Given the geometrically progressing number of coronavirus patients, Kumanovo Mayor Maksim Dimtirievski asked the Government to impose a complete quarantine, banning people from entering or leaving he city.

Kumanovo and Debar lead Macedonia in per capita infections and deaths, but the much smaller Debar is believed to have overcome the disease, with no new cases reported over the past 10 days. Kumanovo, on the other hand, had 25 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 236, and one death.

We ask that the Government urgently reviews my proposal for a two weeks long quarantine, styled under the quarantine that was imposed in Debar, Dimitrievski said.

The Government was able to provide the necessary food and medicine supplies for Debar, which has only about 10.000 people, but President Stevo Pendarovski publicly expressed doubts that the country has resources to do the same to bigger cities. Kumanovo has about 120.000 inhabitants. Although both Mayor Dimitrievski and Interim Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski come from the Kumanovo branch of the SDSM party, the two reportedly have a bad relationship, and Dimitrievski has publicly stated that the city is left to fend for itself.