With dismal infection rates for three days in a row, the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party called out Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce for grossly misjudging the threat of the pandemic. In the early stages, Filipce confidently predicted that the number of infections would peak at 2,000. Macedonia has now had over 20,000 confirmed cases and only in the past seven days there have been over 2,000 newly diagnosed cases. Daily reports of new infections would at most reach 250 people, but for the past three days, each report was worse than the day before, with record 386 new patients on Friday.

In one week we have as many infections as Filipce predicted would be the total of the epidemic. This proves that the Minister has no capacity or strategy to deal with this evil. Instead of a real fight against the coronavirus, Zaev and Filipce are focused on their cheap PR, trying to score political points, and are now reaching for violations of the constitution and abuse of privacy, said VMRO-DPMNE.

The Government announced a new ban on private home gatherings and called on citizens to report their neighbors who entertain more than four guests at a given time.