Skopje, 20 September 2023 (MIA) – The Commission for Infectious Diseases is set to recommend the Ministry of Health to introduce mandatory face masks in medical institutions in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Commission is still working to determine if the “Eris” variant of the virus is present in the country, said Commission President Dr. Zlate Mehmedovikj on Wednesday after a meeting of the Commission.

The proposed mandate would only be introduced in medical facilities, and would not apply to pharmacies or senior homes.

“The goal is to minimize the spread of the infection in medical facilities, where we have especially vulnerable groups, which can have serious complications as a result of a potential infection and could have lethal outcomes. Because of that, the Commission decided to recommend that the Ministry of Health introduces a face mask mandate in all medical institutions,” said Mehmedovikj.

The Commission is still working to determine if the “Eris” variant of Covid-19 is present in the country. According to Mehmedovikj, they were told that the collection of samples is taking longer due to the small number of samples of confirmed Covid-19 infections, which stands at 112.

Mehmedovikj informed that currently there are seven hospitalized patients, the majority of who are older and have other medical issues.

“Some of them are on oxygen support, which means that a serious form of the disease could develop in some of them. We especially urge the older citizens and those with chronic diseases to get vaccinated. To boost their immunity, there are 50.000 vaccines available, and this is the only way in which they can truly be prepared for the coming period when we are expecting the number of cases to rise. We aren’t expecting a drastic rise, as was the case in the past years, but getting vaccinated is the only way for them to protect their immunity at a time when the numbers are set to rise,” said Mehmedovikj.

The Commission also decided against mandatory isolation for those who test positive for Covid-19.

“We don’t recommend isolation or limiting movement. On the contrary, we will treat this as any other endemic disease, like the flu. According to the recommendations, if you don’t have symptoms, and you don’t need a sick leave, you will wear a face mask and you can move freely, and even go to work,” said Mehmedovikj.

At the meeting, the Commission concluded that the country currently possesses a sufficient number of drugs and vaccines necessary to treat the disease.

Photo: MIA