Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday appealed to the public to refrain from large social gatherings during the forthcoming holiday season in order to bring down the number of coronavirus infections.

“We can expect a decline in the number of infections only if we all give up on large social gatherings during the holidays. Let’s keep our elderly ones and those of frail health safe. The virus certainly isn’t the best Christmas gift to our loved ones,” Plenkovic said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday morning.

He appealed to everyone, especially young people, to adhere to personal protection measures, not to plan any large social gatherings and to postpone their trips.

New measures to be announced tomorrow

Plenkovic said that new measures were being prepared and would be announced on Friday after consultations with the government’s Scientific Council.

“The aim is to do all that can be done so that we can spend the holidays as safely as possible and prevent the situation from deteriorating further, given the current high numbers. For that purpose, it is necessary to further reduce mobility and keep social gatherings to a minimum so that we enter January with a much better situation,” the prime minister said.

He said that the government had so far ordered 5.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from different manufacturers, adding that initial doses were expected in January, after approval by the European Medicines Agency.

Vaccination rollout plan to be adopted next week

Next week the government will adopt a vaccination plan setting out the dynamics and organisation of vaccination and priority groups. The most vulnerable groups will be vaccinated first, including elderly people, people of poor health, care home workers and front-line health workers.

Plenkovic once again stressed that vaccination would be free of charge and voluntary. “However, it will be effective only if a sufficient number of people get vaccinated, which is why a public awareness campaign will be conducted to remove any doubts.”