizens' movement from 9:00 to 05:00.

Also, during this time, on the basis of the Kosovo Government's decision, all gastronomic areas will be closed in all municipalities. Out of this period, it is only allowed in open spaces and take a journey.

For implementation of restrictive measures, more sanitation inspectors

The Kosovo government on Monday has held a virtual meeting with Kosovo mayors to negotiate new measures and their implementation. At the central level, 50 nymical inspectors are being added.

Meanwhile, municipalities have been suggested to engage additional numbers of inspectors during their confrontation with the coronavirus pandemic.

Xhavit Beqiri, adviser to Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, has told Radio Free Europe that the executive has called for closer co-operation and co-ordination between the Centre for Situations and Municipal Staff of Coronavirus Management, which, he said, should be reactivated with full capacity.

As he noted, the government has allowed relevant municipalities to increase the number of sanitation inspectors, based on their specifics.

The “communs have responsibilities or are authorised by the government to engage additional inspectors, whether through contracts on work or other forms, depending on their needs, as long as this time of pandemic lasts or until it is perceived by experts that the pandemic has passed”, Beqiri stressed.

Agim Aliu, chairman of the Ferizaj municipality, in a conversation with Radio Free Europe considers that the number of 50 inspectors who are envisioned to increase to the central level is few, compared to the needs that the situation imposes during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, in the municipality he runs, according to him, the number of inspectors -- at least -- should double, based on law and not through decisions, which he praised as <x0m>programming”.

I believe that at least, Sunni inspectors should have 7 or 8. And we only have three. According to the law, every 10,000 people should be such an inspector. That means that in Ferizaj, to cover up completely and properly, there would have to be a minimum 10 inspectors like that. This is for normal circumstances. But since we don't have 10 of them even in normal circumstances, I'm believing that under our indecision conditions it would have to be more. But if we had at least 10, the situation would be better managed”, Aliu said.

Xhafer Tahiri, chairman of the municipality of Vushtrri, says that until now, to manage the situation, he has had to hire staff from other municipal directors in the inspectors, because with an inspector it has been impossible to implement the measures the previous government had approved.

Currently, according to him, it has received consent from the Kosovo Government for increasing the number of inspectors, with contracts on the job, to put into place implementation of measures that have recently been taken by the government of Prime Minister Hoti.

Under the law, it is certainly projected to be a Sanitary inspector of 10,000. We should have 7 under law. But, given all the budgetary restrictions we have at this time of pandemic, of course, with strains it will be possible to have a check. Of course, with 4 inspectors there will be more control than with just one Sanitary inspector, Tahiri said.

Request for Increasing Police Presence

For the implementation of restrictive measures, both mayors of Ferizaj and Vushtrria stressed that increased support of the Kosovo Police would be necessary.

However, according to them, the current number of police stations in these municipalities is insufficient.

According to Ferizaj municipality chairman Aliu, adding human resources to the Kosovo Police, for a short time presents a problem. According to him, increased support of the eventual police should be reviewed based on the practice of the ups and downs.

The word falls, as if when we had Prizren's case as an infection case, a large number of Ferizaj's police, Gjakova's, but another municipality has had to be made available to Prizren. Now you can't add resources, because this is a recruiting process. However, there is a problem with the lack of police resources to bring under control and manage all situations that are presented as duty and duty to police”, Aliu said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Vushtrri municipality, Tahiri, says that on June 1st, when the precautionary measures, additional police in this municipality, had been released, have been withdrawn to their respective municipalities, which has caused difficulties in managing the situation. He says he has asked the Interior Ministry and the Kosovo Police to increase the number of police in the Vushtrri police station.

The number of police, as it was at the beginning of the pandemic, increased because, then, all police stations are backed up by additional police staff and police officials, who left in June dealt with the month and we have these officials on the ground until the end of the pandemic, in order to oversee cases that are in their capacity, as well as to help prevent other illegal acts, this closing period will be challenging”, Tahiri stressed.

But, Beqiri says the Government of Kosovo will constantly review the situation throughout the country, including municipalities that are under increased restrictions and will respond to their demands in line with the necessary needs.

“We believe that police serving in certain municipalities can suffice. But, we will carefully monitor the situation and if it becomes necessary to help municipalities, there will certainly be co-ordination through the relevant ministry -- the Ministry of Internal Affairs and municipalities”, Beqiri stressed.

The Kosovo government, as well as in the framework of measures to manage and pre-enhancing the body of coronary pandemic, has decided to reduce the number of workers to the necessary staff in institutions. Meanwhile, in health institutions it will reduce all services that are insecial. In public transportation, the number of travelers will be halved.

For failing to implement general or specific measures for protection from infectious diseases when this is necessary, on the basis of the Law to prevent and fight infectious diseases, physical and legal persons can be punished for between 1,000 and 8,000 euros. /rel