Coronavirus: the "second wave" is already hitting the Balkans

Text by: Jean-Arnault Dérens Follow

The European Union will keep its external borders closed on 1 July to nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia, but could open them to those of Montenegro and Serbia. The health situation deteriorates very quickly in these two countries.

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From our correspondent in Belgrade,

At the end of May, Montenegro proclaimed itself "the  first corona-free country in the world  ", and hoped to start its tourist season without delay. But a month later, the situation deteriorated considerably  : the small country of 600,000 inhabitants identified several dozen new cases of contamination every day.

On June 15, when they were not allowed to cross the Serbian border, hundreds of Montenegrins passed through Bosnia and Herzegovina to go to Belgrade and attend the Partizan-Red Star football match, which is played in front of 15,000 supporters in the Serbian capital. A few days later, there were 19 positive cases and since then the virus has continued to spread.

Another cluster: the town of Rožaje, in northern Montenegro, whose inhabitants have continued to visit the neighboring Serbian town of Tutin. This is despite the border closure.

Tutin is in fact in the same region as Novi Pazar, the new epicenter of the epidemic in Serbia. While it was learned Monday, June 22, that 60 caregivers in the city's hospital were infected, many patients were transferred to Belgrade in serious condition. The army even had to build a field hospital on Saturday 27 June.

State of emergency in Kragujevac because of " lack of discipline " by Serbs

The situation in Serbia is just as serious in the south-east of the country, notably in Niš and Vranje, as well as in Kragujevac, where Mayor Radomir Nikolić has declared a state of emergency. The majority of cases are said to involve young adults, aged 18 to 35. The capital Belgrade is also strongly affected, in particular the student residences of the modern districts of Novi Beograd.

Radomir Nikolić explained his decision by the "  lack of discipline  " of his fellow citizens. It is true that the health instructions are hardly respected: while thousands of people find themselves in the stadiums, cafes and restaurants are full and, in the streets of Belgrade, the mask is most often worn under the chin or on the skull…

Three Serbian top officials positive for Covid-19 after elections

The example comes from above: when the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the formation of President Vučić, celebrated its overwhelming victory in the June 21 elections , no distancing rule was in effect. Aleksandar Vučić delivered his televised speech amidst a crowd of senior leaders massed on the platform, not one of whom was wearing a mask. Since then, the President of the Parliament Maja Gojković, the Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin and the Secretary of State in charge of Kosovo Marko Đurić have been tested positive.

According to data from the official site covid19.rs, the daily number of new contaminations remained less than a hundred until the day of the elections. Since then, it has continued to climb, reaching 254 new cases on Saturday June 27.

Serbian official figures under suspicion

Strong suspicions weigh on the veracity of these figures . Between March 19 and June 1, 632 people who tested positive for coronavirus died in the country, almost three times more than the 244 deaths announced by the authorities. These data were revealed by the investigation site BIRN, by cross-checking the figures communicated by the various hospitals of the country and those available on the site covid-19.rs. Contacted by the site, the National Institute of Public Health declined to comment on the suspected deviation.

Even more serious: between June 17 and 20, there were already some 300 new infections per day, according to BIRN. Numerous testimonies confirm that it was impossible to be tested during the week preceding the election. In Belgrade, a sick doctor was unable to obtain a test for his family. In several kindergartens in the capital, teachers and parents are sick, but the schools have not been closed. At the Niš hospital, no test was possible the week before the election.

► To read also : Coronavirus: in Serbia, the figures for contamination very undervalued

For the past few days, long lines of patients have been waiting to be tested, sometimes waiting for hours outside and under the sun, in front of hospitals in Niš, Novi Sad and other cities in the country. Alterations broke out in several hospitals with nursing staff overwhelmed.

North Macedonia Reaches Peak March-April Again

The situation is just as bad in North Macedonia, where the epidemic rebound has been very marked since the beginning of June. In this country, festive gatherings that marked the end of Ramadan on May 23 were strongly blamed , coinciding with the start of deconfinement .

Saturday, June 27, there were 176 new cases and nine deaths, the same as at the height of the epidemic in March-April, in this small country of less than two million inhabitants. However, the authorities have decided to fully open the country's land borders as well as the Skopje and Ohrid airports from July 1. Despite the gravity of the epidemic situation, the government intends to maintain the early legislative elections called on July 15 and does not want to hinder the return of the diaspora to the country.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, three deaths and 150 contaminations were also recorded on Saturday, while private laboratories are not licensed to perform PCR tests, which only a few public hospitals have.

In the Balkans, no total restructuring on the agenda

Despite public hospitals and out-of-breath health systems, the Balkans had weathered the shock of the first wave of Covid-19 relatively well in the spring, with a limited human toll. The collapse, quickly started during the month of May by all the countries of the region, could dramatically call into question this assessment.

No general reconfiguration seems to be on the agenda, for economic reasons. Montenegro and North Macedonia have only partially reconfigured the most affected municipalities.

Croatia wants to save tourist season at all costs

Even Croatia is desperate to save its tourist season  : the sector weighs almost 30% of GDP, or even more if we integrate the product of the “ gray  ” economy  . The number of contaminations is on the rise in several regions of the country.

The Adria Tour demonstration tournament, organized by star Novak Đoković in several cities of the country, could well have served as a traveling cluster: the number 1 in world tennis itself was tested positive upon its return to Belgrade.

Belgrade reimposes fortnight on other Balkan countries

Croatia decided on June 25 to reintroduce a compulsory fortnight for all people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia, hoping to reassure tourists from Germany or Central Europe. It is not certain, however, that the latter decide to come to Croatia, where hotels and campsites remain desperately empty. In addition, the country risks losing the most loyal of its visitors: the Bosnians.

Montenegrins and Serbs can still hope to travel this summer - even if nothing obliges a member state of the European Union, like Croatia, to apply the recommendation of the European Commission to open borders. For the others, it is a vacation in the country that is looming, hoping to manage to stem the new wave of Covid-19.

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• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Serbia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kosovo
• North Macedonia
• Montenegro
• Albania

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