COVID-19 Epidemic in Montenegro Ended, but Global Pandemic Lasts

June 3, 2020 - The minister of health, Kenan Hrapovic, announced the end of the Covid-19 epidemic in the territory of Montenegro yesterday. Hrapovic pointed out, however, that the pandemic continued at the global level and that while it lasted, all of the measures and recommendations of the Institute of Public Health remained valid and needed to be observed until the pandemic ended. The Institute warns that recommendations for physical distancing, hand washing, and mask-wearing remain in effect and that citizens should continue to be cautious as a new wave of the virus could appear in the fall.

No one can rule out the possibility of new massive infections of the coronavirus in the fall or winter since it is a classic respiratory pathogen characterized by extreme seasonality, says Dr. Aleksandar Kujovic, a member of the Crisis Medical Staff. "The knowledge we have about the current epidemic, and what we know about previous pandemics tells us that a second, and probably third wave will occur, Kujovic said in an interview this morning for Montenegro's public broadcaster. How many people will get sick in each subsequent wave, depends on us, he explained. "In conditions when we do not have a vaccine, when we do not have a cure, adherence to measures, such as masks, hand hygiene, and physical distancing, is the only thing protecting us from massive cases and a stronger second wave," he said. Regarding Montenegro's readiness for a possible second wave, Kujovic said Montenegro was now significantly better equipped, with more ventilators than at the beginning of the epidemic, a considerable state reserve of equipment for temporary hospitals, as well as protective gear and disinfectants.

Having gained experience during the coronavirus epidemic, Montenegro is now ready to face the risk posed by the opening of its borders, epidemiologists say. Border police advise they are available for the tourist season and that they will work hard to ensure that tourists feel safe. As many as 492 foreign citizens, mainly from European countries, crossed into Montenegro just yesterday. Montenegrins and foreign citizens with residency in Montenegro arriving from states, not on Montenegro's safe list, will be required to self-isolate or quarantine for 14 days.

After testing and seven days in quarantine, Montenegrin seafarers in Igalo are free to go back to their families, where they must remain in self-isolation. All seafarers arriving in the country from now on, through green travel corridors, will no longer be required to quarantine and go directly to their homes, the government decided last night. Montenegro has established travel corridors with countries with an infection rate of less than 25 active coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The government has released photographs and videos showing the complete coronavirus testing and analysis process, as it is carried out at the Institute of Public Health laboratories. It was done in reaction to accusations coming from sources in Serbia that Montenegro does not carry out adequate testing for Covid-19.

The tourism sector was the first to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic. It is already clear that this tourist season will fail, and those who manage to survive the year will have to get used to a new way of working, which will include numerous epidemiological measures, at least until a vaccine or cure for Covid-19 is discovered. Greek-Montenegrin businessman, Petros Stathis, the owner of Adriatic Properties, told Telegram.hr that changes in the tourism sector have already been happening. Tourism will suffer significant losses in the short term and contribute to a crisis in many related industries.

The Podgorica and Tivat airports reopened for commercial traffic two days ago to countries registering less than 25 active cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants. European countries on this safe list are Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, Georgia, Switzerland, Albania, Austria, Norway, Monaco, Kosovo, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Israel, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Estonia. The list of countries is being updated by the National Coordinating Body weekly. Airports of Montenegro's operations have been virtually suspended since mid-March. Unofficial sources from the company claim that it isn't realistic to expect airlines to start flying to Montenegro again as they will be unwilling to risk reactivating flights they might have to suspend again after a few days if a particular country's infection rate rises above Montenegro's threshold. 

The president of the Association of Managers of Montenegro, Budimir Raickovic, says the most significant help to the economy is supporting liquidity, but also a decisive fight against the gray economy. Raickovic says the organization expects a substantial part of the government's third rescue package to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. He does not believe this package will be the last and stresses that the current coronavirus crisis has provided a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of Montenegro's economy.