Skopje, 20 August 2021 (MIA) – The Economic Chamber of North Macedonia has filed seven proposals on how the sectors of tourism and hospitality could be supported to the offices of Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Bytyqi, Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi and Health Minister Venko Filipche. Last week, the Chamber requested a working meeting with the three government officials for talks on the functionality of companies in the field that abide by the measures and ways to add new measures to the current ones. Certain predictability in the coming period should be provided, especially in the hospitality and tourism industry, the Chamber urges. The Economic Chamber proposes that the businesses from the sector of tourism and hospitality should be included in designing the measures that limit the functioning of companies because there is a need to be further specified. It also proposes that PCR test for foreign tourists should be covered by the state, support for hospitality and tourism jobs to continue because they report a drop in profits for two years running. According to the Chamber, to support hotels, it should be allowed attendees of seminars, workshops, conferences and similar events to be allowed to present a valid PCR test after many events in hotels were canceled as soon as the new measures were introduced. The Chamber also urges that people should be allowed to have their quarantine terminated after presenting negative PCR test upon arrival. “We think that people who don’t have the opportunity to conduct PCR test when entering the country due to any reason, but are obliged to return to work, should be allowed to have a PCR test in the country,” it says. The Association of Hospitality and Tourism of the Economic Chamber has drafted the proposals sent to Bytyqi, Bekteshi and Filipche. It was concluded that although public health protection is top priority, measures are needed to support and keep afloat companies in the tourism and hospitality industry, the Chamber notes.