The Interior Ministry is currently engaged in inspecting some 2.000 people who are ordered to self-isolate in their homes, and 390 people who have orders to be under health supervision. These are citizens who recently returned from countries with high numbers of coronavirus patients, or have developed flu-like symptoms and are ordered not to mix with the general population to avoid spreading the virus.

About half of these people are in the capital Skopje, the Ministry said. Other cities with large monitored populations include Kumanovo, Ohrid and Stip (over 200 each), while Bitola, Strumica and Tetovo are slightly below 200. Failure to respect the self-isolation order can result in criminal charges and hefty fines.