“Vaccination is not just a way of protecting ourselves and others; it is also a way of protecting our nation, and today the issue of our country’s vaccination and its coverage is a matter of national security”, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Marija Obradović said today after visiting the Roma settlement of Beograd Mahala in Niš.
She said that, unless we protected our population and enabled adults to go to work regularly and children to attend school, unless we ensured normal operation of our companies, public administration and local self-governments, our state would grind to a halt. She added we should not allow ourselves to let our economy and industry come to a standstill, because that could drag the entire country backwards. Ms. Obradović said that was why vaccination was a matter of national security, as it protects the health of each and every one of us and our entire nation.
She commended the city of Niš for ranking third in terms of vaccinated citizens, following closely after Belgrade and Priboj, with 56.5 percent of its population vaccinated. She pointed out there was still no reason to drop our guard, as relaxation would be possible only once we have reached a vaccination rate of 70 percent.
The Minister also thanked the health care professionals, as well as all those who had provided logistical support to the vaccination efforts, and commended the city of Niš for the field work of its mobile vaccination teams.
“The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government helps the vaccination campaign across Serbia and, owing to the efforts of our country’s president and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the Ministry of Health, Serbia is among the leading nations in terms of percentage of vaccinated population. We cannot and will not back down on our efforts until the coronavirus has been defeated globally”, Ms. Obradović said.
Minister Obradović, accompanied by State Secretary Mr. Stevan Gligorin and the Mayor of Niš Ms. Dragana Sotirovski, visited a vaccination registration stand in the Beograd Mahala settlement and attended the distribution of 500 family hygiene packs, which should help the most vulnerable social groups combat Covid-19.
The distribution of family hygiene packs is part of a project implemented by the Ministry in cooperation with Red Cross Serbia, GIZ, the Open Society Fund, the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities and UNHCR in Serbia, which will see the distribution of more than 12,000 packs in 179 substandard settements in 29 cities and municipalities in Serbia.
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