TIRANA, March 25 – The meeting of the Council for National Security convened by the President of the Republic Ilir Meta has happened today online, contrary to the expectation that it could be held in a spacious hall respecting distances. Participants have agreed to hold the consultation via a secured online platform. The participants include the Prime Minister Rama and the leader of the opposition Basha as well as the head of secret service alongside ministers which are at the forefront of the efforts to combat the Covid crisis.
It is reported that several subjects have been discussed including the measures taken to equip the medical staff with proper protective gear, the option to better equip regional hospitals in order to avoid excessive load on the capital ones as well as potential efforts to bring back stranded Albanians abroad after the closure of borders.
The leader of the opposition has presented in this meeting a set of request and proposals to fit and foremost take concrete measures to prevent panic in citizens and then guarantee citizens that they can access healthcare wherever they are. Basha also highlighted the need to support farmers and also called for more details on the economic salvage plan which in his assessment is still not clear enough.
The online meeting comes a day after the government declared a state of natural disaster emeregency due to the coronavirus pandemic. The last time the National Security Council met was after the November 26 earthquake.
