Vucic: Within 3 to 4 days, the decision on a 24-hour curfew
President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic was hosted on TV show "Theme" on TV Prva. Follow the latest information on B92.net
Source: B92
"If I said I feel good, I wouldn't be completely honest, if I said I feel bad, I wouldn't motivate people", he answered at the beginning of the show when asked how he felt.
"I am happy if I sometimes bring discomfort, in a situation like this, it is my job," the President said, explaining that he had been given a role of "a bad cop."
He states that these days the police are begging people to go home after the curfew, explaining that there was already a crowd at Gazela yesterday, and that is why the police wrote penalties today.
When they take pets for a walk, people gather and talk, President said, stating that the measure was abolished. In addition, it lists a number of risks that pets can take - from elevators to the banisters that may be infected.
Still, he states that because of 8 to 10 percent of people who do not respect the measures, everyone else must comply with more restrictive measures.
"Do you want justice or do you want to stay alive?", he asked.
"Any such stroll complicates the situation further. I know that most of them feel that they are strong, that they are not in danger, which is not far from the truth, but we must not take the risk, they must understand that”, Vucic said.
He added that obese people belong also to a risk group, in addition to the elderly and people with chronic illnesses.
Despite people's opinion that measures are not democratic, Vucic believes that Serbia has a democratic society after all, but that what is and what is not democracy can be discussed for hours.
"What democratic rights have you been denied, the right of free speech, the right to criticism? You are denied movement - that's right. Sometimes I want to burst into tears for imposing that measure", President stated.
"I do not know if you understand how difficult the situation is, all the hospitals in Belgrade are almost full", the President explains, stating that hospitals will be built in addition to the Belgrade Fair in the Sports Hall and in Pionir.
"I don't want to scare you, I am telling you what are the prospects, we are going with additional testing and that is why we have to build and buy beds," the President states.
We were not ready to welcome 400.000 people to Serbia without damage, and from the moment the border was closed, we received this amount of people from abroad.
"Nine soldiers who worked on Morovic have been infected", Vucic said, saying that 642 people in the army were under isolation.
"I don't care about someone's comfort for 14 or 28 days and 99% of them will be healed. Everyone who goes to the Belgrade Fair should be happy. I would love to go to the Fair," Vucic said.
As for freedom of movement, there is no country in Europe that has not been denied that right, he added.
The patients with mild symptoms, those found to be positive to virus Covid-19, will be accommodated at the Fair.
President Aleksandar Vucic said tonight that when up to 4.500 citizens are tested, 1.000 people will be positive, and later more, and that at that moment both the Fair and Arena will be full and these patients will have to be housed somewhere in one day.
President also reiterated that it would be completely wrong to expect that such a scenario would not happen to Serbia.
"I am realistic, I can see at what pace we are going and that is why it is extremely important for citizens to stay at home. It is not wrong to hope, but it is wrong to expect," Vucic said.
He says that Serbia now has enough tests for the coronavirus, that the problem were the laboratories, but that they were also being worked on, and stressed that it would be wrong to hope that Serbia would not experience a scenario in which more than 1.000 were infected on a daily basis.
Vucic told Prva TV on Wednesday that 500 people would be tested tomorrow, up to 3.000 daily in seven days, and stressed that the tests were not a problem, but laboratories.
"But we also managed to arrange it, as we now produce yeast ourselves ... We try to produce as many things as possible by ourselves, so that we do not depend on others," Vucic said.
He stated that the agricultural laboratory in Batajnica now works like a charm.
He says the best lab, donated by China, will be completed on April 8 or 9, when Serbia will reach the peak of the crisis and when the situation is the worst.
When asked how a month ago the tone was optimistic, while today it is so pessimistic, president states that he understands the political need to show that someone is guilty, explaining Dr Nestorovic's optimistic tone.
"In a situation like this, I have to say that I'm not interested in what someone says, but just what the doctors say," he explains.
"I will propose to the Government a 24-hour curfew," he said, adding, "No one will be able to get on the street. Ever."
Asked how people would go to the stores for the supplies, he replies, "The same as the pensioners don't go now," but also added that he doesn't know how it would really work.
Vucic emphasized that if the 24-hour curfew were introduced, it would be tightly controlled - whoever was on the street would be penalized.
The minority of the irresponsible endangers those responsible, according to Vucic, and that is why all measures have been introduced.
Doctors believe we need complete isolation, but prior to the introduction of additional measures, we await the advice of Chinese experts. However, with all these measures in place, if we were to be disciplined, we would come out of this situation in less than two months.
The numbers, statistics and prospects are not so great, the President said, but refused to discuss numbers.
The President stated that Serbia is on the European path, but that we are rational.
"All of Europe accused me of welcoming a Chinese plane," he says.
"I give myself the right to express Serbia's opinion."
China has helped us more at the moment, but much help from the European Union is also awaited. He estimates that in the future the highest number of infected persons will be in Belgrade and that of the total number of infected persons in Serbia, 60 percent of them will be infected in Belgrade.
Asked if Belgrade would close, he said that a curfew of 24 hours would be introduced if the situation did not improve and citizens did not comply with the measures.
"Expect a decision in the next three or four days," he added.
"When all this goes by, many will show genuine respect to Serbia", the President concluded.
