Serbian authorities announced a record number of coronavirus deaths on Friday, denouncing the " irresponsibility " of protesters who have taken to the streets in recent days to shout their anger over the management of the health crisis.
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In the past 24 hours, the Balkan country has recorded 18 deaths and 386 new infections, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told reporters, deploring a " dramatic increase ". She implicated people who have been demonstrating for three days in Belgrade and in other cities, demonstrations which escalated into violence for two nights in the Serbian capital.
" With regard to the protests, there is no more irresponsible behavior at the moment, " she said. " The results of the demonstrations, we will see them in three or four days, " she continued, " begging all citizens to strictly respect the measures in force ."
Criticism of the President
The demonstrators' anger is directed against President Aleksandar Vucic, accused of having favored a second wave of the epidemic by quickly lifting the initial confinement to be able to organize the elections of June 21, largely won by his Serbian Progress Party (SNS) . Protests erupted at the president's announcement Tuesday of the reintroduction of full containment over the weekend. Authorities have since dropped the measure, but it has not deterred people from taking to the streets.
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The new wave came as part of a rapid deconfinement, with for example mass sporting events including a tennis tournament organized by star Novak Djokovic, tested positive a few days later. Senior politicians have also tested positive after the celebrations of the ruling party's electoral victory.
The pandemic has infected nearly 18,000 people and officially killed 370 people in the country. Aleksander Vucic spoke of hospitals overwhelmed by nearly 4,000 Covid-19 patients. According to the authorities, the health situation is "the most critical in Belgrade ". Croatia and Bosnia also announced a record number of new daily infections on Friday, 116 and 316 respectively.