Although we are witnessing a worsening epidemiological situation throughout our country, crisis staffs are not yet deciding on the introduction of more restrictive measures. They call the citizens for adherence to current measures and immunization, while vaccines almost reached expiration dates.
The daily rise in the number of new infections across the country is still not an alarm to authorities to introduce more restrictive measures. Crisis staffs during the summer months even relaxed the measures. However, even the existing ones are not respected in most cases.
“Local crisis staffs should also keep in mind that they are responsible for the epidemiological situation in their local communities and that they must pay special attention to the behavior of their citizens. Respect for epidemiological measures and what is then important for the movement of newly infected people, ” noted the director of the Republika Srpska (RS) Institute of Public Health, Branislav Zeljkovic.
Institutes propose measures, crisis staffs adopt them, and inspections control. This is the most common answer when it is checked who is responsible for non-compliance of determined measures. Surprisingly, the Inspectorate did not impose any sanctions during the summer months.
“In the past three months, Republic inspectors have performed about 2.000 inspections. As a rule, since the summer period was behind us, there were no controls with irregularities, especially when we consider the fact that certain activities did not work. Thus, the education inspectors in schools and faculties did not have irregular checks, and some other areas were quite relieved since people were on vacation, ” said the spokesperson of the RS Inspectorate, Duska Makivic.
The pandemic has long been not only health but also a social problem, and governments are currently focusing on a campaign to immunize the population as much as possible. Even though many countries have already introduced them, the so-called modalities of corona certificate systems are still being considered in our country. It confirms that the person has been vaccinated, recovered from Covid, or has tested negative (in Bosnian: VPT). When it comes to measures, they are not yet tightened in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). Criteria for the adoption of corona measures under the community virus transmission plan have recently been adopted.
“It is a plan for the transmission of viruses in the community according to which the cantons should act. There are four levels of transmission, it is determined which level it is on the basis of four parameters and based on those parameters, depending on the situation and which is the level of transmission, certain measures will be taken, ” explained the Assistant Minister of Health of FBiH, Goran Cerkez.
“The initial situation was really different, we didn’t know what we were facing. Now there is some research and specific advice from doctors that are based on some scientific facts and we are used to it, but of course, if it gets worse, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations of competent institutions, ” told Tamara Todorovic from the Association of Psychologists of RS.
After the delay in the procurement of vaccines, BiH could face an increase of unused doses if it does not speed up the immunization process. The expiration date for 340.000 doses of coronavirus vaccines in the Federation expires next month. More than 55.000 AstraZeneca vaccines have already spoiled in RS. Their expiration date was the end of July and August, and now destruction is being prepared, BHRT writes.
E.Dz.
