During the opening of the fully reconstructed building at the psychiatric hospital in Skopje on Thursday, Deputy Health Minister Ilir Hasani expressed hopes that COVID-19 measures in North Macedonia will relax as of next week.
“The Commission for Infectious Diseases is set to discuss easing measures on Friday. Taking into account the numbers, which point to a rapid improvement of the epidemiological situation, I’m optimistic that measures will relax as of next week. The Ministry of Health and the government are eager to ease restrictions, without putting public health at risk,” Hasani told reporters.
He confirmed that the Commission will discuss on Friday the outdoor face mask mandate, adding that he, similar to fellow citizens, feels that wearing a mask outside is a burden.
“I wear my mask outside, but, like all other citizens, I see it as a burden, especially when out in the park,” Hasani said.
He is also in favor of completely lifting curfew.
“The Commission for Infectious Diseases will make a decision based on the overall epidemiological situation, projections and information we have on virus variants that might pose a risk to the country. We have to exercise caution in order to protect health,” the Deputy Minister stressed.
Regarding the high number of COVID-19 casualties, he told reporters that these are the worst cases, treated at hospitals for a long period of time.
“We expect deaths to go down a couple of weeks after the number of new cases decreases,” Hasani noted.
On Thursday, the Deputy Minister of Health attended the inauguration of a fully reconstructed building at the psychiatric hospital in Skopje and said that the renovation is good news amid the pandemic.
Hasani congratulated hospital director Kjamilj Kovachi and the staff for managing to collect the funds needed for the reconstruction.
Kovachi told reporters during the event that the new ward accommodates some 40 patients.
“The investment stands at Mden 15 million, from the hospital’s own budget,” he said, adding that the project aimed to improve conditions for both patients and staf
