Kosovo is going through a relatively calm phase of the COVID-19 pandemic after the Delta wave in mid-August, which caused 238 deaths and nearly 27,000 positive cases in just one month.

Every day at 3 p.m. the Ministry of Health publishes its daily report, which in recent times has consistently shown less than 10 new positive cases. As a result, people have let their guard down just as the world is facing a new wave of infections from the new variant Omicron, which is “spreading at lighting speed.”

Before the new variant emerged in late November, other countries in the region were facing a new wave of infections. In the last 28 days, Serbia recorded nearly 47,000 cases and 1,120 deaths; North Macedonia, about 9,000 cases and 376 deaths; Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 15,000 cases and 870 deaths; Albania, about 9,000 cases and 123 deaths. Meanwhile, in the same period, only 249 cases and 7 deaths were recorded in Kosovo.

Following the appearance of the Omicron variant, on December 1, the Government of Kosovo imposed new measures. Until now, it was necessary to have at least one dose of the vaccine or a recent negative PCR test to enter Kosovo, but from January 3, only those who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to enter Kosovo. In the meantime, according to the latest decision, nationals and residents can no longer enter the country without at least one dose, unless they take it on the spot, for which mobile teams will be stationed at entry points.

However, this announcement has done little to clear up the uncertainty surrounding travel rules. Recent notices issued by the National Center for Border Management (QKMK) signal that the older rules are still being applied at the borders. Although the QKMK echoed the announcement of the most recent measures on December 6, they followed this up on December 17 with a notice contradicting themselves.

In their post, they reminded travellers that Kosovo citizens can enter the country without a single vaccine dose, provided that they show a negative PCR test or agree to quarantine for 7 days, something that is only allowed under the older rules.

This contradicts the information appearing on the website of the Ministry and the latest decision published by the Office of the Prime Minister, creating confusion at a time when thousands of diaspora members are to come home.

The experience of past waves tells us that they come along with the diaspora; the August wave coincided with their summer vacations, during which measures against COVID-19 were disregarded by both individuals and public institutions.

On the eve of the end-of-year holidays, when as many as 1 million Kosovars living abroad could be traveling from all over the world, Kosovo is threatened by a new wave. Is there a plan to avoid repeating history? It does not seem so.

Omicron, the challenge for 2022

The newest variant of the SARS-COV2 virus — named Omicron — was detected in South Africa in late November, prompting many countries to close their borders to African countries only to discover later that it was already present even before South African scientists raised the alarm. So far, the new variant has been detected in 89 countries around the world, while Kosovo is still waiting for the results of sample testing to return from Germany, which are expected by the end of the week, according to the health ministry.

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