Ivanusa: Situation is serious, Serbia needs to introduce stronger measures, quarantine contacts
"I'm extremely worried. The situation is serious and cannot be stopped without measures. The whole of Europe is moving towards (becoming like) Bergamo," says Dr. Marijan Ivanusa, WHO director for Serbia
The director of the World Health Organization for Serbia, Dr. Marijan Ivanusa, says that the latest numbers of new coronavirus infections in our country are large, that the situation is serious, and that we need stronger measures, in terms of limiting gatherings.
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"These are very large numbers and the situation is serious. In a way, this is in line with the trend in Europe. Of course, this is a strong deterioration. Such a deterioration should be stopped as soon as possible. We see that the countries which did not succeed are facing great challenges," Ivanusa pointed out for RTS.
Speaking about the measures, Ivanusa said that Serbia has done a lot, but also noted that the existing measures are not implemented optimally everywhere, and that we need greater restrictions.
"We saw how Serbia quickly switched the healthcare care system from normal to Covid 19 mode. It increased hospital and testing capacities... There are many measures in force that may not be performed optimally. There is room for improvement. But new measures should also be considered, because as people gather, the virus spreads more. That should be limited. People who work should be safe. Care should also be taken at home. Whoever has symptoms should be tested and their contacts should be quarantined. Those who have symptoms should go to the doctor because timely treatment saves lives," said Ivanusa.
Asked whether mandatory PCR testing should be introduced for everyone entering the country, he said it is one of the possible measures but not a decisive one.
"The virus is present among the population. Those coming to the country can be tested by PCR, some cases will be discovered, but some will be missed. That is a possible measure, but it is not decisive. The most important thing is to prevent people from gathering, and to wear masks," Ivanusa explained and added:
"I'm extremely worried. The situation is serious and cannot be stopped without measures. The whole of Europe is moving towards Bergamo. We need to remember what happened in March," he said.
(Telegraf.rs)