Epidemiologist: No Reason for Curfew, State of Emergency

Epidemiologist and Crisis Headquarters member Branislav Tiodorovic (Beta/Serbian government/Slobodan Miljevic)

Epidemiologist Branislav Tiodorovic said on Nov. 5 that there was currently no reason nor justification for introducing a curfew or state of emergency, adding that doing so "would only lead to more tensions and an inadequate response by the minor portion of the population that is not showing solidarity even now."

"We have gone through these measures in the past eight months and know that a lockdown is never a particularly good solution. The Crisis Headquarters will review on Nov. 6 the epidemiological situation in the country but I think that we will not opt for lockdown like in Great Britain or some other countries because, after all, we are in a far position than them," he told Prva TV.

He said that he did not know whether November or December would be difficult in terms of the spread of the disease as well as that experts had been calling attention to the epidemiological risk of parties in nightclubs but that "nothing special was accomplished here."

"Without proper checks there can be no implementation of measures and those responsible for carrying out the measures have not done their share of the job. The implementation of measures is the worst in Belgrade where checks are the worst as indicated by the number of newly-infected in the capital," Tiodorovic said.