Measures Taken To Prevent Covid-19 Spread In Albania

Due to the situation created by the spread of COVID-19 in the Republic of Albania, has been announced the State of Natural Disaster as per Decision No.243, dated 24.3.2020 and have been taken measures to prevent the spread of the virus as follows:

GENERAL MEASURES

1. Closure of public and non-public educational institutions.
2. Closure nurseries in all the country.
3. Closure of places providing local night service; indoors dedicated to the entertainment of children and youth, activities in gyms, sports centers, swimming pools, internet centers, cultural centers, and entertainment centers, sports, social and cultural activities; trips organized by educational institutions with a destination in or out of the country.
4. Suspension of staff vacancy procedures, education and specialty contests.
5. Closure of bars, restaurants, fast food, cafeterias in all the country, until 03.04.2020. With exception for home delivery, which must be carried out in accordance with approved hygiene rules.
6. Prohibition of circulation of public and private means of transport, intercity and other forms of passenger transport until a second order.
7. Closure of dental studios and clinics by 03/04/2020.
8. Closure of public parks as well as green spaces in urban areas up to a second order.
9. Restriction of activities at 05.00-13.00, starting Monday, 23.03.2020, for food, retail and wholesale points of sale, drug trading points, medical products and financial institutions.
10. Trials in administrative, civil and criminal courts, are suspended until the conclusion of the epidemic caused by the spread of COVID-19.
11. The list of activities that have to be closed or are allowed to continue the activity which has entered into force at 05.00 on 24.03.2020 can be consulted at this -> link.

MEASURES THAT HAS BE TAKEN BY BUSINESSES

1. Public and private institutions, according to their area of responsibility, have to develop, within 11.3.2020, a plan of measures to ensure the provision of priority services, prioritizing the category of service mainly through the provision of online service, teleworking and only in case of need to provide the service by person. For services that require direct contact with the public, institutions must provide workers with protective equipment to protect their health (masks, gloves, disinfectants, etc.).
2. Establish safety distance between employees, 1.5 meters, in all businesses that cannot be closed due to economic chain.
3. Develop a plan of measures to limit employee contact with the public and avoid crowding in work areas or other indoor facilities.

PENALTIES IN FORCE

1. Companies or individuals that organize the development of public and non-public activities, such as sports, cultural and conference activities, or mass gatherings indoors or outdoors, such as concerts, gatherings and public hearings, shall be fined up to 5 000 000 ALL (five million) for organizers and suspension of the activity.
2. Access of patients’ companions and / or family members to emergency medical facilities, health care facilities, hospital service facilities where patients are receiving medical treatment, unless such a request comes from the hospital, shall be fined in the amount of 500,000 ALL (five hundred thousand) for the patient’s companion and / or family member and for the person responsible for the implementation of this rule.
3. A fine of 700,000 (seven hundred thousand) ALL shall be applied in cases:
   a) A citizen who enters the territory of the Republic of Albania and does not declare his / her arrival from the areas affected by the COVID-19 infection declared by the competent authorities, domestic or foreign or international;
   b) A citizen, who enters from affected areas in the territory of the Republic of Albania, which do not respect the self-quarantined for a period of 14 days in his residence, as a preventive measure for the non-spread of the infection caused by COVID-19;
   c) A citizen coming from the affected areas and failing to comply with an order issued by the competent authorities for compulsory self-quarantine;
   ç) Citizen who has been positive and does not comply with the order issued by the competent authorities for compulsory self-quarantine.
4. Companies or individuals who fail to comply with orders issued by the competent authorities for the closure of bars, locals, restaurants and clubs shall be punished by a fine of up to 1 000 000 (one million) ALL and in case of repetition the activity shall be closed for a period of 6 months.
5. Prohibition of drivers who fail to enforce the prohibition on the circulation of public and private vehicles, in the zones and times specified by the competent authorities shall be punished by revocation of the driving license for a period of three years and vehicle confiscation. This rule excludes persons authorized by the competent authorities.
6. Increase the selling price of all foodstuffs, medicines, medical devices and services, as compared to their regular sales price, traded in the preceding months from the date of entry into force of this normative act, and for seasonal products, according to the price traded in the same period in the preceding year from the date of entry into force of this normative act, when it does not result from the increase of the price from their import, shall be punished by a fine of 5 000 000 ( five million) ALL for wholesalers and 100 000 (one hundred thousand) ALL for retailers. In case of repetition, the activity shall be closed for a period of 6 months.
7. Individuals who fail to comply with an order issued by the competent authorities to restrict movement only on fixed time schedules and go out unaccompanied by other persons shall be punished by a fine of 10 000 (ten thousand) ALL and can non-profit from the financial package and will a confiscation of 3 (three) months of private vehicle will be applied, if available.

ECONOMIC SUPPORT MEASURES

1. The balance sheet, together with its annexes, and any other data set forth in the instruction of the Minister of Finance, pursuant to this Act, shall be filed by July 31, 2020.
2. For taxpayers with a turnover of up to ALL 14,000,000 (fourteen million), the tax calculated on the basis of the annual taxable income statement, reduced by the amounts set forth in section 37 of the Income Tax Law, and with prepayments made during the tax period, shall be paid by the taxpayer to the tax authorities’ within the second half of 2020.
3. For taxpayers with a turnover of up to ALL 14,000,000 (fourteen million), the tax installments of the first and second quarter of 2020 shall be prepaid to the tax authorities’ account within December 31, 2020. As per the third and fourth quarters of 2020 installments are prepaid to the tax authorities’ account within 31 December 2020.

BANK OF ALBANIA DECISIONS

1. Reduce the interest rate from 1.0% to 0.5%.
2. Reduce the overnight loan interest rate from 1.9% to 0.9%.
3. Keep the overnight deposit interest rate unchanged, at 0.1%.
4. Postponement of the repayment period of loans for businesses and individuals who will face difficulties during this period as a result of COVID-19 until 31.05.2020.

SELF-DECLARATION FOR MOVEMENT WITH YOUR VEHICLE

Persons who must move with their personal vehicle for work reasons must apply for a self-declaration to the State Police at this link.

PERMIT TO GO OUT

Citizens can apply online to obtain permission to leave their homes for a variety of reasons, such as shopping, go to the pharmacy or for other urgent reasons. The duration of the daily leave during the time band 05.00-13.00 is 1 hour. The application can be made online at the e-albania page or by sending an SMS to 55155 containing the ID number and time in which you plan to go out. E.g.: J12345678L 0930.

Foreign citizens may apply and get the permit by sending a text message at the number 55155 with the format
“F IDnumber Time” (F stands for Foreigner) E.g.: F J1234567G 09.30.