Montenegro’s COVID-19 Hotspots Demand New Measures as Crisis Escalates

Montenegrin minister of health Jelena Borovinic Bojovic on the press conference.Photo: Government of Montenegro

On Tuesday, the Institute for Public Health said Montenegro currently had 1,257 active coronavirus active cases for every 100,000 citizens. This is the highest rate in the region.

Albania is in second place, with 1,150 active infections for every 100,000 citizens, while Slovenia comes in third place, with 719. Bosnia and Hercegovina has 567 active cases per 100,000 people, Kosovo 369 and North Macedonia 315.

On Tuesday, the Mayor of the resort town of Budva, Marko Bato Carevic, called for a total lockdown of the town due to the concentration of coronavirus cases. He also accused the ministry of ignoring local authorities' warnings and calls for new measures.

"Those who were supposed to take preventive action to deal with the pandemic did not deal with it until it escalated. Our local medical team did everything it could and we hope that the government will listen to our request for lockdown," Carevic told the public broadcaster, RTCG.

Carevic demanded the closure of all kindergartens, restaurants and cafes, while schools should move back online. According to the Institute for Public Health, 811 active cases of coronavirus are currently registered in Budva.

The same day, the mayor of another coastal town, Herceg Novi, Stevan Katic, also called on the Health Ministry for help, warning that the local Meljine hospital was short of staff due to the number of coronavirus cases in the ranks. Katic asked Health Minister Jelena Borovinic Bojovic to send in backup teams for the hospital, saying a large number of doctors and nurses in the hospital had now become infected.

The opposition has called for the minister's...