Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday backtracked on plans to reinstate a coronavirus lockdown in Belgrade after thousands protested the move and violently clashed with police in the capital Belgrade.

A group of opposition supporters stormed the Serbian parliament building in Belgrade on Tuesday after Vucic had said the city will go into lockdown this weekend to halt the spread of the surging coronavirus.

But in a press conference on Wednesday, Vucic made a U-turn, saying the measures cannot be implemented without proclaiming a nationwide state of emergency, and so "most probably, there will be no curfew."

Vucic also blamed foreign secret services for the Tuesday night protests, saying "extremists, mostly from the right-wing, and pro-fascist organizations," were behind the attack on the parliament building. He did not identify the alleged spy agencies and strongly defended the police action against accusations of brutality.

"We will never allow the destabilization of Serbia from within and abroad," Vucic said, adding that the protest had "nothing to do with the coronavirus."

Serbian police said dozens of people have been detained and scores of police officers and demonstrators injured in last night's clashes that lasted for more than six hours.

While he ruled out the weekend lockdown, Vucic said the government would decide on other measures that could include shortened closing hours for nightclubs and penalties for those not wearing masks.

The Balkan country, with seven million people, had reported more than 17,000 coronavirus infections and 341 deaths when lockdown measures were lifted, but the numbers are spiking and 330 cases and 13 deaths were reported just on Tuesday. Epidemiologists and doctors warned that hospitals were running at full capacity and that medical workers were tired.

"The situation in Belgrade is alarming," Vucic said in a televised news conference on Tuesday. "Hospitals are literally packed."

During the conference, Vucic said Serbia will quickly build a new hospital with 800 to 1,000 beds, adding there's a risk that the disease will persist into the winter, when it may coincide with the seasonal flu.

"We'll be facing a difficult autumn with the coronavirus," he said. "There won't be a vaccine by then."

Opponents blame the increase on the government and say people should not have to pay the price for another lockdown.

Around 10 p.m. local time, a small group of protesters pushed past a police cordon, broke through a door and entered the parliament building. But police later pushed them back. The crowd demanded Vucic's resignation and shouted: "Serbia has risen."

Vucic's ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won a constitutional majority in elections last month and a new government is due to be formed by 25 August.

"People gathered spontaneously. Discontent can be felt in the air," Radomir Lazovic, of the Do Not Let Belgrade Drown opposition group, told N1 television.

In early March, Serbia introduced a lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus and in late May, the Balkan country was among the first to open up and set elections for 21 June. During the campaign, Vucic's SNS organized rallies at which people did not wear masks.

Top party officials, including the president's adviser, were infected after celebrating their election victory in a small room while not wearing masks.

Video Editor: Sam Cordell