Last warning

Last warning

He said that for now, the emphasis is still on better implementation of the measures that are already in force.

Dr Janković stated for TV Pink that the measures will be stricter if the epidemiological situation continues to worsen.

"We wanted to send a strong message that we already have measures in force, but that it does not seem to be taken seriously. Anti-epidemic measures are in force that would already alleviate the situation if they were consistently and rigorously implemented," Jankovic said.

According to him, the members of the Crisis Staff discussed the legal framework and whether it is possible to act legally to implement the measures.

He emphasized that personal responsibility is the most important at this moment and that it must be above the force of law.

Asked whether the health care system in Serbia "resists the impact of the third wave", Janković said that at this moment it resists and that it can last for a long time.

"However, if there is a sudden increase in the large number of patients, no system would be able to withstand it, not much stronger than ours. Our goal is not to get closer, let alone reach that limit. Whether that will happen depends on us”, he said.

He notes that the majority of citizens respect the measures and behave in an exemplary manner, but that we as a society must all respect them.

Asked if it's expected to be more patients in hospital treatment in the third peak, he said that "it must be expected".

The most important thing at this moment, he says, is to limit the increase in the number of patients, so that the health system can cope, to be as few infected as possible and as few people with a severe clinical picture as possible.

Temporary hospitals, such as the Arena, are important in order to introduce as few specialized hospitals as possible into the COVID system.

"We need to treat people from other diseases as well, otherwise this pandemic will take an indirect toll on human lives. These are the aggravations that someone can experience if it is not their turn to treat their underlying disease that they otherwise suffer from because hospitals are transformed into COVID centers", Jankovic said.

He says that the coronavirus has an incredibly inconvenient combination of contagion and risk of death.

"The virus can spread quickly, it does not kill everyone in case of infection, but there are a huge number of people who are endangered. So, if we look at it statistically, it is not a virus that is among the deadliest," Janković concluded.