DENIAL: The Ministry of Interior most strongly condemns the NetPress article titled “SDSM official ordered the arrest of the boy with a dog”, which contains many untruths about the functioning of the MoI, stated today the Ministry of Interior.

“We inform the public that at the start of the crisis with the coronavirus outbreak, a Coordination Body was formed in the Ministry of Interior, whose President is Nakje Chulev, and includes managerial people from the Ministry. At the session of the Coordination Body held on March 31, 2020, a conclusion was adopted and the Director of the Public Security

Bureau was given the task ‘to send an instructive telegram to all organizational units to respect the legal provisions in dealing with persons not complying to the ban on movement. Following this decision of the Coordination Body, the Public Security Bureau has acted and a telegram has been prepared accordingly. Hence, it is clear that untruths have been presented in the text, which the Ministry of Interior strongly denies”, stated the Ministry of Interior.

*

SUPPORT: The President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, Oliver Spasovski, today had a telephone conversation with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who these days is speaking with all participants of the EU- Western Balkans Summit, which was supposed to be held on May 7 in Zagreb, announced the government press service. Prime Ministers Spasovski and Plenkovic spoke about the situation in the two countries in regards to dealing with the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Information and experience was exchanged about dealing with the health crisis and its economic consequences. Both prime ministers expressed readiness for mutual support in implementing the current measures and stressed that the present challenges can be overcome only with joint efforts, mutual help and European solidarity in action.

*

AID Within the framework of the aid from the European Union, 12 ventilators and 5.000 face masks have been procured, announced this afternoon Minister of Health Venko Filipce.

He said for the TV show “Top Topic” that the machines will be given to the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and the “September 8” Hospital. In regards to the ventilators that are to be procured by the Government, Filipce informed that the procurement has completed and contracts have been made.

*

RESPONSE The President of the Alliance for Albanians, Zijadin Sela, in response to CIVIL Media’s question– Do you agree entirely with all the measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 that have been adopted by the Government, the MoI and the Ministry of Health, and what kind of measures would you set if those decisions were in your competence, he replied that he does not agree entirely with the measures adopted by the Government.

“I do not agree with the measure for the entire country to be in a 48-hour lockdown, as this creates crowds in front of grocery stores, and this poses a risk for a person to become infected while waiting in line in that crowd”, says Sela.

He adds that a counter system should have been introduced in grocery stores, in which case the citizens wouldn’t need to enter the grocery stores, but would give a list of the products they need and the sales person would bring them what they need.

The leader of the Alliance for Albanians says that he agrees with the measure for the citizens in Tetovo, Prilep and Kumanovo to wear face masks, but that the Government needs to provide them free of charge, and not only in those three cities, but also free face masks for all citizens throughout the country.

*

INSPECTION The inspection of the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the mother and son who were found dead in their home, has completed. According to all analyses, the death had occurred 3 to 5 weeks before they were found, which is practically during the month of March, and not January, announced Minister of Health Venko Filipce.

All analyses have been completed in the Shutka investigative prison. Around 50 tests have been made and they are all negative.

All tests are also negative in the Specialized Hospital for Geriatric and Palliative Medicine “November 13” in Gjorce Petrov. The work there has been reorganized and the institutions is operating as usual.

Tests will also be made in the laboratory of MANU, which starting from today will be conducting up to 100 tests a day.

*

DISCIPLINARY The person with the initials S.B, who was arrested by the police in Skopje yesterday at 2.30 pm, had been outside his home, with his pet, contrary to the government decree and prescribed time for taking pets outside during curfew hours, informed the MoI. At the same time, the MoI has concluded that the police officers have carried out the official

measures and actions contrary to the instructions on the manner of behaviour of employees in the MoI, in conditions of a declared state of emergency caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

*

REPORTS In regards to the event form April 19 in Gevgelia, where several citizens violated the ban on movement according to the decree of the Government, the Ministry of Interior, the competent services, from the already identified 18 participants in the event, have officially spoken with eight persons, and invitations are being sent to the remaining participants to be questioned in the competent police station. Also, after fully documenting the event, criminal charges will be submitted against all those involved accordingly, and the entire procedure is in coordination with the competent prosecutor within the Gevgelia Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office.

*

REPORTS The MoI states that in addition to the three persons who were initially detained for the April 13 incidents in Cento, and for which criminal charges were immediately filed, 23 more people have been identified following the operational activities that have been carried out.

D. Muratov

translation: N. Cvetkovska