New measures that could be introduced before a complete ban on movement: One will be the hardest

Photo: Tanjug/Tara Radovanovic

There are several steps we can take before imposing a complete 24/7 ban on movement, said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, following the government's decision to extend the curfew from 5 pm on Friday until 5 am on Monday.

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"Weekends are the days when we see the least respect for measures and for the calls for self-isolation. This is something we are paying the price for and that we are yet going to pay for," she told TV Prva.

She explained that at this point we are entering the final of the fifth and the beginning of the sixth week, when we expect the epidemic to peak and hopefully, if we are disciplined, that we will see the fall of the number of those infected, which is why it is important to take stronger measures.

She added that before any decisions are made, the profession (medical professionals) would be consulted, and their position cn be heard on a daily basis during press conferences.

"We have been saying that we thought there were some other steps we could take to avoid a 24/7 quarantine. One of them is the complete isolation of the cities that are the hotspots: Belgrade, Nis, Valjevo, Cuprija... as well as the closure of large companies for 7 to 14 days, but that would be difficult to endure and that is why we are not taking such measures yet," she said.

Ana Brnabic; Photo: Tanjug/Serbian Government/Slobodan Miljevic

The prime minister said that our health system is overstressed and that a solution is being looked for.

"The weekends are the most devastating. You see groups of people walking, jogging, biking. And you know the consequence will be seen in 5 to 6 days. Our health system is overstressed. And now we're looking at what to do. It's difficult now to withstand possible new blows coming as a result of people failing to respect the measures. Although there are fewer of them, there's enough to deal the final blow to our healthcare system. And we need to take that measure to save the healthcare system," said the prime minister.

(Telegraf.rs)