May 31, 2020 - Seafarers who will come from the countries from the NKT list of open traffic will enter Montenegro without quarantine. Acknowledging that the seafarers were already in quarantine, the NKT will consider the possibility that those coming from other countries be tested after the first week of isolation, announced the Twitter account of the Government.
Markovic and the leaders of the Union of Seafarers of Montenegro - President Nedjeljko Radulovic and Vice President Vlado Vucetic agreed today on steps to take to overcome the challenges and improve the status of our seafarers whose tradition and professionalism are recognized in Montenegro and around the world.
The Union of Seafarers' remarks on the treatment of its members returning to Montenegro during the COVID-19 pandemic initiated the meeting. It was pointed out that the National Coordination Body for Infectious Diseases (NCT) has taken the most principled and epidemiologically justified position to treat all citizens in the same way.
Following this principle, which was respected, among others, by our top athletes, scientists, educators, and medical workers and entrepreneurs, institutional isolation is necessary for seafarers as well as all other citizens when returning to Montenegro.
All complaints of persons placed in quarantine facilities, especially seafarers, were responsibly considered. It was emphasized that the competent bodies dealing with quarantine and conditions of accommodation would, as before, act daily on complaints.
It was pointed out that from tomorrow, June 1, when the measure of entering Montenegro without isolation comes into force, if the passenger comes from a country where the rate of confirmed active cases of coronavirus is below 25 per 100,000 inhabitants, seafarers coming from and through the countries on the list will not have to in isolation. Considering the specific position of seafarers, who spend time in isolation even before the start of the voyage, and in some cases are tested for coronavirus, NKT plans to provide seafarers coming from off-country countries to be tested after one week of isolation and released in case of a negative test.
The meeting discussed the positions of the Union of Seafarers regarding strategic documents, legal solutions, tax policy, and treatment of the maritime profession in general. It was pointed out that it is understood that the Government, whose mandate is marked by dialogue with all segments of society, is ready to address all challenges in partnership with the representatives of our seafarers and find the best solutions to overcome them. In this context, the Government is prepared to collaborate with seafarers' associations to find the best solutions that will facilitate the boarding of our cadets on foreign ships.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and President of NKT Milutin Simović, Director of the Institute of Public Health Boban Mugoša, Director General of the Directorate for Quality Control of Health Care and Improvement of Human Resources in Health and Head of the Operational Staff for Coordination of Measures to Prevent Coronavirus Spread. Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Head of the Operational Staff for activities related to the return of Montenegrin citizens from abroad and Director General of the General Directorate for Maritime Economy Maja Mijušković.
