Skopje, 16 August 2021 (MIA) – New COVID-19 restriction are coming into effect in North Macedonia on Monday, according to which only people who have received a vaccine and those who recovered from COVID-19 over the past 45 days are allowed to enter bars and restaurants. New measures also ban restaurants and bars from serving customers indoors. Moreover, they must designate staff to control documents, while authorities have also announced tighter controls. They added that measures are being enforced to protect public health an avoid lockdowns. Everyone can choose whether to get a vaccine or not but the state must focus on the collective health, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Sunday. “If I decide not to get a vaccine and still go into a room of more than 30 people, I risk infecting the others. Collective health is in the focus of the state. I urge people to get a vaccine because this is the only way to beat the pandemic and get back to a normal life,” he stressed. Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi also urged citizens and stakeholders on Sunday to abide by protocols, adding that the Main Crisis HQ will discuss on Monday the option for allowing entry into bars and restaurants with presentation of negative PCR test results. “In line with latest figures, we’re discussing several options such as vaccination and antibody certificates. We’ll also discuss the possibility of presenting PCR test results no older than 14 days and extending restrictions to include shopping malls,” Bekteshi underlined. While officials urged citizens to take part in mass vaccination, protests were held on Sunday across North Macedonia against the new restrictions. Protesters claimed that the measures restrict their freedom, violate human rights and discriminate citizens who refuse to get a vaccine. Health Minister Venko Filipche posted on Facebook late on Sunday that vaccines and measures are effective and stressed that vaccination is voluntary. “The right to protest is a constitutional right, but so is the right to health. Proposed measures have proven effective and vaccination is the only way to fight the virus,” read FIlipche’s post. He added that vaccination certificates are mandatory for attending mass gatherings and in bars and restaurants across Europe and no one considers this as discrimination. “I believe no one wants this situation to last forever. New variants bring uncertainty, but vaccines are efficient against new virus strains. We don’t have another weapon against the virus and I urge everyone to understand this as soon as possible so we can restore freedom and protect our health and the health of our loved ones,” the Minister added. New restrictions are being introduced following the increase of COVID-19 cases. On Sunday, the Ministry of Health registered 807 new infections out of 6,980 tests. In the same period, 10 people passed away, including a 28-year-old patient. Most new cases on Sunday were registered in Skopje – 240, followed by Gostivar – 138 and Tetovo – 136. The Ministry of Health also said Sunday there has been a large influx of patients in the Tetovo hospital over the past 24 hours and efforts are made to provide care for all of them. Additional local measures, it added, are mulled and will be discussed on Monday. “Our Tetovo colleagues are provided support regarding staff and accommodation capacities. Patients are also transferred to the hospital in Leshok. If necessary, patients will also be taken to other hospitals near or in Skopje,” the Ministry of Health said in a press release. In the past week, a total of 45,569 citizens received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. “A total of 586,384 citizens have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose in the country so far and 471,728 have been fully vaccinated. On Friday and Saturday, 22,586 citizens were vaccinated against COVID-19 nationwide, including 13,950 who received their first vaccine dose. A total of 1,058,112 vaccine doses have been administered in North Macedonia to date,” the Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Sunday.