Restrictions on movement enforced as of Wednesday are simply a must in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, said doctor Vladimir Mikikj of the Institute for Public Health.

I know the restrictive measures will be met by some with lack of trust, but to put it simply, they are necessary. At this point, we have no other way, there is no cure, no vaccine, there is no other measure that can stop or mitigate the spread of the epidemic, Mikikj told a news conference Monday alongside PM Oliver Spasovski and Health Minister Venko Filipche.

If no such measures are taken, he warned, the number of confirmed cases will rise rapidly, which could overwhelm our health system.

I urge the citizens to get through, after all it is a specific period during which we have to comply with the social distancing rule in order to protect those most at risk from this disease, said Mikikj.