Health minister: Protesters opposing Covid passes are hypocritical

"It seems that Saturday's protest produced a new motto, summed up as 'take care of yourself, feel free to infect others.' You can be opposed (to the restrictions), but you have to offer an alternative," Beros said in a message to opponents of Covid passes after a meeting of the ruling coalition.

"The government, in its attempt to avoid tougher restrictions such as a full lockdown, has offered an alternative. Take advantage of testing because that's the way to stop the infection from spreading to others. Think of others, don't be hypocrites. Don't avoid testing, vaccination, and epidemiological measures, and then come knocking on the doors of the overburdened healthcare system," Beros said.

"I know that there were no flat-earthers among the protesters, but I know that there were doctors and intellectuals, which can mean only one thing - these people are manipulated, and the manipulators have shown their true colours," Beros said, adding that "populists are using the deaths of our fellow citizens to promote their political views and score political points."

He called on the citizens to trust the medical profession and doctors, and criticized those refusing to get tested.

Beros said that European countries that had introduced Covid certificates earlier were now witnessing the benefits of their use. "Covid certificates do not stop the epidemic from spreading, but help contain it. If people are responsible enough, epidemiologists believe that that should suffice," Beros said.