President Aleksandar Vucic's announcement of a new curfew this weekend to combat a resurgence of coronavirus in Serbia sparked a protest movement in Belgrade where police fired tear gas on Tuesday July 7. to disperse thousands of protesters gathered outside Parliament.

Critics criticized the president for having lifted the initial containment measures in an accelerated manner in order to be able to organize the elections on June 21, a ballot largely won by the ruling party.

"Resignation", "Stop Vucic", chanted the protesters who threw stones at the police. A small group broke into Parliament before being repelled by riot police. During the night, a cordon of police officers had been deployed to protect the Parliament.

Rebound

After having mastered the first wave of the epidemic in early May, this Balkan country is recording a rebound in the number of cases, officially going from around 50 daily infections a month ago to around 300 or even 350 currently. Authorities reported the deaths of 13 people on Tuesday, the largest daily report officially announced so far. The pandemic has infected approximately 17,000 people and left a total of 330 dead.

"No one can stand these numbers, we don't want to kill our doctors," said Aleksandar Vucic, announcing a new curfew over the weekend. He added that hospitals were overwhelmed with nearly 4,000 patients.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic "strongly condemned" "vandalism" against Parliament "at a time when the country and our health care system are facing their worst blow since the start of the pandemic," RTS television reported.

Authorities had already tightened measures to fight the pandemic last week. After a month-long hiatus, hospitals entirely dedicated to Covid-19 had been reopened in the capital. The government has declared an emergency in several cities, including Belgrade, where a field hospital has been opened.

With AFP

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