Government Declares Three Days Mourning for Victims in Fire Tragedy

With a minute of silence as a sign of respect for the victims of the tragic fire at the modular COVID center in Tetovo, and as a sign of sympathy for their families, the Government decided to declare three days of mourning throughout the country. Days of mourning have been declared Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and during the days of mourning the flag of Macedonia will be raised at half-mast. The government appeals to all social actors to postpone all public and private celebrations, parties, cultural, artistic and sports events, political parties’ and other types of promotions scheduled for these three days. At this session, the Ministers of Interior and Health informed about the determined situation so far from the fire with tragic consequences and emphasized that the inspection to determine the causes continues. In this regard, the Government adopted a conclusion with a recommendation that the expert teams of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health be placed at the full disposal of the prosecution in the investigative procedures. The Government instructed the competent institutions to determine what type of additional assistance and support is needed for the families of the dead and injured, in order for it to be provided in the shortest possible time. The Government thanks all the countries in the region, Europe and the world, for the expressed sympathy for the tragic event and has decided to accept the offer of some NATO allies to send experts to the country with the highest level of expertise in investigations into fires, in order to help determine the causes of the fire in the modular center at the hospital in Tetovo. Earlier, the Council of the Municipality of Tetovo at an extraordinary session declared three days of mourning in the city. The councilors paid tribute to all those who lost their lives in the fire. “I express my deepest condolences to all families, bearing in mind that in this tragedy we all lost brothers, sisters, neighbors, fellow citizens,” said Mayor Teuta Arifi.