BELGRADE: Public spaces will be reopened in Serbia next week and flights will resume in mid-May, officials said yesterday, days after they relaxed other measures introduced to fight the coronavirus.
"Starting from Monday, restaurants and cafes will reopen with social distance respected and all other safety measures taken," Branislav Tiodorovic of the government's team of experts told reporters.
Inter-city trains, long-distance buses and city public transport will also restart next week, while shopping centres will open on May 8 and air traffic will resume on May 18, he said.
Kindergartens and daycare for children up to 12 years old will reopen on May 11 so parents can go back to work, Tiodorovic said.
Earlier this month, small shops were allowed to reopen and other workplaces such as hair salons and gyms were back operating on Monday.
Serbia declared a state of emergency in mid-March and introduced strict measures including a curfew.
The novel coronavirus has killed 168 people and infected some 8,500 people in the Balkan state of around seven million, according to government figures.
In recent days the rate of new infections has slowed. -- AFP