Dr. Kon: We will have only one more all-weekend 27/4 curfew in Serbia

Curfew in Belgrade; Photo: Tanjug/Zoran Zestic

Epidemiologist Predrag Kon said last night that the around-the-clock weekend ban on leaving the house would only happen once again, during the upcoming May Day holiday.

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"I don't think we have any 24 hour restriction anymore ahead of us, I think that will be over with this next weekend," Dr. Predrag Kon has told TV Pink.

He added that there would be an increasing debate among medical professionals over imposing movement restriction measures throughout the day.

"First, the number of days when there had been a 24-hour ban will be counted, so we can compare iot with the number of deaths in other countries that didn't have such bans, the number of days lost will then be compared with the number of lives saved," he said.

According to him, even now there are now clear differences between experts, because a part of them thinks that a maximum spread of the virus has already occured, while others disagree.

"We will know clearly only after researching the presence of antibodies, and the first survey includes approximately 7,000 people, while there will be a larger survey in the summer," he said.

Kon said he is worried that the virus is now transmitted in warmer parts of the world as well, adding that it was no coincidence that the World Health Organization said we are at the beginning of the pandemic and that problems are yet to be expected.

According to him, there are mathematical models that show the percentage of the spread of the virus in terms of the number of people who have been in contact with the virus, and who have created antibodies.

"Some believe that 50 percent is enough and that at this point the virus doesn't have the strength to cause an epidemic. But it will all be better known when research is done both in our country and around the world. These studies are quite difficult to compare, they are not always methodologically the same. In any case, there is a continuous progress in learning about this virus. It's not by accident that the WHO says we are at the beginning of the epidemic and that there will be still be problems. That is absolutely thoughtful, and the formulation is intended for the whole world. We must act, more precisely, to be ready even for a new wave, if we now relent with the measures and act as if nothing had happened before the summer or during the summer, as Professor (Zoran) Radovanovic said. When it comes to the flu, we were expecting it in September, and it only came in full force in November. The big question is how much these collectives, which are formed in September, will have an impact," said Dr. Kon.

Photo Tanjug/Government of Serbia/Slobodan Miljevic

He explained that there is risk associated with reopening gyms, but that it is much lower than that occuring among those taking a walk in the street.

"Gyms can be open if there are appointments, if they have chlorine barriers to destroy what is brought in on shoes, if everyone wears protective masks, everyone has their own towel, if there are disinfectants. Then we have kept the risk to a minimum. There is also the frequency of contacts that arise indirectly through people playing ball in the park or when everyone goes out to take a stroll in Knez Mihailova Street - will everyone wear a mask? Contacts should be prevented. There is 100 times greater frequency of contact among those taking a walk than in gyms, because the number of those who use gyms is a hundred times smaller than those who go out for a walk. Also, when someone is playing football, there very much is contact, and the question is whether or not someone among the group is infected," explained Dr. Kon.

You can track information about coronavirus from all over the world on this page (in Serbian): https://www.telegraf.rs/covid-19

(Telegraf.rs)