Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at National Security Committee meeting on measures to prevent and fight coronavirus in close collaboration with the World Health Organization:

This is a regular meeting to go on with the discussion about the cautionary measures to prevent and fight against a potential spread and outbreak of coronavirus, though no cases of coronavirus infection have been detected to date, but we have taken every required steps in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to cope with the potential spread of the virus in the territory of the Republic of Albania.

Actually whole world plunged into an unusual situation since the first coronavirus infection cases were detected first in China in December last year and WHO declared global health emergency. Of course, we too established the necessary contacts immediately and in an increasingly smaller world due to the more and more intense interaction, nobody is immune and everyone is exposed to risk of getting infectious diseases is a high coefficient, which is also the coefficient of the unknown, making the disease even more frightening. Unknown to the origin, in this particular case and I suggest keeping in mind neighbouring Italy, where, even now as we speak, efforts to find the so-called “zero patient” still go on, as well as the real time updated information from China hinting at continued doubts regarding the virus’ true origin.

The other unknown is the lack of knowledge about spread of virus and the only universally known thing is that this virus spreads fast, but one of the questions under discussion today is how comes that no cases have been detected to date in countries bordering China.

The other unknown is the most effective way of fighting, and despite feverish and internationally coordinated efforts, a specific vaccine for this specific virus has yet to be discovered and, as they say, it will still take some time.

It is a situation that has taken whole world by surprise. A virus, whose spread is unfortunately inevitable, but also increasingly problematic, is being associated by what the World Health Organization has also branded as serious danger, that is the info epidemics of the uncontrolled and fake news that is disseminated and has an extreme impact on the behaviour, conduct and position of the news consumers.

The disinformation about the virus outbreak has affected whole world, according to the World Health Organization, and it has definitely affected Albania too. But, as it is often the case in Albania, the disinformation has emerged in many ways. The hectic rush for information via the clickbait that brings about the multiplication of titles and news stories with coronavirus or victim as the key words, just like everywhere else, but, on the other hand, a not-so-widespread feature that accompanies the disinformation situations in Albania, with individual or groups’ efforts to capitalize fear, incite panic, raise constant alarms for miserable political or media interests.

However, we decided to convene this meeting today to speak facts about the current situation we are in and the measures we have and are putting in place, as we have already done all this time, when we have preferred and decided to work step by step, mainly quietly, precisely to not feed this outbreak of disinformation and not to create artificially heightened tensions.

Professionalism, for the sake of truth, has been exemplary. And this is not because I am saying it, but it has been affirmed by the World Health Organization.

First of all, not a single confirmed case of the coronavirus infection has been detected or reported in Albania as of today. The virology lab of the Public Health Institute – a reference laboratory certified by the World Health Organization to carry out the coronavirus diagnostic testing in our country – has tested 17 suspicious cases that have all tested negative. The 17 individuals suspected as infected by the virus have all tested negative.

Second, the situation has been closely and specially monitored by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Minister herself, who has promptly set up a Task Force and the Technical Committee of Experts to take cautionary measures, prevent and put under control this global challenge, where we have to do our share in line with the World Health Organization recommendations, as well as pursuant to the international health regulations by employing best experts and develop strategies that would include every required step designed to deal with the risk of infection the virus poses to the citizens in our country.

Third, it is a fact that the following measures have been put in place from the very beginning:

Active oversight of the alert system has been strengthened at all instances of the health system throughout the country, ranging from border health units to the National Emergency Service, local health care units, Epidemiological Service, Health Inspectorate and regional and university hospital structures;

Accurate protocols have been established while guidelines have been distributed in compliance with the World Health Organization recommendations for the case tracking starting at border crossing points, contact tracking and response preparation of all health care units and teams in the country;

As many as 800 health professionals and personnel at all levels of the country’s health system have been trained and the training programs continue all over the country as planed;

Number of health teams at air and sea border checkpoints has doubled in order to have control, according to the rules laid down for control, and the monitoring of arrivals is carried out by the health team as an extra measure after confirmation of the coronavirus transmission in Italy. As of today, as many as 8122 passengers have been rigorously checked and a total of 14,000 passengers have been checked at the land and sea borders. Special quarantine facilities have been made available at Mother Teresa Airport, and in the ports of Durres and Vlora where suspicious infected cases will be isolated temporarily;

Measures have been taken to increase the stockpile of specific personal protective equipment for all service levels, from border crossings to hospital health personnel to the level of laboratory diagnosis. Stocks of antiviral medications and therapies have been provided and measures have been taken to provide required capacities for intensive treatment in case of severe cases.

A fund of 1 million dollars has been allocated to increase the current stock of healthcare supply of personal protective equipment. This measure serves only the aforementioned purpose and providing support for every need, according to the risk level.

The Technical Committee has picked a number of public hospital and accommodation facilities as suitable for quarantine. It is regrettable that nowhere else in the world certain political parties or influential elected individuals do what they have done in Albania over all these days, overtly trying to instill panic and openly misinforming the public opinion both about the areas or the area to host the quarantine and the conditions and the impact of a quarantined area over the local population.

Nowhere in the world quarantines exist in mountains, in forests, or in facilities away from residential areas. This does not exist. This is an invention as part of the disinformation campaign.

In the first case of quarantine placement, we have determined the availability of public accommodation facilities of the Ministry of Defense holiday home in the Durres area, where, together with the WHO, has been decided that the area fulfills all conditions and guarantees safety for everyone.

The Infectious Diseases Ward at Mother Teresa University Hospital Centre and Shefqet Ndroqi University Hospital have been supplied with personal protective equipment, functioning isolation rooms have been made available and the needed intensive therapy kits according to channels approved by the Committee of Experts and always confirmed by the World Health Organization.

The National Medical Emergency has taken due measures to handle over 5,000 emergency calls a day. It currently processes 1,700 calls, and carries out the entire territorial organization for tracking the potential infectious cases.

Continued recommendation for all citizens who have traveled from affected countries to call the national emergency number 127, if they don’t feel well, or see clinical signs that make them think that they may be affected without going to the hospital immediately to minimize the risk of infection with other circulating viruses for themselves and be sure that the phone calls are sufficient to assist them wherever they are.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection has issued order for extra hygienic and sanitary measures in the education institutions as an important precautionary measure amid this situation, with the improved personal hygiene being a key factor in efforts to prevent and limit spread of the infectious disease.

In this situation, with community outbreaks of coronavirus in some countries, citizens have been urged to restrict unnecessary travel to the affected areas, where there is a risk of community transmission.

Having said all these facts, I would like to conclude by availing myself of this opportunity to communicate with all those watching us now by appealing for calm and not let ourselves be confused by the sources of the disinformation about the virus outbreak, the absurd media debates that take place nowhere else in the world, not be fooled by clicking on sources of the informative absurdity that completely irresponsibility disseminate fake news and increase the very dangerous effect of the info epidemics, causing anxiety and panic. We are all here, we are all with families, we all have our children, we have our parents and I tell you all just refer to the official information sources. Alternative sources of information in a case like this are inadvisable, not by me, but by the World Health Organization.

There is a wealth of data available that makes it a little easier coping with this psychological situation that naturally creates anxiety and insecurity for yourselves, for your children, the elderly and the relatives. It is a virus that mainly affects elderly people and those who suffer from certain health issues. It is a virus that is tackled without dramatic consequences generally by the youngest and healthy people. The thing that none of the sources of fake outbreak information have cited is the fact confirmed by the World Health Organization that 97% of the infected individuals statistically fully recover. So, we do not face a medieval plague that once wiped half of humanity off the face of the earth. We face a virus with significant potential risk. We have underestimated nothing of what we should do.

To conclude, I also appeal for a bit more trust, because it is necessary and better to refer to the credible sources of information rather than to the sources where we get poisoned. Faith, in the sense of the simple truth that, like everything else, this too will pass and we will pass it together through interaction, solidarity, with the utmost care on our part as a government, with utmost dedication on the part of the professionals involved.

Therefore, I suggest you better shut down your computers, shut down your smart phones and instead listen to Pope Francis, refer to the Bible or the Quran, rather than waste time with all sorts of nonsense that socially irresponsible people and people with an organic spiritual wickedness, doing what is inhumane except from a professional point of view, from a factual point of view, completely useless.