May 30, 2020 - No new cases of Covid-19 have been registered in Montenegro since 5 May. Four days remain in the countdown to the end of the epidemic.
The Constitutional Court will annul NKTs decision but too late
By publishing the data of persons who were ordered self-isolation during the initial COVID-19 outbreak, the National Coordinating Body (NKT) helped these persons become victims of social stigma and enabled their data to be abused. It is what judge rapporteur Mevlida Muratović said after the constitutional court yesterday initiated a procedure to assess the constitutionality of NKT's decision to publish the list of names of citizens who were ordered self-isolation. The initiative was submitted on 23 April by NGO Civic Alliance, and all judges voted yesterday in favor of putting it on the list. In the meantime, the list disappeared from the government's website without explanation, and the documents of the constitutional court state that it has not been available online since 25 April.
Milo and Vucic are raising tensions to improve their ratings before elections
Sociologist, an anti-war activist, and former leader of the Civic Alliance of Serbia, Vesna Pešić, said that nationalist squabbling between Montenegro and Serbia should be stopped. Too many people had died over this already. It is how Pešić commented on the latest wave of tensions between Montenegro and Serbia. What sparked them was the recent decision of Montenegro not to include Serbian citizens on the list of those allowed entry into Montenegro. Belgrade accused Podgorica of making a purely political decision, while Podgorica claims that the criterion for the choice was primarily epidemiological. Pešić said that President Milo Đukanović and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić were good friends, with common mediators and employees and joint business ventures. She said that they were deliberately raising tensions to improve their ratings, as elections were approaching in both countries. Pešić said it was an old Balkan trope of whoever shouts louder at the neighbors gets more votes in elections.
Statements taken from 13 passengers who smoked and drank aboard airplane
The airplane carrying home 317 seafarers from the countries of the region from Barbados, landed in Podgorica yesterday. They all sailed on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises companies' vessels.
Among them, there were 143 Montenegrin citizens and 174 seafarers from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. There were incidents during the flight, as some of the passengers failed to adhere to the airliner's rules. Serbian media reported that 15 Montenegrin seafarers were arrested at the Podgorica airport upon landing. State secretary in the Ministry of Interior and the head of the operational headquarters coordinating the repatriation of Montenegrin citizens, Dragan Pejanović, said that some of the passengers were smoking during the flight and consumed alcohol. The crew informed the police about this.
Children will be able to go to kindergartens by Thursday, here are measures to adhere to
Public pre-school institutions will re-open on Thursday, 4 June. Private pre-school institutions can start working on 1 June, if they met all of the conditions and recommendations by the Institute of Public Health (IJZ). There are around 22,000 enrolled with kindergartens across Montenegro. All necessary precautionary measures are being taken to make kindergartens free of any health hazards.
Glass lizard found in a toilet in Zoganj quarantine
Seafarers who arrived in Montenegro in recent days are demanding that the state releases them from quarantine because they have been on the high seas for months. Some also complain about quarantine conditions. An 80-centimeter-long glass lizard was found in a toilet in one of the rooms in Zoganj quarantine in Ulcinj. The girl who was in that room will be transferred to another quarantine. Also, one seafarer hired an attorney because he has been locked in his room in Simo Milosevic Institute quarantine in Igalo since his arrival, and he was not checked by doctors since. It is not known why Montenegrin sailors, who returned to the country from the Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze cruise ships via the port of Dubrovnik, have to be quarantined in Igalo for 14 days. However, they previously spent two to three months isolated on cruise ships.
Flego: We need to open doors to tourists, but with maximum precautions
Both Croatia and Montenegro need to open their doors to foreign tourists, but with maximum precautions and the highest security level. Croatian Member of the European Parliament Valter Flego said this in an interview with Dnevne Novine.
"The summer season will be completely different than what we have become accustomed to in recent years. This season will not break any records, but I believe that the occupancy of tourist facilities in July and August will be good," says Flego. He believes that the countries will have to adjust the supply to the market demand, and as he says, the safety of the destination and the attractiveness of the offer will play a significant role. "While this does not necessarily imply a reduction in prices, some form of added value needs to be provided," Flego says.
Radak Kukavicic: Montenegro's promotion under the slogan "Nature and Me."
The fact that Montenegro is recognized as the first European corona-free destination is crucial, says the director of the National Tourist Organization, Zeljka Radak Kukavicic. "It is a great success for our country, which was primarily achieved thanks to the commitment and organization of Montenegrin health institutions and the responsibility of our citizens," says Radak Kukavicic. As she says, the season will bring a different summer vacation experience. She claims that according to UNWTO estimates, the initial phase of the tourist recovery will start in July 2020. She announced that Montenegro's new campaign on the foreign market would be under the slogan Nature and Me.
States support airlines with billions
Without significant state financial aid, no airline in the region and Europe, except the low-cost RyanAir, Wizz Air, and Volotea, can survive the coronavirus crisis, says Croatian aviation analyst. Alen Scuric says that miniature state-owned airlines are more vulnerable than large companies and need aid. "Airlines will not be able to survive without support from the state. If that support is under €40m for Croatia Airlines and Air Serbia, and €20m for Montenegro Airlines, not including aid announced before the coronavirus situation, those airlines will not have a chance to survive for more than two years", says Šćuric. He points out that American and Asian airlines have a massive advantage over European ones, due to the rapid pumping of state money and the announced additional billions of dollars in aid.
SMEs at the mercy of banks
SDP deputy leader Rasko Konjevic called on the governor of the Central Bank (CBCG), Radoje Zugic, to resign. According to Konjevic, Zugic left micro, small and medium-sized companies, which are the backbone of the Montenegrin economy and by far the largest employer, at the mercy of the banks. "Zugic informed the public that he managed to arrange a second moratorium on loans with a commercial bank. However, the banks are not obliged to approve the moratorium, even if clients meet all the conditions. Zugic sent a clear message to employers that they need to fulfill strict conditions, but that does not mean that they will get a moratorium on their loans," says Konjevic. According to SDP official, the governor with a salary of over €5,000 seems to have a hard time understanding the predicament of small and medium-sized enterprises that barely ensure financial sustainability and retain labor, due to the adverse effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. So it is not surprising that he is arrogant to boast with this new moratorium arrangement after the first one, which cost the economy over €30m.
COVID-19 crisis could increase poverty in Montenegro by up to 3%
World Bank's semi-annual report on recent economic developments and economic policies in the Western Balkans looks at the outlook for the Western Balkans region and the coronavirus factor that affects growth prospects. From about 9,000 to 20,000 citizens could fall into poverty due to the economic shock, the report titled The Economic and Social Impact of COVID-19: Poverty and Household Welfare. Worryingly, more than 80 percent of the Montenegrins who could become weak because of the COVID-19 crisis do not currently have any social protection support, the report says. In sectors profoundly affected by COVID-19, about 14 to 33 percent of Western Balkan economies are self-employed and, therefore, particularly vulnerable. It is estimated that, in the Western Balkans, without considering government response measures, the COVID-19 crisis would push at least 400,000 people into poverty, and up to 950,000 if the crisis is prolonged.
At least some earnings could be made from failed nautical season
Montenegrin maritime authorities are prepared to offer to owners of cruisers to dock their vessels in Montenegro. At the same time, they are not being used commercially due to the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on the global cruising industry, and almost the entire fleet of cruisers is currently out of use. Everything indicates that this yachting season is off. Montenegrin Ministry of Transportation and the Maritime Safety and Port Management Authority decided to make the offer to enable port authorities in Montenegro to make some earnings.
This brief is kindly prepared for you by Arhimed & Represent Communications.
