Procedure for return to Serbia from Friday: What's "citizen supervision"; you'll have 24 hours

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From Friday at 6 pm, Serbia will introduce supervision over all citizens returning from summer vacation in Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this may also apply to Albania and other countries in the region and Europe, where Covid 19 are has flared up. Telegraf.rs brings the details about what the procedure will look like.

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As Professor Dr. Branislav Tiodorovic, a member of the Crisis HQ for the fight against coronavirus, explains for Telegraf.rs, with this preventive measure a compromise solution has been found, and with it we protect ourselves.

"We had to introduce measures, in that way we draw the attention of our people to where they are returning from and what they are exposed to. Supervision will be introduced from 6 pm on Friday. It is in a way a preventive measure, and in this way we have given our people time to return by Friday at 6 pm," says Professor Dr. Tiodorovic, and explains what supervision actually means:

"Everyone who enters the country, when their passport is returned, will be notified that they are under supervision and that they must report to a Covid clinic of the health center where they reside within 24 hours, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not. The Batut Institute will inform all health centers so that they know that when such a citizen reports, if they have problems, they are sent to the red zone of the Covid clinic, and if they do not, then they go to the so-called yellow zone.

"That yellow zone must exist, and it's far safer for our tourists to report to a Covid clinic than to their chosen doctor in the health center, because they are a potential source of infection," explained Professor Dr. Tiodorovic and added that anyone who fails to report within 24 hours will commit a violation.

Professor Dr. Branislav Tiodorovic; Photo: Tanjug/Rade Prelic

If the patient is experiencing problems, detailed tests will be performed.

"Lung scan, blood count, testing and self-isolation at home, if there is no need to be placed in a hospital. It is recommended to remain self-isolated for 10 days, however, if that patient gets a negative result despite the problems they experience, there will be no need to remain in self-isolation. By the way, this is not the kind of self-isolation controled by the police," says Professor Dr. Tiodorovic.

Who pays for testing

The costs of testing of patients who have problems, regardless of the fact that, despite the appeals, they went on vacation in the countries where coronavirus is spreading, will be covered by the state, as before.

However, such a patient cannot count on getting paid their full salary during isolation, as had been the case during the state of emergency.

Considering that they traveled at their own risk, they will now be paid as much as they would have during any sick leave, and that is 65% of their salary.

"They will receive a diagnosis from a doctor and on that basis go on a sick leave, during which they earn 65%," says Professor Dr. Tiodorovic.

Photo: Tanjug/AP

The professor adds that the emphasis is placed on Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the majority of our citizens who went abroad are, but added that it also applies to Albania, as well as all other countries in the region and Europe where the number of people infected with coronavirus is growing.

"There are 12,000 of our tourists in Albania," he said.

Professor Dr. Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, Deputy Director of the Batut Institute, explained for RTS that supervision will imply a certain dynamics of reporting to relevant health services, in order to monitor people's health condition and react quickly if necessary.

She also stressed that supervision does not include any restriction of freedom of movement, but instead an appropriate obligation of every citizen returning to the country to report to the doctor at certain intervals.

(Telegraf.rs)