Vucic on latest measures: Additional pay rise for medical staff, formation of two crisis HQs

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced the latest measures taken by the state in response to current developments regarding coronavirus.

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"Serbia is in a complex situation today. For the first time in decades, we have the impact of a disease that has hit the whole world, and it all affects a completely different behavior lacking solidarity within countries around the world," the president said at the beginning of his address last night.

He said that Serbia is facing two battles which it must win. The first is to preserve the health of the oldest population, who are directly affected by coronavirus and that it is therefore important to take measures in accordance with what the medical profession says. The second, he said, is the formation of two crisis HQs.

"I requested from the prime minister to form two crisis HQs. The first to look after the healthcare part and the fight against coronavirus, and the second will address the economic losses that threaten us. The first will consist of doctors and people from the profession who will together with us be solving problems and bear the heaviest burden for all that will come before us, the second would be led by me," stressed Vucic.

Other decisions have been made, he said.

"It has been agreed that we will go for a 10 percent permanent increase in wages for medical workers from April 1 this year, and this will be an increase in addition to the one already promised to them," the president of Serbia revealed.

Between April 1 and 15, pensioners will receive one-time assistance in the amount of 4,000 dinars, Vucic said, stressing that it is lucky that we have a small number of elderly people in hospitals so far.

 

 

 

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"Srbija se danas nalazi u izuzetno složenoj situaciji. Ceo svet se nalazi u kompleksnoj situaciji. Ovo je globalna nesreća. Sve to govori o krizi sa kojom se suočavamo i koju ćemo morati da prebrodimo u mesecima koji su pred nama. Ono što građane najviše brine jeste zdravlje. Mi smo se pripremali u prethodnim godinama, kroz obnove klinika, bolnica, zdravstvenih ustanova. Mnogo smo novca uložili i napravili boljim nego što je to bio slučaj ranije i spremnije smo dočekali ove teške izazove nego najveći broj zemalja. Imamo 1.008 respiratora danas, za 20 dana imaćemo još 500 respiratora. Imamo svega dovoljno. Važna nam je vaša podrška. Molim vas da verujete svojoj državi i zajedno sa vama ćemo se boriti i izboriti za našu Srbiju." - Predsednik Republike Srbije Aleksandar Vučić u obraćanju naciji u živom prenosu sa televiziji RTS|1.A post shared by Aleksandar Vučić (@buducnostsrbijeav) on Mar 12, 2020 at 12:30pm PDT

"The Clinic for infectious Diseases in Belgrade will starting tomorrow only deal with the treatment of patients with coronavirus, the special department of the Clinical Center of Vojvodina, as well as the one in Nis. Everything else is provided and citizens do not have to worry. We have 1,008 ventilators, which is three times more than in 2009 when 137 people died from swine flu in Serbia according to official data," he told citizens and stressed that Serbia is more prepared than many European Union countries.

He pointed out that for the time being, 15 patients were in hospitals, there were 24 infected, with one on a ventilator, while starting on Monday some coronavirus patients will be able to leave the hospital.

"That is why we work and listen to experts when they say not to close schools, because no one is infected in schools, but in Porec and Pula. Experts say it shouldn't be done and that not even Slovenia closed its schools, even though there are seven or eight times more cases than here, neither has Croatia closed schools nor has the United Kingdom, who have a far higher number of infected people than Serbia," the president repeated.

About supplying of stores

He says the state will make sure that stores are fully stocked.

"Today we created a kind of an obligation for Galenka Pharmacy, which does a great job for our country, not to work through some other companies, we will have enough epidemic masks and ordinary ones and everything else, but we cannot when someone buys 100 Asepsols (disinfectant) and 100 liters of alcohol," he said.

Printscreen: RTS

He appealed on citizens not to believe in stories about hundreds of dead people, which also appeared during the floods in Serbia and which later turned out not to be true.

"We will be informing you in a timely manner and we will not hide from you any grave consequences, and they will happen, and we will have to go through them together," said the president.

He announced that he would also discuss the matter with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, that he would later know exactly what the Germans and the Chinese were doing and announced that he would seek further assistance from the EU.

"It applies not only to the 27 member-states, but also to those of us who are on the European path as candidate countries," he pointed out.

About the campaign

As he announced, after his visit to Germany, he will invite representatives of all electoral lists planning to participate in the elections to discuss how to organize the campaign and at what point and whether it will be necessary to delay the elections for five, 10, or 15 days.

Vucic said he noted that all political parties wishing to participate in the elections feel uncomfortable while speaking about electoral topics.

"After my visit to Germany and to Merkel, also because of the topics of those talks - Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia's path to the EU, as well as coronavirus, because of which I will ask for help, I will be free to invite representatives of all electoral lists planning to participate in the elections to discuss and agree on how to organize the campaign, how to participate in the campaign and when, at what point and whether it will be necessary to delay the election by five, 10 or 15 days," said Vucic, stressing that he is open to reaching an agreement with all political subjects.

The president emphasized that at this moment there is nothing more important than preserving people's health and fighting for lives, for each person.

There have been a total of 31 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Republic of Serbia as of 8 am on March 13.

(Telegraf.rs)