It was tense, Kon threatened, but so did Vesić

It was tense, Kon threatened, but so did Vesić

According to earlier announcements by the members of the Crisis Staff, a decision on tightening the measures should be made at the session, in order to stop the growth of the number of newly infected people.

At the previous session, the medical part of the Crisis Staff advocated a complete lockdown, at least for seven to 10 days, and then it was left for the final decision to be made in a few days.

Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesić reiterated that Belgrade is resolutely against the introduction of curfew and is committed to implementing existing epidemiological measures in combating coronavirus, without new restrictions.

"Last weekend showed that if the working hours of catering facilities and shopping centers are limited to 2 p.m., a real stampede occurs. It is completely logical and normal for people to stay in those places throughout the day and to strictly respect epidemiological measures, and to punish those who do not respect them", he told Vecernje Novosti. Vesić emphasized that it is unacceptable to "close everything" because, as he assessed, it would be a disastrous measure for small, family businesses, "and those who propose it do not think about what consequences such a decision would have on the mental health of the population."

"I will never, at the cost of leaving the position I am in, vote for an alibi for decisions that destroy the economy of this country," he added.

The number of infected people on a daily basis is around 4.000 in the previous days, which is not promising at all, so the measures are expected to be tightened.

Referring to several members of the Crisis Staff, "Blic" writes that this will be perhaps the most uncertain session so far when it comes to harmonizing positions, and that a middle solution will most likely be adopted between complete lockdown for seven days and Belgrade's proposal not to tighten and shorten working hours. Epidemiologist and member of the Crisis Staff, Predrag Kon, said last night that the epidemiological situation is not good, and that it is mostly extraordinary, and in parts where there is no place to accommodate patients, it occasionally becomes catastrophic.

"The most important thing is to understand that the medical part of the Crisis Staff asked for the groceries, pharmacies and fuel stations to be open, and for everything else to be closed during the weekend. We never particularly emphasized the curfew," Kon pointed out.

The day before, he said on TV Prva that the question of his remaining in the Crisis Staff, as well as others from the so-called medical part of the crisis staff, if the measures are not tightened, is at stake.

According to the latest data, another 3.886 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Serbia, and 17 people have died.

There are 4.109 people in hospitals, of which 173 are on a respirator. Belgrade leads in the number of infected, with 1.265 new cases, which is the highest in the last three days, followed by Nis, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Vranje. For the previous weekend, measures were in force that meant that catering facilities and shopping centers were open until 2 p.m.