Crisis HQ meets today to decide about measures for New Year's, and whether there will be a curfew

The Crisis HQ/ Photo: Tanjug/Serbian Govrnment/Slobodan Miljevic

A new meeting of the Crisis HQ for the fight against coronavirus will be held today at 3:30 pm, and the main topic should be the conditions under which it will be possible to enter Serbia and stay in the country during the holiday period. What's certain is that a mandatory negative PCR test, not older than 48 hours, will be introduced as a requirement for everyone entering Serbia, and it's highly likely that the existing measures, which are valid until tomorrow, will be extended, and maybe even made stricter.

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Epidemiologists are also announcing measures for the New Year's Eve. A state of emergency and a curfew are even being mentioned.

A member of the Crisis Staff and epidemiologist Branislav Tiodorovic said yesterday that measures will have to be introduced for Serbian citizens returning to the country from abroad, and that these would be like those in force in the countries they're arriving from.

Dr. Branislav Tiodorovic / Photo: Tanjug/Zoran Zestic

"A negative PCR test, not older than 48 hours, and those who do not have it will have to quarantine for 10 days," Tiodorovic explained.

Epidemiologist Predrag Kon confirmed that new measures will be introduced at the border and that the meeting will certainly decide to extend the measures already in force.

"It has been resolved whether there will be new measures at the border - yes, now there's only the technical question of how that will be implemented. So, a decision has been made," said Kon.

When it comes to restricting movement, Kon says that ads to rent premises for various celebrations are being published on social networks, and that such private gatherings are difficult to control, so the big question is whether it is possible to control those private celebrations.

Since the epidemic situation has not calmed down as professionals had expected, experts are not optimistic.

"If this continues, the Crisis HQ will have to think about introducing a state of emergency and a curfew," said Tiodorovic.

The previous session of the Crisis HQ set up to combat the coronavirus epidemic was held on Friday. No new measures were brought then. It was decided to hold a new one in two or three days, to see the effect of the existing measures, and to decide under what conditions Serbians working abroad and foreign citizens will be able to enter Serbia.

The number of new coronavirus cases in Serbia yesterday was 4,995. Another 56 people died, bringing the total death toll to 2,331. There were 331 patients on ventilators.

(Telegraf.rs)