In the past 24 hours, 596 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and 39 people died as a result of the infection, as was recorded yesterday. There were 288 new cases registered in the Federation of BiH (FBiH), 275 in the Republika Srpska (RS), and 32 in the Brcko District. Epidemiological measures in our country have been considerably mitigated compared to March and the third wave of coronavirus, but the epidemiological situation is still unfavorable. Epidemiologists warn that by not following the existing measures during the celebration of May Day and the upcoming religious holidays we can only cause the fourth wave of coronavirus. Will the relaxation and celebration of May 1st cost us dearly?
Even though the pandemic curve has been declining in recent days, we cannot relax. Only in April, 17.930 people who were positive on Covid 19 were recorded in the FBiH, 11.345 in the RS, and 1.486 in the Brcko District. As many as 1.876 citizens in BiH passed away as a result of the coronavirus. Infectious disease experts warn that the upcoming May Day and religious holidays are a potential danger for a new increase in a number of infected if citizens decide to ignore epidemiological measures.
“Gathering with unknown people who are not from the family represents an epidemiological risk. Each gathering requires masks and distance, especially during the holidays, which will not be the case since people relax,” said Ednan Drljevic, infectologist.
In RS, it is allowed to gather up to 10 people in private and 30 in public gatherings, wearing masks and respecting the physical distance. The director of the Institute of Public Health states that we are in a stable phase of the third wave, but that the epidemiological situation is still unfavorable.
“How the epidemiological situation will look like this month depends on our behavior in the next few days. A high level of awareness is needed for citizens to adhere to the measures, that discipline must be at a high level to enter the period of stabilization into a better epidemiological situation, ” told Branislav Zeljkovic, director of the RS Institute of Public Health.
During today’s day, inspection controls and covid guards will be strengthened at the picnic areas. In Canton Sarajevo (CS), the number of those infected has dropped from the former 800 per day in March to less than 100 positive ones.
“It cannot be allowed that the good result we have made with the measures be changed. For May 1st, there will be instructions on how people should behave, there should be distance, and there will be covid guards, ” noted Arman Sarkic, spokesman of the CS Crisis Staff.
“We have to completely follow all these measures, because if we don’t, there may be a third or fourth wave, which I don’t know how we will survive,” stated Ednan Drljevic.
Last year, the citizens of BiH did not celebrate Labor Day. The curfew was in force, although the number of infected was far less than nowadays. There are no restrictive measures this year. The surveyed citizens say that they will celebrate the May Day holidays in a family environment.
The interlocutors think that reason and caution will prevail among the citizens so that we do not face an even darker scenario than the one we had in March, BHRT reports.
E.Dz.
