Prime Minister Edi Rama’s public communication via social networks:
I am here to engage in a direct communication with you to provide answers to a series of questions you have made and will continue to make. Before I start answering to your questions, I would like to highlight a few things, starting with a fact that should serve as lesson for everyone. It is all about a negative fact found during the ongoing diagnostic tests for the coronavirus, which shows the great responsibility each and every one of us should assume in order to protect the health of our closest family members and relatives. This fact also clearly shows that no matter how stringent the rules are, no matter how many policemen are deployed, no matter how many penalties are included in the Criminal Code, in the end of the day, everything depends on each of us only. Everything depends on the behaviour of each of us in this war, where it is not about how to fool the state and get away with it, but it is only about everyone respecting the rules so that no “bombs’ are placed on the body of our parents, families, relatives and friends.
A young man, who was supposed not to travel from one city to another, an asymptomatic person, just like everyone of us – someone might have contracted the virus and others not, but everyone should act and behave as being infected – this person has been founded to have travelled to another part of the country, after missing his parents. As a result, he has infected both his old parents, already suffering from age-related health conditions and other diseases. Today, both parents face serious health risk. This young man has shown no coronavirus-related symptoms, as of today. What does this fact mean, especially now when we prepare to gradually reopen and ease the lockdown measures? This means that after all, the guard who should not desert the trench is we ourselves.
I happen to hear a lot, read a lot and follow everyone’s comments on the social networks and sometimes I happen to reply by giving “slap” in order to wake up and make certain individuals all aware that they are talking non-sense. But, what I frequently and increasingly hear is “why don’t we reopen?” What is this kind of dictatorship, because we know how to protect and defend ourselves?” Well, we will certainly reopen gradually and step by step, but on the foundation of every step we take towards reopening lays the responsibility of each and every one of us to protect ourselves and others. Do you think I don’t miss my mother? Do you think I don’t want to see my mother? Or maybe this is because I fear being caught by police? No, this is because I respect the rule, just like I urge everyone to do, precisely because I believe that this rule is the one to protect me, my family, my mother, and all my relatives and friends. The rules in this time are not imposed, because this is what the state, or I want to do, as some speculate every day, but rules during this tough time are in place to ensure a safety framework for everyone and draw a red and strong line, clearly determining our freedom as an opportunity that ends right where the freedom of others begins. And in this case, this eternal rule includes a new component; that of protecting life and health.
There are certain individuals writing and posting non-sense and speculations, suggesting “this is all nothing, but a game, a conspiracy with governments using the virus to destroy people.”
Are you out of your mind! Don’t you see what is happening?
Ok, Albania might not convince some, or literally, they don’t wish to listen, read and therefore don’t want to understand, especially they don’t want a certain individual or a certain political party that provides them the information about the situation. Ok, let’s suppose I am the one seeking to take advantage and restore communism here. Don’t you see what is happening around the world? Don’t you see what is happing in the countries around us? Everyone has family members, friends and relatives living around the world. Do you have a TV set in your homes, or the device you use to write comments do not use it at the same time to see what is going on everywhere around the world?
So, again, our parents are the most precious thing we have and we can’t risk and send them in this war’s dead-end, where they are at significantly increased risk and where their chances to make it – God forbid it – if admitted to intensive care, due to their age and underlying health conditions, are really low. I would beg everyone to stop from nonsense talking, like “the young man was forced to travel to visit his parents, who have been abandoned by the state,” because the truth is that we are working day and night and we are doing whatever it takes to help everyone, wherever they are. About six weeks have passed since lockdown measures were imposed. Have you heard about anyone dying of hunger? You have neither heard, nor will you heard it and this is for thousands of reasons, but, as far as this concrete case is concerned, this is also because of a great reason, which is the solidarity, the unique and eternal feature of Albanians, and which today includes an additional strong component, in addition to the solidarity of the family, friends, relatives and neighbours, and that is the great solidarity demonstrated by the state. Despite the deficiencies and shortcomings, despite the sporadic abuses, which I do not rule out, the food and other relief supply packages under the humanitarian operation led by the Ministry of Defence – because there are also businesses and organizations providing such assistance – are totally verified and carefully monitored. And indeed, many families are receiving a second or third round of food and other basic supplies.
I would urge everyone to focus on their behaviour and conciseness. What are going to do? Shall we reopen and see hordes of people going to beaches? Will everyone take to the roads with their cars, thinking I would not contract the virus, thinking this is my freedom and let God have His way? God has given us mind to think and protect ourselves so that God can help us too.
“Will you approve a special permit for children to see their parents? My parents live in another city. They are old and we miss them a lot? Please answer.”
Of course, everyone misses his or her parents, but, above all, the reason why you won’t be allowed to see your parents, because – God forbid it – you may do the same thing what the young man I mentioned earlier actually did, certainly unintentionally. He infected his parents. He travelled to see them, because he missed them, and now he is deeply concerned about the health of his parents.
“Hello! Will the total weekend lockdown will be applied tomorrow and the coming weeks?”
Total lockdown will be in place on Saturday and Sunday, just like it was the case in last Saturday and Sunday. Everyone will stay at home, except the work authorization holders. This is because the situation is quite positive right now, but such a situation can be overturn in the blink of an eye, should we degrade into chaos. You saw for yourselves that one of those who returned from Greece tested positive for the Covid-19 infection? Fortunately, he has been quarantined. But, if we were to allow him to go home to Permet, this city would have now become the newest hotbed for the infection. Is there any Prime Minister around the world, even the worst and craziest one, who would wish to get in more serious troubles, except this one we are currently being through, by becoming a target to slurs, curses and accusations by people who can’t normally return back to their homes today.
You may say everything you want to. It is not a problem. I will swallow everything. Do you think this is a desire, a satisfaction? This is a must. If we were to open the border today, as some claim, we would have been facing a completely different and severe situation today. If we were not to act and make quarantining for everyone returning home mandatory, then we would be facing a lot more problems. What for we would need more problems now?!
So, I beg everyone to become aware and make their mind that this virus has spread to cause us problems, trigger unwished situations, add more to our hardship, and it is not here to leave again in the blink of an eye. That’s why we need to find a balance between the need to protect the population’s health at any cost. I have already stated that economy can collapse and it will recover again. People could survive without food for days, but if someone dies, he or she can be never revived. We can’t revive the dead. Therefore, everyone should be aware that reopening would require a strong balance and the more we open, the less the role of the state, police, army, and inspectors. The one who would maintain this balance is the role of the individuals and the role of each and every one of us.
“I call on you to allow the free movement of vehicles…”
We have prepared a reopening strategy that has been evaluated and approved by the experts and it has also been consulted with international experts. A day ago, thanks to the German Chancellor, who, upon my request, made available the group of German experts led by Germany’s Public Health Institute and Robert Koch Institute, we have a very useful conversation. Don’t waste time by illustrating examples of Germany, Sweden, Norway or other countries. I assure you that German experts have confirmed the accuracy of our strategy both on reopening and testing. Everyone has become an expert on tests and everyone speaks about testing, after having listened to every sort of nonsense said by certain individuals on TV channels, instead of listening and heeding the advice from the institutional experts, who bear responsibility about what they say, unlike the others who assume no responsibility of whatsoever about what they say.
We will make a gradual move and, starting next week, a number of regions across the country will see a bigger number of measures being eased compared to Tirana and other high-risk areas. To put it clear, this actually means that transportation from one region to another will be absolutely banned for few more weeks at least. However, relaxed movement of pedestrians and vehicles will be allowed in low-risk areas.
Indeed, the whole Gjirokastra district will be an area where the travel restrictions will ease at most. The same goes for the northeast region of Diber, the Municipality of Divjaka, where the travel restrictions will be significantly relaxed. In the meantime, the restrictions will be eased in the municipalities of Saranda, Konispol and Himara, with people allowed to travel from and to each of these towns. The same goes to the area including Pogradec, Përrenjas and Librazhd. These are classified as low-risk areas that together with the Health Minister and several experts broadly discussed prior to this communication. The Minister of Health will announce the rules and measures in place in the low-risk areas. But, to put it clear, reopening is associated with higher infection risk and it could lead to a growth in the rate of infections and the virus could spread in the areas where no cases have been detected to date. This means we can’t stay closed in our homes until a vaccine is developed. I agree with many people who wonder how they are supposed to continue to stay at home, claiming they could die of hunger, although I can’t stand people saying they will die of hunger, because such an expression has nothing to do with Albania’s historic and current reality, but because it is not possible that everyone stays at home until a vaccine is developed and nobody knows for sure whether the vaccine will be developed in one year, after a year and a half or after two years. However, we should make sure that rules are strictly enforced in every aspect. I repeat, this is not a matter of the Criminal Code, but it is a matter of the human code to protect your families and your parents.
In the abovementioned areas, we will allow eased movement and travel from the rural areas to the cities. We will relax restrictions for the pedestrians.
We will allow older adults to leave their homes every morning until 8:30 or 9:00 am. This has yet to be determined according to the order due to be issued by the Health Minister. Retired people should then immediately return home and people from other group ages will be allowed, including parents with children under 10, young people and teenagers. But all gatherings of more than two people are banned and people will also not be allowed to gather in parks and lawns, because, in addition to the increased infection risks, they could become the reason for the lockdown measures to be restored again.
This whole process, as the German experts also noted, will simultaneously include eased and restrictive measures depending on the number of infections and the dynamics in the territory.
Paola Grabova, like many others, is asking whether the number of tests could increase and whether the test kits can be produced in Albania.
Let these “professors” say whatever they want to say. Our testing strategy is accurate. During the yesterday’s discussion with the German experts, as well as the consultations with other international experts, but also thanks to the continued communication of the Public Health Institute with leading international institutes, based on the questions we have made and the answers we have received, we have confirmed that we have developed and pursued the right strategy.
Not tests for the sake of tests can be carried out. Germany does not conduct tests on asymptomatic individuals. Germany applies same strategy and the epidemiologists there track down the contacts of the confirmed coronavirus cases, just like we are doing. Germany conducts test on people who show symptoms and not on everyone. So, this is not a matter of conducting as many tests as possible. You could conduct a test on me today. I might have contracted Covid-19, but the virus might happen to be in an incubation phase and I would turn out to be negative for the virus. And given that I have tested negative, if I am not to behave as if infected, just like I do every day, it may happen that I infect many other people. On the other hand, let’s suppose I underwent test today. Will they test me tomorrow again? The day after tomorrow? In other words, will everyone undergo the Covid-19 test every day?
This is not the way how it works. This is a wrongful interpretation. “Testing-testing-testing, as the World Health Organization says,” they claim.
“I have made comments several times, but I have received no reply. I work in a small business. I have received approval for my salary since April 11, but the payment has not been transferred to my bank account,’ Lejda says.
By now, as many as 54 243 people have their payments transferred to their bank accounts under the first support package, while verification for thousands of other applicants is underway. This means that many people have complaint and their complaints are being verified and once the verification process completes, they will all have their salary transferred to their bank accounts. However, 54 243 individuals have already received the first tranche of the payment. They will also receive the second and third tranche of payment, although many of them will be allowed to return to work under the reopening strategy. As many as 27,000 people will be allowed to return to work starting Monday, April 27, and thousands others will also return to work next Monday, if the growth in infection rate remains unchanged or lowers. Otherwise, we will backtrack and lockdown measures will be reinstated.
Meanwhile, as of today, as many as 42, 122 people have received their wartime salary and the number of people estimated to benefit this payment under the second extended support is around 176,000. A total of 260,000 people are entitled to benefit the salary under the two support packages. Certain opposition representatives speculate about more than one million employees and another one million people who should…, but prior to the virus outbreak they used to claim that nobody was working in the country and everyone had left Albania. Yet, it turned out that everyone in Albania is employed and they are all here in the country and based on their mathematics Albania has a population of over five millions.
“We have pets. Will we be granted an authorization to leave our homes to walk our pets?”
This too is something about which I have received many complaints by people who have dogs and other pets and who have developed a relation with their pets. A specific authorization will be made available on one sections of the e-albania platform, but since a incredible number of applications have been filed for business authorizations, there is a series of categories and details that need to be tackled first and they will hopefully be resolved by tomorrow, so that everything becomes easier for everyone starting next week.
Enkelejda is asking: “When the University Hospital Centre will reopen to provide other services and surgical services to other than Covid-19 patients?”
The University Hospital Centre has never been closed to people who need other hospital and surgical services. The Hospital Centre has not been closed even for a single day. The oncology patients haven’t been excluded even for a single day from this service. This has not happened.
“I used to work illegally in the shadow economy. Am I entitled to benefit the wartime salary?”
This is the only thing we are trying and want to do now after deciding to allocate a payment to oil workers in Ballsh refinery, who we have tried in every way to always help, but it is an intricate private situation in a very complicated business category. We will give a salary to the shadow economy workers under the extended support package, while we are at the same time looking into the number of families that have been denied access to the social welfare scheme due to the point system and where there are many who currently work illegally, whom we cannot help directly, but we will try to find a way and help them. So, we will help all this category of families, excluding those who have cheated and there are many who have made false statements just to benefit economic assistance and are therefore excluded. We have yet to establish the exact number of these families and I don’t know the exact payment we will provide to them, since we are still making verifications in order to identify their number and the payment we will make available to them.
“My two children live in Tirana, while I live and work in Germany. Is there a possibility that my children travel to Germany?” Vjollca Blloshmi asks.
Please Vjollca and everyone else try to understand that no flights have been allowed to resume to any country. It is just a humanitarian corridor launched to help all of those stuck abroad to return back home and this corridor will remain open. However, I think that no normal flights will resume for at least few weeks’ time. There are certain European countries that have denied entry even to their own nationals and haven’t launched such flights to repatriate their own citizens or other people. Therefore, all I ask is a little bit more patience. “I own a small cafe. Is it possible that make the cafe operational behind closed doors, always respecting the rules of safety and hygiene, with everyone wishing to drink a coffee allowed to pick it at the cafe door maintaining a safety distance just like in the supermarkets? More than economically disadvantaged, we are actually becoming psychologically disturbed.”
I know, but experts advise that we seriously refrain from reopening bars, cafes, restaurants and other services as they are a hotbed of incredible infection everywhere in the world. We are exploring all possible options and all it takes is just a little more patience.
“The commission evaluating the road accidents has ceased working for more than a month now. We we ever receive any compensation from the insurance companies?”
This is a relation and an issue you have to solve with the relevant insurer. This is not a direct relation with the state.
“Why should I take a taxi cab, which would costs five times higher rather than use my own personal car?”
The travel restriction on the use of the personal car, not for work purposes, will be lifted once we are completely sure. Meanwhile, we will introduced relaxed restrictions regarding the daily time period when people will be allowed to use their private cars, including not only those driving to work, but also other individuals, in the low-risk areas we are piloting a broader reopening program to examine the effects and find out whether the rate of new infections will and grow and how. This is what everyone should understand, just like I have already understood by listening, carefully taking notes and learning in the process, yet it would be hard to be understood by those who refuse to listen, understand and learn. But I have learned this pretty well from experts. The virus won’t disappear just because we would lock ourselves down. The virus is just there behind our doors and windows. By staying at home we deny it the chance to infect us and then use us as a chain transmission. As soon as we get out, we are exposed to the infection risk and that’s why anytime we venture out we should pay utmost attention and care and strictly respect the rules. Therefore, the more we open, the more exposed we become. It is we the ones who should become aware and it can’t be done by using police and the army, or by deploying a policemen or a soldier for each person. It can be all done by altering our conduct. Everyone should forget the normality we were used to prior to the virus outbreak! Until a vaccine is developed, the normality we will live in won’t be the same again. You should all make up your minds and stop discussing communism stories, dictatorship or international conspiracies to destroy the population or stuff like that.
The new normality will be significantly different. Even once the lockdown is totally lifted, we all should behave differently. People should give up handshaking. The number of people on busses will significantly reduce. People will no longer flock to restaurants or no crowds will be allowed to gather outside bars and restaurant. People will no longer be able to go to beaches and overcrowd pubs and beach bars and become a serious source of the infection. It is no longer possible! But of course, we won’t stay all at home waiting for the virus to disappear. We will go out, yet we should be prepared to enter an era of coexistence with the virus in every step we take. And if we fail doing so, then it would take just a little to cause a disaster with severe consequences for whole people. It is only then when we would all find out what all those individuals who claim this is a deception and a conspiracy would say. They will find out what, when – God forbid it – they would see themselves and their parents hospitalized. Just like we would have seen what was to happen should we failed to act and take these measures and successfully implement them all together.
“Will the dental practices open soon?”
No, dental practices, hair salons, bars, restaurants, cafes will have to wait since they all are high risk services. This is a fact and these are classified as high risk services all over the world.
“I would like to ask when the border between Kosovo and Albania will reopen.”
Does anyone know when the borders between different countries will reopen? Nobody does. Kosovo is also experiencing a tough situation. Luckily enough, the number of infections both in Albania and Kosovo is not as high as to collapse our health systems. This is most important thing. That’s why we should still show a little bit more patience.
“My husband works as a driver of the public transportation in Berat and his employer has fired all drivers and conductors, asking them to apply for social assistance. Is that legal?”
Drivers, conductors and all employees working in public transportation companies with an annual turnover less than 14 million lek, which are classified as small business operators, will benefit the wartime salary under the first support package, whereas everyone else will benefit a payment of 40,000 lek under the second extended support package.
“Mr. Rama, I run a bakery and I want to know whether we will be allowed to work on Sunday?”
No, just like last weekend and just like every Sunday in the history of this war so far.
“I am concerned about my business, because work permits only are issued via e-albania platform. My family runs a food business and we supply all wholesale shops by using our car. Is there a solution so that I can reopen business normally?”
If your food business is a registered one and if you regularly pay the social insurance contribution, you are allowed to start running business as usual.
“We run a family transport business, but we have stopped working, whereas our application for the wartime salary has been turned down”.
You belong to a category eligible to receive the payment under the government’s support packages and you will definitely receive such a payment. For anyone who was not following us since the start of this communication, I want to reiterate that more than 49,000 individuals have already received their salary under the extended package, whereas more than 54,000 persons have received payment under the first package, which means that everyone will receive due payment.
“What about the individuals who haven’t been working in the past five or six years? What kind of salary are they entitled to benefit and when?”
The jobless people for several years are not entitled to benefit a payment under the support packages. It is impossible for us to return to the history of unemployment and jobless people in the past 30 years. However, we will provide help and payment to the families under the social assistance scheme, poor families that haven’t been qualified social welfare benefits, the individuals who have shut down their shops and businesses and have been unable to go to work due to the stay-at-home orders because of the epidemic.
“I have been denied the social insurance contributions without being informed first on March 15 and they registered me again on March 31 and therefore I face penalty.”
You will face no penalties and you will receive due payment under the support package.
“When the night clubs will reopen?”
No night clubs will reopen.
“I work in a private kindergarten and I have already received the wartime salary.”
Finally someone acknowledges to have received the wartime salary. I would invite all those who have already received the payment to confirm it, so that everyone, including those writing nonsense, would finally understand we are telling the truth.
“I would like to know who is going to cover my social insurance contributions? Will I myself pay the social insurance contributions or the business where I work?”
The payment you receive under the government’s support packages is a direct payment to you only.
“Mr. Rama, is there a way for us to obtain an authorization to travel to Greece, since we are losing our jobs after being stuck for more than two months here in Albania.”
We are waiting to conclude an agreement with the Prime Minister of Greece on the seasonal workers, while others will have to wait.
“I reached full retirement age few days ago and therefore I am not allowed to go to work. However, I have to wait some five or six more months for the pension payment to be issued. I was the only person working in my family. How are we supposed to survive until pension payment is allocated?”
This is a very specific case. If you can, please forward a concrete complaint via the co-governance platform so that a solution is found.
“I am the manager of a food production company. We have established and provide the sanitary requirements for years now. We wash and disinfect our hands many times a day; yet wearing gloves hampers our production operations. It is impossible to respect the 2-metre safety distance due to the work operations we carry out. Is it possible that such companies are excluded from the general rules?”
Once again, all production lines and factories should strictly implement the safety protocols.
“When young people are supposed to be allowed to leave their homes?”
I know staying at home is quite painful. I am not kidding, but everything will take place gradually. Young people in the areas where the restriction rules will be significantly eased starting next week will be allowed to leave their hoses, but gatherings of more than two people are strictly banned. Picnics, gatherings in parks or bars are also banned.
“When the barber shops will reopen? Where do you have your hair cut?”
Many ask me about this. I am not going to tell you where and how I have my hair cut, because you will immediately start making up stories about bunkers and the village of Surrel.
The following are almost the same kind of questions I already answered.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health will soon announce her new order regarding the so-called green zones classified as low-risk areas, where restrictions will significantly ease and a gradual reopening will take place. We will monitor the dynamics of figures and the infection growth rate to figure out whether a more reasonable and natural infection chain will spread in these areas. However, this doesn’t absolutely mean that we should all venture out and infect each other. This simply means that nobody should be surprised if the infection rate grows as we start reopening. It is crucially important that everyone does everything to protect their parents and ailing people. Strictly respecting the rules is the essence.
Thank you!