A man receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Skopje, North Macedonia, Aug. 18, 2021. (Photo by Tomislav Georgiev/Xinhua)
SKOPJE, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The government of North Macedonia has decided to impose new restrictions from Sept. 1 to fight the spread of COVID-19, Health Minister Venko Filipce announced on social media on Wednesday.
Filipce said the new restrictions are based on recommendations from the Commission for Infectious Diseases.
Starting from Sept. 1, every traveler entering the country must present a vaccination certificate, or a document proving they have either had COVID-19 in the last 45 days, or had a negative test result from a PCR test taken 72 hours before entering the territory of North Macedonia.
Meanwhile, citizens of North Macedonia returning to the country after Sept. 1 without a PCR test, or a certificate proving they have had COVID-19 or been vaccinated will have to self-quarantine for seven days.
In addition, foreign nationals transiting through North Macedonia will have to do so within five hours, with a pre-signed declaration. This declaration must also be submitted to border controls when leaving the country.
North Macedonia's government has tightened measures against COVID-19 due to the increased number of new daily infections. Starting from Aug. 16, new safety measures have been introduced to curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, including a ban on all indoor celebrations in restaurants, cafeterias, bars, nightclubs, and other venues which host large events.
Moreover, as of Aug. 16 individuals over the age of 18 are required to present proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to enter any facility with a capacity of 30 people or more.
On Wednesday, Filipce told local media that people working in institutions will not be ordered to have a vaccine, underlining that such an obligation is only applied in highly frequented places where the risk of transmission increases.
According to official data from the Health Ministry, a total of 17,427 people have been vaccinated over the past 24 hours, taking the total number of vaccinations in the country to 1,097,855, of which 485,464 have received both doses of a vaccine.
On Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported 1,081 new coronavirus cases and 15 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed cases in North Macedonia to 164,529. Of these, 151,235 people have recovered, while 5,589 people have died. Enditem
