Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that as of next week, the oldest people would be allowed to go out three times a week for half an hour and 300 meters away from home, state RTS TV reported.

His statement was in sharp contrast to that of Branislav Tiodorovic, a well-known epidemiologist, who said earlier in the day, the pensioners would be the last group to see the benefits of the relaxed regime „since they are the most vulnerable part of the population.“  

„People, pensioners lose patience, and it’s difficult for them. But we succeeded in saving their lives. Last weekend, 9.5 of them went shopping. The majority understood the measures,“ Vucic told the TV’s main evening news programme.

He confirmed that the curfew would be in place from Friday at 5 pm till Tuesday am, during the Orthodox Easter, despite the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Synod’s request for the pause in the curfew on Sunday from 5 to 10 am.

Last weekend, during the Roman Catholic Easter, the curfew was in place on Friday from 5 pm to Monday at 5 am. The mass was broadcast, and they did not ask for an exemption.

Vucic said an agreement he had with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Irinej was different from the SPC Synod’s demand.

„I’ll try to talk to Irinej and Synod members again. (But) I’ll support doctors and I’ll support life. I don’t know what measures we will take; I don’t know what will happen. (But) There is no way we’ll arrest priests,“ Vucic said.

Unlike him, Montenegro officials said that everyone who violated measures and orders during Easter would bear criminal responsibility.

Vucic also contradicted previous statements and Government decision on the freedom of movement of children with autism, saying they would be free to walk any time regardless of the curfew.

Earlier in the day,  the Crisis Team, said the autistic and people and other special needs would be allowed to walk form 6 to 8 pm daily. At the same time, the media reported the Government extended that time from 5 to 8 pm every day and from 3 to 8 pm on weekends.

Referring to the economic crisis that followed the pandemic, Vucic described it as the worst in the last hundred years. But he added that „Serbia will face it better than others… We’ll have problems, but will overcome the crisis.“