North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski ordered the deployment of the military on the country’s northern and southern borders to stem the flow of illegal migrants, a statement from the president’s cabinet said on Friday.

The statement said that the decision was taken after the government declared a crisis on Thursday in parts of the country citing the risk of increased migrant transit and health hazard during the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s government declared the crisis on Thursday afternoon after the expiration of a 2015 decision by parliament declaring a crisis on the northern and southern borders.