Crisis HQ session ends: Weekend measures decided on, there was no discussion about holidays

The opening hours of retail and hospitality facilities during the upcoming weekend will be until 8 pm, it has just been decided during this morning's meeting of the Crisis HQ, Telegraf.rs has learned.

The medical part of the Crisis HQ did not agree with the weekend measures, but they stressed that they would be against any organized celebrations of the New Year's Eve. Hospitality establishments will continue to work until 8 pm from Monday on as well.

The Crisis HQ did not discuss the measures planned for the New Year today, and that will probably be decided at the beginning of next week.

It is expected that the new measures will be announced in a news conference that will start at 3 pm.

The message of the members of the Crisis HQ early in this week was that a new meeting will consider the effects of the existing measures, as well as the current coronavirus numbers - the number of deaths, new cases, the level of hospital bed occupancy, and how many patients are on ventilators. In accordance with that, professionals were to decide on the next step, i.e., what measures would be valid for the weekend, but also for New Year's holidays.

The previous session of the Crisis HQ produced a decision to extend the opening hours of all shops and stores from 5 pm to 8 pm. That relaxation of protective measures was time limited until today's session.

At that time, the medical part of the Crisis HQ was against the easing of measures, but the arguments of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and the City of Belgrade were heard, and in the end, the proposal to extend the opening hours was accepted.

In order to suppress coronavirus, vaccination of residents in nursing homes started in Serbia yesterday. Those older than 65, as well as those who did not have Covid, can get vaccinated.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic was the first to receive the vaccine yesterday at 10 am, followed by Minister Dr. Darija Kisic Tepavcevic and epidemiologist Dr. Predrag Kon.

Current epidemiological situation

A total of 316,344 confirmed cases of COVID 19 have been registered in the Republic of Serbia by 3 pm on December 24, 2020. Samples from 15,387 persons were tested since the previous report covering 24 hours, of which 4,091 were positive.

There are a total of 312 patients on ventilators. A total of 2,203,391 people have been tested in the Republic of Serbia so far. Over the 24 hour period in question, 49 more people died as a result of COVID 19.

The total number of deaths since the beginning of the epidemic was 2,882 as of Thursday afternoon.

9,688 patients are currently hospitalized in healthcare institutions and temporary hospitals in the Republic of Serbia, in whom the presence of the virus has been confirmed or who are suspected of having coronavirus.

(Telegraf.rs)