The government has decided to enforce a curfew in North Macedonia, it told MIA on Tuesday. The decision was reached at the recommendation of the Commission for Infectious Diseases, due to the increased number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalized patients.

The Infectious Diseases Commission proposed on Monday a nationwide curfew imposed between 10 pm and 5 am, recommending that curfew is in place for two weeks, which is as long as one epidemiological cycle and stressing that new restrictions will produce results.

Minister Filipche pointed out on Monday that analyses conducted by the Infectious Diseases Commission have shown that due to non-compliance with the measures, the country will see new infections, as well as a rise in hospital admissions.

“The infection rate is the highest in Skopje, Kavadarci, Negotino, Prilep and Ohrid. This reflects in a way that there’s an increase in hospital admissions. The infectious diseases ward and additional hospital units in Kavadarci are filled to capacity, and the modular hospital has been put in operation. It’s the same in Prilep, and we can see here in Skopje there are more and more cases that require hospital treatment, which is why the modular hospital next to the Infectious Diseases Clinic is back in operation,” Filipche said.

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski pointed out that restrictions may be strict but they are necessary to protect people’s health and save lives.

“It’s better to have short-term restrictions in place than max out the healthcare system,” Spasovski noted.