The ruling SDSM party announced today that it is suspending all its public campaign activities. This includes the rallies and smaller scale meetings of SDSM party officials with their supporters, and the reason is the coronavirus. Schools are also closed as of tomorrow as the Government tries to handle the spread of the virus, after a clinic director and SDSM party official brought the virus from a ski trip to Italy and wreaked havoc in the main medical center in Skopje.

But the move for SDSM comes after the party held a mass congress in Skopje, where it presented its candidates for the April 12 elections. All important and less important party officials were gathered in the confined space of the Alexander Palace hotel, some of them reportedly coming after meeting the infected doctor.

SDSM Secretary General Ljupco Nikolovski denied media reports that the doctor was also present at his wedding this weekend, which also featured the top party leadership.

After the congress, party delegates signed a statement that they haven’t been travelling to the regions that are most affected by the virus, Nikolovski said.