Council of Ministers meeting on planned actions and measures in line with the World Health Organization protocol in the wake of the firs coronavirus case:
Prime Minister Edi Rama: As the Ministry of Health and Social Protection has officially announced, the Virology Laboratory at the Public Health Institute confirmed last night two novel Covid-19 cases, or what has come to be known as coronavirus infection. It is about an imported case from Florence as a 28-year-old young man travelled recently by his car and entered Albania through the Hani Hotit border crossing and a close family member has been infected with Covid-19 virus. The two patients, a father and son, have been placed in care by the health personnel and both are in stable condition and are being constantly monitored by the specialized medical teams at the infectious disease hospital in Tirana.
The Ministry of Health will further inform on the actions and measures put in place by the health authorities and personnel since the first warning was received, the clinical and epidemiological protocol in compliance with the protocol set forth by WHO, which is also our guideline in the process since this threatening phenomenon emerged.
But what is of fundamental importance in dealing with this situation, and which is WHO’s basic advice, is the need to remain calm and the need for every individual to follow the official health system’s instructions and advices and the need for the state itself to take all necessary measures, which need to be stepped up gradually and actually since last midnight we have also prepared the introduction to the first case scenario, which has been prepared in advance by the Technical Committee of Experts.
If there is something that is becoming increasingly evident and about which WHO is consistently and increasingly insisting is that the most common prescription is what stems from panic and all kinds of individual adventure, while in such a situation the most effective medicine is calmness and strength of reason not to let yourself and close family members and friends fall into panic. This is a time when everyone should refer to official sources for information and to implement as strictly as possible all the recommendations by health authorities concerning personal hygiene, which means the measures that individually each of us and each individual must take are seemingly simple but highly effective measures consistently advised by the WHO.
On the other hand, communication with the National Health Emergency Service to report any suspected cases, when anyone notices symptoms, or simply suspects that the symptoms are related to this phenomenon. What I would like to emphasize for everyone is that our health care authorities and personnel have made intense preparations over this period and are totally ready to take their required position in this situation, which is being closely monitored in its whole dynamics and as we speak it calls for accelerated assessment and management measures as part of the plan drafted in line with the WHO general guidance and protocol.
A series of disturbing signs have been noticed during this time, some of them caused by panic, and some others mainly incited by reasons of the common irrationality associating such situations through uncertified communication sources, where the only reliable and certified source is the official one and the only one everybody should refer to step by step, because it is the voice of the highest relevant authority and our experience we have monitored hour after hour and based on the guidance and instructions issued to every country by WHO shows that management of this threatening phenomenon has been successful mostly in the countries where calm and restraint have prevailed.
WHO does not recommend – quite the contrary – it strongly opposes the suggestions to close borders. I’m stating this because this has been consistently suggested by uncertified sources that have no authority of whatsoever to play the role of the adviser and suggest whether borders should or should not be closed in this process and, in fact, as the experiences of all countries show, the closure of borders is a very drastic measure, used almost completely or partially in very specific cases, linked to very specific data that Albania does not have today.
We have the action plan in place, as I have already noted earlier, and with the confirmation of the first coronavirus-infected case we enter the initial scenario. The Task Force comprising representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Defence, the Civil Emergencies Directorate, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, prominent experts of the Public Health Institute and the WHO country office has been working around the clock and keeps working to implement the action plan, which is based on 3 pillars implemented by all countries;
First, restrictions in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus;
Second, the delay phase, or efforts aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus;
Third, efforts to reduce the Covid-19 infection-related consequences.
I would like to clearly underline that we are consistently consulting with WHO on the measures to tackle the virus and I won’t cease repeating that in such a situation, just like in every other situation when the society, the state and the two together face an emergency situation, self-restraint, maintaining calm and referring to a certified official source is essential, just like it is absolutely essential that everyone individually carries out the instructions stemming from the need to contribute for yourselves and everyone else in such a situation.
We have allocated due funding to cope with the emergency situation and we will disburse and additional amount of 400 million lek in line with the requests forwarded by the Ministry of Health and this funding will be used to address the needs of the health system to cope with this phase.
It is important to emphasize the fact that we have found not only the understanding, but also the maximum commitment of the medical staff and what is really worth pointing out is that the whole structure of the health personnel that is planned to mobilize gradually in this well-organized confrontation, is well-informed and well-organized.
The today’s measures that are being put in place in line with the WHO protocol include decision to ban direct flights or trips to northern Italy and practically to the red zones totally quarantined until April 3, close education institutions for a two-week period in order to prevent the spread of the virus and assess the situation in process.
Why the decision to shut down schools? It should be clear to everyone that all statistics at a global level show that children and young people are less likely to develop life-threatening conditions from this virus.
But on the other hand, everyone should understand that young people, or children, because they gather in schools and kindergartens, they may turn out to be virus carrier and as such can transmit it to other people, although they are less likely to develop life-threatening conditions due to the virus. For that reason, we believe it is time to close all education institutions and call for cancellation of all mass gatherings, sports and cultural events, conferences and public hearings until April 3 in order to look into the dynamics of this outbreak and make a decision about the upcoming period.
Another crucially important element that is worth emphasizing and taking into consideration by every individual is the is self-quarantine or the self-isolation of individuals who have travelled and are arriving from the virus affected areas or the otherwise called red zones that are being rigorously monitored by the health care structures.
Self-quarantine is an element included also in the existing legislation of the Republic of Albania and the law stipulates administrative measures against anyone violating this rule. But we must be realistic that what matters most in our country is that every individual understands that he or she has a role to play in this confrontation and that it is essential to respect the self-quarantine procedure in order to protect yourselves and others when an individual arrives from a red zone, mainly from Northern Italy. Previously ready-made premises for the general quarantine are absolutely available following the confirmed coronavirus cases. The isolation rooms at the infectious diseases service at the University Hospital Centre in Tirana are fully operational and constant work has been done to provide entire stock of the self-protection equipment and materials. On the other hand, I would beg everyone whose relatives, or family members are currently hospitalized to maximally reduce visits, thus making work for the health personnel, as well as our joint work easier. This is a common and shared effort between the state and the citizens in the face of such a threatening phenomenon.
I would also like to emphasize that both the hospitals and the medical teams that will handle the confirmed cases have been identified and are known by all persons who will be involved in the process should the situation evolves.
To conclude, I would like to issue an appeal to the media: it is a great and extraordinary responsibility for the citizens’ health and success of this not-so-easy process and the media should self-restrain and be aware that in this situation the most threatening enemy is not the coronavirus, but panic that is caused by the fake news stories, the panic stimulated by unreasonable exaggerations and the panic triggered by unauthorized , uncertified, non-professional and non-scientific sources and comments. Therefore, needless to say we should all be allies at this moment.
I am concluding to give the floor to the Health Minister who will provide more details for you and the citizens that facts deriving from the dynamic analysis at the global level of all developments based on concrete figures and reports about the affected people, those who go through the stage of a particular virus outbreak and the loss of life, speak clearly than anything for themselves. It is not the Middle Ages plague. One should not forget that a H1N1 outbreak happened in 2008 and 2009 that killed around a half a million people world-wide, meaning we are not facing something that has nothing more than any other virus but an unknown aspect that is related to the fact that the world has yet to develop a coronavirus vaccine, yet the death rate and infection rate clearly shows this is an outbreak we can and should tackle just like every other country, by maintaining calm and self-restraint.
Everyone is definitely exposed to risk, regardless their social status and age, but everyone should be aware that this virus poses serious threat mainly to the weakest links and therefore we should all do utmost efforts and show utmost care to protect each other and deal with this situation by showing self-restraint and commitment where everyone plays his or her part.
It is certainly up to the government to the structures that are committed to leading this process and we are aware and fully prepared to do so, but it is up to everyone to do their part.
There are several simple, even seemingly ridiculous tips and solutions, like avoiding close contacts when avoidable, hand-sanitize, or frequent hand-wash, self-quarantine when arriving from an affected area, as well as resorting to an individual filter when it comes to the information.
These are several simple solutions recommended to the entire globe by the World Health Organization and authorities. All authorities around the world recommend the same thing to the individuals. No panic, no exaggeration, no negative emotions, care, calmness, self-restraint and implementation of a set of rules. It is not a life-threatening virus. It is not! As I said, it is a virus that bears the feature on an unknown thing, but based on statistics it is certainly a difficult situation exactly because of this aspect of the unknown, but absolutely not a situation that threatens the future of humanity.
We should maintain calm and if we were to look at the statistics, Albania, given its population, faces no tremendous threat in terms of the number of cases as it is the case in much larger countries. I am saying all these not to take things easy. Absolutely not. We have considered it very seriously and we are well-prepared for this phase, but we have preferred to do our job, convey messages depending on the phases of the outbreak, rather than rushing beyond what the moment holds, because, as it is the case, the virus has arrived neither by air, nor by sea, but by road, as the infected person has travelled by his own car, meaning that all exaggerated appeals for extreme escalations do not stem from the official protocol of the World Health Organization, but from the natural sense of security that should not be let to turn into panic. Everything is running on the plan that has been prepared in line with the WHO protocol.
Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu: First two initial COVID-19 cases were confirmed a day ago in Albania. The two patients are father and son, both Tirana residents, 54 and 28 years old. The latter has travelled from Florence to Italy by car and has entered the country’s territory through Hani i Hotit on Feb 26, while the father is a confirmed infected case as a close contact. The two have called the national health emergency number 127, and, in accordance to the protocols, samples to test for the virus have been taken from the two patients, who have shown clinical symptoms. The samples have been immediately sent to the virology laboratory at the Public Health Institute and the two have tested positive for coronavirus. Once the test results were produced, the team of epidemiologists at the local health care centre and the national health emergency service have carried identification, isolation of the close contacts of the two infected patients and samples have been taken from them to test for the virus. Family members and close contacts of the two patients have been also isolated, while the two patients have been placed in care at the Infectious Diseases Department at the Mother Teresa University Hospital Centre.
I would like to avail myself of this occasion to issue an appeal for calm to all citizens, because our health emergency service units are on full alert and ready to provide due care. The same goes for the health personnel at the Infectious Diseases Department and all public health experts in hospitals across the country.
Doctors, nurses and health personnel are at the forefront of this situation, providing adequate response to every possible case according to the scenarios we have planned with the technical committee of experts and the Task Force. I also want to issue an appeal to the individuals who are contacted by our teams to collaborate for the sake of their own, their relatives and other citizens’ health. I want to urge them to be rational. There is no reason for panic, as doctors and experts are on duty all night long since the two initial cases were confirmed and will continue to be on high alert, while additional reinforced measures are being put in place hour by hour. Citizens will be informed of the subsequent measures we will take, depending on the situation and the threat level.
I repeat my appeal to the citizens that if they feel or show flu-like symptoms they should immediately call the unique emergency number 127. The national health emergency service of epidemiologists will visit them at home in line with the relevant protocol and, on the other hand, and I urge citizens not to report to hospitals or emergency units unless they show clinical symptoms or contact the emergency number 127 first.
I repeat, virus is not able to spread widely through the air, but it is transmitted through contact. Citizens should respect the hygiene rules and wash their hands for 20 seconds, cover mouth and nose with elbow when sneezing or coughing and keep a more than one-meter distance from other people. It is a situation facing all health systems around the world. We are not immune and there are no reasons for us to be immune, but it is a situation where the difference is made depending on the way you respond, maintaining calm, respecting health protocols and maintaining close and continued cooperation among the health care structures and the citizens. Our action plan’s three main pillars are: prevent, slow down and mitigate. These are indeed the three main actions being taken by every government as part of the measures to prevent and slow down the spread of this virus. I would like to reiterate the decisions we have made pursuant to the infectious diseases control law aimed at the prevention, detection and abatement of infectious diseases and the health risks resulting from such diseases. These measures include closure of the public and non-public education institutions for a two-week period, closure of all public and non-public events and the ban on mass outdoor and indoor gatherings, including sports and artistic events, conferences and workshops until 3 April 2020. Likewise, cancellation of all mass outdoor and indoor mass gatherings, such as concerts, rallies, or public hearings until April 3. Mandatory self-quarantine of the individuals arriving in the territory of Albania from the so-called red zones, or isolated areas in Italy. Health personnel will provide continued support and care for all individuals arriving in the country from the red zones and of course the failure to respect this order is punishable in accordance to the law provisions of the Article 35 of the infectious diseases control law. Likewise, we have made the decision – I want to clarify that all these decisions have been made based on the recommendations made by the technical committee of experts – to ban export of medicines and medical equipment until a second order is issued. The medicines and medical equipment export will be carried out only on a special authorization of the Health Minister. We have also decided to restrict movement of family members and relatives of patients in hospitals.
The patients’ family members and relatives are prohibited from entering the emergency and health care facilities unless such a request is made by the hospital directorate or requested by the relevant physicians. Patients’ relatives or family members are prohibited from entering the hospital service areas, where inpatient treatment is being provided, unless such a request comes from the hospital directorate.
This rule has been established earlier as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. We have made this decision and we invite citizens to adhere to this rule.
On the other hand, as the Prime Minister already announced, an additional funding of 400 million lek has been allocated to support the health care system as part of the coronavirus prevention measures in the country. The funding will be used to reinforce the fleet of the respiratory assist devices and enhance stock of the personal protection equipment. I want to reiterate that work is underway to increase the personal protection equipment supplies, because taking protective measures for the health personnel has been one of the most important aspects of our work since the Task Force and Technical Experts Committee creation in January.
I also want to again invite citizens to obey the rules and look after kids and the elderly. It is time to show utmost solidarity with each other and everyone do his or her part, but it is also important that in addition to the measures being taken by the government as it is always the case, this is a battle that is won only by individual correct behaviour. Therefore, today more than ever a pact with the citizens and the media is a must in order to assist in correct behaviours, because only correct behaviours, implementation of the rules of the institutions will help us to stop the spread of this virus. So it’s essential that from now on everyone listens very carefully to all instructions issued by the relevant institutions and of course avoid all avoidable contacts to prevent or limit the spread of this virus. It’s the key to winning this challenge. We look forward, but to look ahead we also have to look back and Albania has faced such challenges before, the country’s health system has tackled dangerous viruses like Sars and Mers viruses previously. Above all, we need to trust and rely on professionals, doctors and nurses who will continue to demonstrate their professionalism and with the trust in our health care system we will win over this tremendous challenge.

PM Rama: Before we go into the cabinet’s inner discussion about further progress in implementing the action plan, to sum up for the public watching us, I would like once again emphasize that it is very important to understand that this epidemic has some specifics due to the much stronger interconnections between countries, much stronger connections between people, much stronger connections via the information world. I repeat, another virus outbreak killed half a million people around the globe, not centuries but just ten years ago and, as you all know, because we all remember that such a level of alarm has never been issued neither in Albania, nor globally. If someone sneezes on the other side of the world, his sneezing noise is heard on the other side due to the constant influx of the information and it certainly influences each of us psychologically, but having said this, it is essential to grasp that this shadow posing a threat to our psychology can be tackled through some very simple measures, including limitation of the physical contact, because the Minister said and the World Health Organization is constantly stating that virus is not able to spread widely through the air we all breath, but through the physical contact and hand-wash for at least 20 seconds following the physical contact is a measure that helps a lot in preventing the spread of the virus.
Third, we should do utmost efforts to protect the elderly, our grandmothers and grandfathers at home from the coronavirus. We should do utmost primary by limiting our contacts, or keep the elderly and vulnerable people unfortunately away from us and show utmost care about their health. It is impossible for us not to implement such simple measures at a local level. It is also equally important and we beg everyone to understand that that there is no need to go to hospitals or health centers to check whether someone is affected by the virus. It would suffice them just to call the emergency number 127. The cases detected last midnight and the other tested cases were precisely the product of communication with 127. In other words, our national health emergency service is prepared to check and test every suspected case and operators at the emergency room, who are doctors and nurses, provide consultation and tips to the persons who dial the emergency number 127.
Self-quarantining or being asked to stay home is extremely important. Someone coming from an affected area, and this is the case all over the world and that’s why I earlier said that shutting down the country’s borders is not an option and leads to nowhere in relation to the virus. The 15th century plague swept across the globe and wiped millions of people off the globe and there were no planes, trains, buses or cars back then. It is important for these people to self-quarantine and whole world is doing this. So, if someone arriving from the red zone, should self-quarantine as this is in their own and their family members’ best interest and these individuals can keep in touch with the relevant health authorities while in self-quarantine.
These are simple measures that require just discipline. The most complex measures of our system are already in place and several case scenarios have been projected, based on statistics of all countries and considering all the experiences because the WHO is circulating daily information about all countries around the globe to see how it evolves. It has turned out that the masks serve no one but the health personnel who are at the forefront of the efforts to treat the infected individuals as masks prevent transmission through sneezes and so on.
So, it is important for everyone to follow the official sources only and the advices provided by the certified sources. The Ministry of Health, Task Force and work-based communication that is taking place intensely do not refer to the media speculations, but to the World Health Organization’s official line and that is why they are the sole source of reference. People need to be confident that we have done the best we can and we all need to be confident that we will successfully cope with this epidemic. We will definitely deal with the disease together by maintaining calm, self-restraint and intense communication and with everyone doing their part of the job. We know very well what we as government should do. The relevant health authorities and teams know very well and it is not only the Ministry of Health but every other involved Ministry, their personnel and structures.
They are fully committed and all those people are clear about what to do on their front, so we have to take this seriously, but also calmly and confidently. This is not the end of the world. We are facing a critical, yet manageable situation, and of which we will increasingly develop more knowledge each day and more and more clarity and conviction that at the end of the day it is up to us, all of us as individuals and as a nation to face it with the voice of reason, not with the inner cries of anxiety or uncertainty.
Thank you!