The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in North Macedonia has expanded its telecommuting opportunities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, yet staff members continue to visit asylum seekers and refugees, the spokeswoman for UNHCR in Skopje, Ljubinka Brashnarska, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2020) The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in North Macedonia has expanded its telecommuting opportunities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, yet staff members continue to visit asylum seekers and refugees, the spokeswoman for UNHCR in Skopje, Ljubinka Brashnarska, told Sputnik.
The Balkan country with a population of 2 million has so far recorded 1,694 coronavirus cases, including 1,229 recoveries and 95 deaths.
"Under the new circumstances with the spread of COVID-19, the UNHCR Representation in North Macedonia has expanded online modalities of working in order to protect persons under our mandate, UNHCR staff, and state officials, in line with the social distancing measures introduced by the government. Our monitoring activities have continued, and access to asylum has been unhindered," Brashnarska said.
Although the Western Balkan migrant route, which ran through North Macedonia and Serbia to Croatia, was closed back in 2016, some migrants arriving in Greece are still trying to use it. The country's authorities often find migrants in trucks near the border with Greece and Bulgaria and deport them back to their countries.
According to Brashnarska, the UNHCR is in contact with the North Macedonian government to ensure that refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons are also included in the national COVID-19 response.
"We are in regular contact with all partners and institutions to jointly assess the situation and strengthen the national capacities to respond to the emergency, with a focus on inclusion of persons under our mandate, be it refugees, asylum seekers or stateless persons, into the national response measures, making sure that no one is left behind," the official said.
Brashnarska went on to say that the UNHCR was also supporting national institutions by "adapting the conditions in reception centers to the new circumstances."
"We believe that by fully respecting all measures introduced by the Government, the risk of spread of COVID-19 is significantly reduced, both among the refugee and among the local population in the country," she added.
Last year, North Macedonia registered the arrival of 40,887 migrants, including 490 asylum applications, according to the UNHCR's data. As of December 31, 407 applications were closed, and one person was granted complementary protection. Asylum seekers mainly come from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.
