and kičevo, 6 in kavadarci, 4 in bitola, 3 in debar, 2 in veles and 1 in vinica, demir hisar, prilep, tetovo, kočani and strumica each. four deaths were confirmed: two men from skopje (age 72 and 84), a 62-year-old man from debar and a 66-year-old woman from štip. 45 patients recovered. on 10 august, 109 new cases were registered positive: 20 in skopje, 16 in kumanovo, 15 in kavadarci, 13 in štip, 10 in gostivar, 7 in kičevo, 5 in sveti nikole, 4 in veles, 3 in vinica and tetovo, 2 in makedonski brod, ohrid, radoviš and struga and 1 in negotino, demir hisar, bitola, gevgelija and prilep each. one death was confirmed: a 70-year-old woman from skopje. 422 patients recovered. on 11 august, 141 new cases were registered positive: 60 in skopje, 35 in gostivar, 15 in struga, 13 in sveti nikole, 7 in kumanovo, 5 in kičevo, 4 in prilep, 3 in ohrid and tetovo, 2 in kratovo and kruševo and 1 in makedonski brod, resen, probištip, veles and radoviš each. one death was confirmed: a 51-year-old woman from skopje. 161 patients recovered. up to that day 117,475 tests were made. on 12 august, 139 new cases were registered positive: 30 in skopje, 20 in kumanovo, 19 in gostivar, 15 in štip, 8 in struga and kavadarci, 6 in sveti nikole and tetovo, 5 in kočani, 4 in kičevo, 3 in makedonski brod and ohrid, 2 in demir hisar, strumica, bitola and debar and 1 in gevgelija, prilep, berovo and delčevo each. one death was confirmed: a 66-year-old man from ohrid. 239 patients recovered. on 13 august, 141 new cases were registered positive: 48 in skopje, 21 in kumanovo, 15 in štip, 9 in kavadarci, 7 in bitola and vinica, 5 in kičevo, 4 in makedonski brod, strumica and gostivar, 3 in sveti nikole, 2 in radoviš, debar and probištip and 1 in berovo, demir hisar, gevgelija, negotino, struga and prilep each. two deaths were confirmed: an 88-year-old man from skopje and an 80-year-old woman from kičevo. 175 patients recovered. on 14 august, 160 new cases were registered positive: 38 in skopje, 20 in tetovo, 19 in kumanovo, 13 in gostivar, 10 in štip, 9 in struga, 8 in kičevo, 5 in sveti nikole, 4 in ohrid, prilep kavadarci and kočani, 3 in veles and demir hisar, 2 in makedonski brod, berovo, strumica, vinica and pehčevo and 1 in valandovo, bitola, probištip, negotino, debar and delčevo each. three deaths were confirmed: two men from skopje (age 60, 72) and a 53-year-old woman from gostivar. 368 patients recovered. on 15 august, 141 new cases were registered positive: 51 in skopje, 19 in kumanovo, 16 in struga, 15 in štip, 6 in tetovo and prilep, 4 in bitola, 2 in debar, makedonski brod, vinica, gostivar, ohrid, kičevo, sveti nikole, veles and probištip and 1 in negotino, berovo, gevgelija, delčevo, kavadarci and radoviš each. four deaths were confirmed: two men from skopje (age 55 and 54 years), a 70-year-old man from sveti nikole and a 69-year-old woman from kavadarci. 93 patients recovered. on 16 august, 87 new cases were registered positive: 34 in skopje, 20 in gostivar, 15 in kumanovo, 8 in gostivar, 4 in kavadarci, 3 in kičevo, 2 in strumica and 1 in berovo, bitola and struga each. five deaths were confirmed: three men from skopje (age 49, 74, 72), a 53-year-old woman from struga and a 57-year-old woman from berovo. 51 patients recovered. on 17 august, 103 new cases were registered positive: 26 in kumanovo, 15 in gostivar, 13 in skopje, 7 in prilep and demir hisar, 6 in kavadarci, 5 in štip and vinica, 3 in sveti nikole and tetovo, 2 in kriva palanka, ohrid, gevgelija, delčevo and kičevo and 1 in negotino, strumica and berovo each. three deaths were confirmed: a 69-year-old man from skopje, a 77-year-old man from makedonski brod and a 35-year-old man from veles. 187 patients recovered. on 18 august, 130 new cases were registered positive: 40 in skopje, 18 in gostivar, 13 in štip and tetovo, 7 in kičevo, 6 in ohrid and kumanovo, 5 in vinica and prilep, 4 in struga and delčevo, 3 in bitola, 2 in probištip, kavadarci and 1 in berovo and strumica each. two deaths were confirmed: a 70-year-old man from skopje and a 75-year-old man from štip. 152 patients recovered. the government at that day's 81st session, accepted the recommendations of the commission for infectious diseases for organizing teaching in primary and high schools, according to which the educational program for 2020–2021 should be conducted online with the following exceptions: students from first to third grade have to attend classes with a physical presence in the classroom, under the capacity of schools to implement the plan and protocols of the ministry of education and science and with parental approval. for students with chronic diseases, distance learning should take place online; teaching with physical presence in the classroom can be realized in schools with provided sanitary-hygienic conditions for maintaining general and personal hygiene listed in the protocols, according to the epidemiological situation in the area / municipality, but only if the school founder submits a request to the ministry of education and science with an explanation for the fulfillment of the criteria and conditions in accordance with the protocols, and only after obtaining consent from the government of the republic of north macedonia, after previously receiving a positive opinion from the ministry of education and science, and the commission for infectious diseases at the ministry of health; lastly, in schools that have dual education classes, the practical part of the teaching, in the companies, should take place with physical presence at the workplace, respecting the general protocols for protection and the protocols of the companies where the practical teaching is performed. on 19 august, 108 new cases were registered positive: 45 in skopje, 18 in kumanovo, 11 in štip, 9 in gostivar, 4 in delčevo, veles and struga, 3 in sveti nikole and prilep, 2 in vinica, tetovo and strumica each and 1 in debar. two deaths were confirmed: a 64 and 72 years old men from kumanovo. 112 patients recovered. on 20 august, 118 new cases were registered positive: 55 in skopje, 12 in kumanovo, 9 in prilep, 6 in tetovo, 5 in štip, 4 in kičevo and kavadarci, 3 in vinica and ohrid, 2 in kriva palanka, veles, delčevo, gostivar and 1 in sveti nikole, kratovo, probištip, berovo, bitola, struga, debar and kočani each. three deaths were confirmed: an 82-year-old man from štip, a 74-year-old man from struga, and a 64-year-old man from tetovo. 127 patients recovered. on 21 august, 115 new cases were registered positive: 32 in skopje, 14 in štip, 11 in gostivar, 10 in tetovo, 8 in berovo and debar, 7 in kumanovo, 4 in sveti nikole, 3 in kriva palanka, gevgelija, ohrid, delčevo and kičevo, 2 in veles, prilep and 1 in probištip and kočani each. three deaths were confirmed: two men from skopje (age 68, 62) and a 68-year-old man from struga. 225 patients recovered. up to that day 134,318 tests were made. on 22 august, 159 new cases were registered positive: 32 in skopje, 25 in kumanovo, 22 in gostivar, 15 in struga, 9 in tetovo and berovo, 8 in štip, 7 in prilep, 5 in gevgelija and kavadarci, 4 in delčevo and ohrid, 3 in kičevo, 2 in vinica, veles, kočani and 1 in strumica, radoviš, pehčevo, bitola and debar each. six deaths were confirmed: four men from skopje (age 77, 80, 85, 86), a 76-year-old man from štip and a 61-year-old man from gostivar. 75 patients recovered. on 23 august, 137 new cases were registered positive: 53 in skopje, 19 in kumanovo, 10 in gostivar, 8 in štip, 7 in bitola, 6 in sveti nikole and veles, 5 in delčevo, 4 in tetovo, 3 in makedonski brod and kičevo, 2 in gevgelija, berovo, struga, negotino, kriva palanka, probištip each and 1 in strumica. one death was confirmed: a 63-year-old man from debar. 58 patients recovered. on 24 august, 78 new cases were registered positive: 28 in skopje, 8 in prilep and gostivar, 5 in kumanovo, 4 in debar, tetovo and berovo, 3 in kičevo and delčevo, 2 in negotino, kavadarci, kočani and 1 in bitola, ohrid, makedonski brod, radoviš and probištip each. four deaths were confirmed: two men from gostivar (age 82 and 71), a 73-year-old woman from tetovo and a 68-year-old woman from kumanovo. 40 patients recovered. on 25 august, 127 new cases were registered positive: 38 in skopje, 23 in kumanovo, 15 in prilep, 12 in gostivar, 8 in tetovo, 5 in veles, 3 in štip, berovo, delčevo, probištip, sveti nikole, 2 in pehčevo, struga and 1 in debar, negotino, vinica, strumica, kavadarci, ohrid and bitola each. five deaths were confirmed: a 69-year-old woman from kriva palanka, a 70-year-old man from skopje, a 69-year-old man from negotino and two men from gostivar (age 63 and 77 years). 60 patients recovered. on 26 august, 119 new cases were registered positive: 53 in skopje, 13 in prilep, 9 in kumanovo, 6 in gostivar and delčevo, 5 in berovo, 4 in štip and tetovo, 3 in kočani, sveti nikole and kičevo, 2 in struga, pehčevo and 1 in negotino, radoviš, veles, ohrid, kriva palanka and bitola each. five deaths were confirmed: two men from skopje (age 50, 49 years), an 82-year-old man from prilep, a 63-year-old man from kumanovo and a 46-year-old woman from tetovo. 297 patients recovered. that day the ministry of education and science confirmed that the 2020–2021 academic year will start on 1 october, instead of 1 september like usual. they said that the protocols for physical education in the schools were adopted. management government response and controversies preparatory measures against a potential outbreak started in late january 2020. national measures against the pandemic are led by health minister venko filipče and the commission for infectious diseases. filipče stated that the state has made preparations to deal with the virus if it appears in north macedonia. he said that the preparations had been made in terms of staff, infrastructure, equipment, places for hospitalization of patients, and that the country is ready for the virus. besides all that, the response of the government has been criticized as illogical on several occasions by the population. one of the most controversial decisions was related to a local curfew of the skopje area that prompted massive exodus into smaller towns. another was the government's decision to grant travel vouchers to citizens; that is believed to have caused a second wave in ohrid, mainly due to non-enforcement of social distancing rules and a massive influx of domestic tourists. in general, people were pessimistic about the governments conducts. a public opinion poll was done; 44% of respondents had estimated that the country was moving in the wrong direction. january and february: beginning starting from 27 january, thermal cameras installed at the skopje airport, started monitoring passengers coming from istanbul and dubai who serve as links to china, which was at the moment the epicenter of the epidemic. following the first meeting with who representative jihane tawilah, the country's preparedness for early detection & stopping the spread of the virus was assessed as satisfactory. health minister venko filipče announced that north macedonia's healthcare system is completely prepared for a potential outbreak. in addition to the thermal cameras, information leaflets were distributed to police stations and the custom checks at all border passes. the first preventive measures against the spread of the virus were introduced at the airport in skopje, where a thorough camera scan of passengers was done coming from dubai and istanbul in the end of january. on 4 february, the first reagents to detect the virus were imported from niš, serbia. filipče said that at the moment, the country had about 40,000 surgical masks and medical protective suits, but additional procurement was considered for preparing the country for a potential outbreak. since early february, the institute for public health has been in close contact with the who and has been implementing their recommendations. on 6 february, the first set of preventive recommendations were announced to the public - ranging from frequent hand washing, using a handkerchief when sneezing or coughing, avoiding unprotected contact with sick people etc.