Shtip, 20 October 2021 (MIA) – At a meeting in Shitp on Wednesday evening nightclub owners announced civil disobedience, adding that if the government continues to be deaf to their demands, starting next weekend they will reopen clubs themselves. The meeting was attended by representatives from 20 nightclubs. Goran Arsovski from the Association of Nightclubs said that the decision has been made as a result of “the government’s total discrimination against nightclubs” and several failed attempts to meet with government representatives and discuss their survival. “Indoor nightclubs in North Macedonia are the only nightclubs in the region and the world that have remained closed for over 19 months. North Macedonia is the only country that has failed to find a way to reopen nightclubs in line with appropriate protocols,” Arsovski said. He added that other facilities resume working despite the coronavirus, noting that smaller venues are less safe for hosting parties than nightclubs. “We’ve received no financial assistance despite being most hard-hit by the pandemic and been forced to pay off development bank loans alone even though clubs remain closed. We want the public to know that the government provided us with assistance for only two months. We want to reopen clubs in line with appropriate protocols, the same ones that apply for bars and restaurants, that is, working with only 50% of venue capacity and allowing entry only to people who show valid vaccination certificates or proof they’ve had COVID-19 in the past 30 days,” Arsovski said. Nightclub owners stressed that they don’t see the logic of vaccination if clubs remain shut down. “We also don’t understand the logic behind allowing parties and events to be held at bars, when the only difference between them and us is in the working hours. In the summer, they allowed us to hold events outside. We abided by protocols and there was no rise in new cases which proved that we’re not responsible for the spread of the virus,” Arsovski noted. Nightclub owners also urged authorities to meet with them. “If they don’t, we’ll be forced to engage in civil disobedience and reopen clubs for which we can be prosecuted as if we’re criminals, not business owners who want to find a way out of this situation, survive, work and pay out taxes,” said members of the Association of Nightclubs.