TIRANA – The World Bank has approved a fund of about 98.5 million U.S. dollars to support North Macedonia in managing and mitigating the impact of COVID-19, Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) has eported. According to MIA, the fund will assist North Macedonia in its efforts to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19, strengthen national systems for public health preparedness, and help mitigate the consequences of the pandemic.
Under the Emergency COVID-19 Response Project, the WB will provide “immediate support to limit the local transmission of the virus by strengthening disease surveillance systems and public health laboratories through the procurement of diagnostic kits, reagents, consumables, personal protective equipment and training on relevant protocols.”
The WB is helping safeguard people from the pandemic and address the urgent health sector priorities for reducing pressure on health systems, said the WB Country Manager, Marco Mantovanelli.
The project, according to Mantovanelli, will also finance temporary income support to eligible individuals and households to enable them to comply with the social distancing measures the government has introduced to contain the pandemic, while protecting household income.
According to the WB’s latest Regular Economic Report, North Macedonia is expected to enter a recession in 2020, with the country forecast to experience negative growth between minus 1.4 percent and minus 3.2 percent due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
North Macedonia reported its first COVID-19 case on February 26, and the number of confirmed cases has since risen to 1,494, with 807 recoveries and 81 fatalities./argumentum.al
