Year in Review: 2020 – Never a Dull Moment, But Best Forgotten

Dealing With COVID-19

A doctor prepares the medical equipment in a hostipal in Chisinau, Moldova, April 1, 2020. Photo: EPA/Doru Dumitru

Given that it dominated 2020 to such an extent - and threatens to dominate much of 2021 as well - it is hard to imagine any review of the outgoing year starting without looking at the coronavirus pandemic, which arrived to the region, for the most part, in March.

As we take a look back, we highlight the best and worst of how the region dealt with the pandemic and its trail of destruction.

Read more: Romanian Health Minister Resigns Amid Pandemic Catastrophe (April 6, 2020)

Read more: Pandemic Exposes Holes in Moldova's Neglected Health System (April 22, 2020)

Read more: Turkey's Erdogan Accused of Playing Politics with Pandemic (April 24, 2020)

Read more: Nailing the Virus: How One Bosnian Canton Halted a Pandemic (April 30, 2020)

Read more: Serbia's President Turned the Pandemic Into a Tacky Campaign (May 7, 2020)

Read more: COVID-19 Surge Strains Balkan Health Systems to Their Limits (November 23, 2020)

In the Pandemic's Wake

Illustration. Photo: engin akyurt/Unsplash.

Aside from the challenge of dealing with the pandemic immediately, it is also important to recall how it affected different aspects of life, politics, economy and security.

BIRN's reporting on the pandemic covered the myriad of ways in which it - expectedly...

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