Thousands of Kosovars Visit Albania, Escaping New COVID-19 Curbs

As Kosovo imposed new restrictions to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of its citizens spent a "long weekend" in Albania, as Friday was a holiday in Kosovo, as it was constitution day.

Citizens from Albania and Kosovo don't need a COVID-19 test to enter each other's countries. "We came here [to Albania] because it is closed there [in Kosovo]," a young couple told BIRN in the port city of Durres. "We are having a good time here," they added.

While there are no new restrictions on movement in Kosovo, bars and restaurants are closed for two weeks, following an order from Albin Kurti's government.

"We came here because of the 'long weekend', because Friday was a holiday in Kosovo," Bujar Shkodra, who was in Durres with his family, told BIRN. "We come here five or six weekends a year" he added.

Perparim Kryeziu spokesperson of the Kosovo government said that the flow across the border wasn't completely because of the new COVID measures imposed by the government.

"Citizens have the right to travel according to their needs, taking into account observance of the health measures in the host country, and those in Kosovo on their return," he said.

"The large influx at the border crossings … recorded this weekend may have been influenced by last week's measures, but not all of them were caused by them," he wrote on Facebook.

He added that, according to official data, 29,000 people entered Albania on Friday and Saturday, much the same as the previous year, when some 30,000 people entered Albania.

"The difference is very small and does not represent another trend. This proves that this weekend's influx, however it was influenced, was not caused by the measures against COVID-19," he wrote.

BIRN...