NEWS OF THE DAY: Macedonian flag waves in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels
The flag of North Macedonia was raised this afternoon at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, at the ceremony that marked the country’s official accession to NATO. The flag was raised during the intonation of the anthem of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Before the ceremonial raising of the flag, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed our country to the North Atlantic Alliance.
“We are here to welcome North Macedonia into the NATO family by raising your flag at our headquarters. Thirty flags will now fly together as a symbol of our unity and our solidarity. This is a historic moment for North Macedonia and comes after years of perseverance, determination and commitment to reform”, said Stoletenberg.
STATEMENT OF THE DAY
Spasovski: Historic day, as of today we are NATO
“The flag of the Republic of North Macedonia is a symbol of safe, secure and prosperous future of our country. Truly, today we are fighting another battle, the battle with coronavirus. But let’s allow ourselves to take this moment to rejoice, to note down that today is a day to be remembered, a historic day. A day when our flag flies alongside and equally to the other flags of the NATO family, the most powerful military-security alliance in the history of mankind”, said Spasovski.
STATE OF EMERGENCY, DAY 12
This morning 26 new coronavirus cases have been registered in the country making a total of 285 diagnosed patients, stated Minister of Health Venko Filipce.
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A 79-year-old patient from Debar has died at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Skopje. The patient was diagnosed positive for COVID-19 on March 23, and hospitalized at the Clinic in Skopje on March 25 after his health condition had worsened.
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Today at the Skopje Infectious and Disease Clinic, 9 patients have been dismissed (8 from Debar and 1 from Skopje), who have tested negative on two COVID-19 tests. Their health condition is good and they have left the hospital.
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As of 2.00 pm today, 1.842 of our citizens have been repatriated in organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The activities have been realized following the call for registration of Macedonian citizens stranded abroad and their registration with the purpose of returning to the country, as well as the public call for organizing air transport, but also through humanitarian convoys.
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The State Labor Inspectorate does not have the precise number of reports of employers disregarding the measures for protection and prevention against the spread of coronavirus, which refer to releasing from work parents of children up to 10 years, the chronically ill, but also other measures and recommendations. But as they have emphasized, there were greater numbers arriving in the first week, and now the numbers are continuously decreasing.
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An additional 22 catering facilities have been closed in Skopje, Kumanovo, Gostivar and Tetovo, while around 60 tradespeople have unjustifiably raised the prices of products, mostly on lemons, have concluded inspectors of the State Market Inspectorate during the 5.155 inspections they have conducted from March 22 to 27. The prices have been returned to the previous level following an order of the inspectors.
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The inspection in the Ohrid General Hospital is still ongoing, where a 66-year-old patient from Struga was not admitted, who later died of coronavirus. The entire report is to be ready today, but what has been confirmed so far by the inspectors is that there has been violation in terms of providing health care to a patient.
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Regarding the restriction on movement, it has been noted that in the past 24 hours, 242 people across the country have disregarded the restriction on movement, with 95 people having been detained, 37 warned, and reports being prepared for the others.
FLASH NEWS
The European Commission has announced that 38 million euros are immediately being released as aid for the Western Balkans for tackling the health crisis and a reallocation of 374 million euros aid for dealing with the social-economic consequences. The announcement came from EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Verhelyi who said that “The EU will always be here for the Western Balkans”.
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The industrial production in February 2020, compared to February 2019, marks a 3.5 percent increase, and a 1.9 percent increase for the two months this year, compared to January and February last year, announced the State Statistical Office.
