• COVID-19: 276 new cases, eight deaths (media)
• Health Minister implies new restrictive measures (media)
• New anti-COVID 19 measures to enter into force (media)
• “Every second person in Kosovo infected with COVID – 19” (media)
• Health Minister: We will review measures this week! (media)
• Mustafa: We shouldn’t expect government to protect us from the virus (media)
• Women’s Network wants justice for murdered woman in Kamenica (media)
• BIA tries to manipulate Serbs and Albanians against KLA (RTK)

COVID – 19 report: 276 new cases, eight deaths (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health Director, Naser Ramadani, told a press conference in Prishtina on Monday that a record-setting 276 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. Eight people have died from the virus in this period. There are currently 3,711 active coronavirus cases in Kosovo. The total number of deaths from the virus so far is 196. RTK quotes a press release issued by the Kosovo Hospitals Service as saying that 20 patients with coronavirus are on respirators.

“The situation is very serious. All healthcare professionals are overloaded. This is a result of the negligence to follow the three measures that are not being properly respected,” Ramadani told reporters.

Health Minister implies new restrictive measures (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health, Armend Zemaj, said in a press conference on Monday that the government will soon introduce new restrictive measures against the spread of COVID – 19.

“Yesterday and today we are assessing new measures and you will be notified with the government’s decision about several measures which we believe will help in the fight against COVID – 19 and will stabilise the epidemiological situation in Kosovo. These measures will include some restrictions of movements, gatherings and meetings. There will be relaxation of measures in areas where we have seen that the virus is not present and where it can be controlled. There are several issues and assessments and if approved by the government they will enter into force on Tuesday,” Zemaj said.

New anti-COVID 19 measures to enter into force (media)

Indeksonline published on Monday evening several new measures that the government, namely the Ministry of Health, is expected to announce against the coronavirus pandemic. Starting from July 30, all nationals of Kosovo coming from high-risk countries (Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) will have to be in self-isolation for seven days. Starting from the same date, all nationals of Kosovo that leave the territory and do not return within 48 hours, must prove with an RT-PCR test that they are not infected with the coronavirus, otherwise they must stay in self-isolation for seven days. Also, all nationals of Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina that want to enter Kosovo’s territory must have with them a test proving they are not infected with the virus.

Klan Kosova meanwhile reported that the Government and Ministry of Health are expected to introduce on July 28 a movement ban from 22:30 to 05:00 in the following municipalities: Prishtina, Prizren, Peja, Podujeva, Gjakova, Ferizaj, Lipjan, Drenas, Vushtrri, Mitrovica South, Gjilan, Fushe Kosove and Shterpce.

“Every second person in Kosovo infected with COVID – 19” (media)

Franz Allerberger, head of the Human Medicine Department at the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Security (AGES) said in an interview to Austrian weekly Profil that he believes every second person in Balkans countries, like Kosovo and Bulgaria, are infected with the coronavirus. Allerberger said he does not trust the official statistics from the Balkans, “because the real numbers are around ten times higher”.

Health Minister: We will review measures this week! (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health Armend Zemaj said on Monday that the government’s anti-COVID-19 measures will be reviewed this week. Following a meeting with directors and inspectors of Kosovo municipalities, Zemaj said he asked for better coordination between the municipal inspectorates and other respective inspectorates.

“This week we will review the measures and mechanisms that help manage the pandemic and which ensure the control and respect of measures in all municipalities. Measures must be strictly respected and there needs to be a higher level of responsibility and accountability in all municipalities,” Zemaj said in a Facebook post.

Mustafa: We shouldn’t expect government to protect us from the virus (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa said on Monday that he was concerned with the high number of new coronavirus in the last 24 hours. On the day when the Public Health Institute confirmed 276 new cases, Mustafa said that if citizens fail to respect the protective measures, they shouldn’t expect the institutions to protect them from the pandemic.

“If we don’t respect the rules, we cannot expect the Government, the Ministry of Health, healthcare institutions, the police and inspectors to protect us from the pandemic. Even the most powerful countries cannot do this. We need to be our own police officers and doctors. We can protect ourselves, if we are careful and if we respect the recommendations of healthcare institutions and the government’s decisions,” Mustafa said.

Mustafa also called on Kosovo’s citizens to not organise mass weddings, events, protests or gatherings because they help spread the virus.

Women’s Network wants justice for murdered woman in Kamenica (media)

Kosovo Women’s Network said in a statement on Monday that it was deeply concerned with the recent killing of a woman in Kamenica by her husband. The network called on judicial institutions, namely the Basic Court in Gjilan, which is covering the case to deliver the merited punishment against the perpetrator.

“For any failure, we will hold the institutions responsibility for lack of efficiency and for failing to punish the murderers of women. We will apply public pressure if the right legal steps are not taken,” the network said.

BIA tries to manipulate Serbs and Albanians against KLA (RTK)

The news website reported on Monday that the Serbian Secret Service (BIA) has tried to manipulate Serb and Albanian families in Kosovo by offering them large sums of money to give false testimonies for alleged organ transplants by members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army.

Citing information provided by Kosovo’s security institutions, two Serbs who claimed to be prosecutors of the Serbian Prosecution for War Crimes visited several villages in the Gjilan region and Gracanica in May and June 2009. They reportedly met with Serb families, whose members went missing or were killed during the war in Kosovo. They allegedly offered them large sums of money to provide false testimonies that their organs were removed from KLA members. Members of the Serbian Secret Service reportedly also tried to convince Albanians to give false testimonies. In September 2011, two members of the Serbian Secret Services are said to have met with three Albanians that were part of criminal structures. They reportedly asked the Albanians to send human remains to the so-called Yellow House in the village of Burrel in Albania.