The opening of schools will bring about a spike of COVID-19 infections in Albania, has said PM Edi Rama as the country is on the eve of starting the academic school year on September 14.
Rama justified this ‘very difficult’ decision with the psychological cost of not opening schools and keeping children at home.
Speaking from the southern city of Vlora on Thursday, he admitted that the children themselves may be less at risk, but they are transmitters, so they take the COVID-19 and bring it home.
Albania topped European continent regarding fatalities because of the virus in August despite warnings of local health authorities to wear masks and avoid public gatherings.
Some specialists both of health and education have questioned the standards of schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus despite what is written in lengthy relevant security protocols.
PM’s explanation of the decision on the opening of schools happens at a grave psychological situation created among Albanian citizens by the suicide on Wednesday of a Covid infected patient at “Shefqet Ndroqi” hospital, the second in the last two weeks.
The Albanian Association of Nurses has burst out in revelations of the creepy situation in hospitals where the infected people are treated.
In the meantime Rama said teachers are not to blame for being stressed, overburdened, even without COVID and sometimes they even explode. “This must be explained to the teachers who have to guarantee the discipline, to guarantee those norms provided in Ministry’s Instruction. There must never be more than 20 pupils in a class,” PM said.
Further on he said it is a colossal job to be done and called on regional and school leaderships not to lose focus, not to lose patience and commitment every day because it’s not known when the pandemic ends.
The Ministry of Health informed Thursday that 116 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the last 24 hours, while 5 patients have lost their lives from COVID-19.
“Currently 189 patients confirmed positive with COVID-19 are being treated in the hospitals of Infectious Diseases and “Shefqet Ndroqi” and 20 patients are in intensive therapy of which 8 are intubated,” said the daily medical bulletin.
There was a call especially on youngsters by Health Ministry saying: “Be careful because the virus does not recognize age and makes no selection!” /argumentum.al
