PRISTINA -- Kosovo will delay the start of the school year by two weeks and introduce new restrictive measures to cope with a rise of coronavirus infections.
A curfew will take effect on August 30 from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. while the school year will begin on September 13, instead of September 1, the government said on August 29.
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Nonessential staff won’t be allowed to work at public and private institutions until September 13. After that date, all employees in state companies and public institutions will either have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tests to be allowed to enter their workplaces.
Kosovo’s hospitals are under strain as the number of daily coronavirus infections has increased significantly this month to about 2,000.
The Balkan country has registered around 140,000 infections since the start of the pandemic, with 2,500 deaths.
A quarter of the 1.8-million-strong population has been vaccinated.
Speaking at a press conference, Health Minister Arben Vitia ensured that more than 60 percent of the population will be vaccinated by the end of the year.