KOSOVO Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti yesterday said he has tested positive for the coronavirus and will self-isolate for two weeks.

“Today, I did the test for Covid-19, and tested positive,” he said on Facebook.

He said he has started 14 days of self-isolation, during which he will perform his duties from home.

“I have no signs (of the disease), except a very mild cough,” said Hoti, who took over as prime minister in early June.

Like the rest of the Balkans, Kosovo has reported a surge in infections since June. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with the most fragile medical infrastructure.

The nation of 1.8 million people has so far registered 249 deaths and nearly 9,000 cases.

The head of Kosovo’s health sector unions, Blerim Syle, has warned that the country could become the “Wuhan of the Balkans” – a reference to the virus’ ground zero in the central Chinese city.

In late June, Bosnia’s 53-year-old veterans’ affairs minister, Salko Bukvarevic, died after contracting Covid-19. – AFP, August 3, 2020.