On 9 March 2020, Albania had its first cases of COVID-19. On 24 March, the Government declared a state of emergency. As a direct consequence of the lockdown and the cessation of economic activity, significant job shedding ensued throughout March and April. There were over 45,000 cumulative net job losses by the third week of April (i.e. 7% of the labour force). As the number of COVID-19 cases gradually dropped, Albania progressively relaxed measures from 27 April. By 1 June, most economic activity had returned to normalcy, except for public transport and large public and cultural events.