Montenegro becomes first European country to declare coronavirus free

Montenegro is the first coronavirus free country in Europe, said Prime Minister Dusko Markovic at a press conference on Monday afternoon, while announcing kindergartens and cinemas will open next week, while border crossings will open on June 1.

Montenegro will reopen its borders with countries that meet the criteria of the Institute of Public Health — having less than 25 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Markovic said at a press conference broadcast by the national television RTCG.

These countries include Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Albania, and Greece.

He specified that no testing will be needed for travelers.

Markovic also announced a new package of economic measures, especially for the tourism sector, for restructuring the economy in the medium term.

Montenegro’s battle against COVID-19 lasted for 68 days. During this period, 324 people tested positive, with nine dead and 315 recovered.

Markovic praised the 28-day long quarantine and self-isolation measures and the responsibility of citizens that allowed the country not to introduce a state of emergency or curfews.

“We could win the battle only with the citizens, not against them. We did not want to have the citizens against us, but with us, and that proved to be a formula for success,” said Markovic.

Health Minister Kenan Hrapovic also said that Montenegro was “the last European country to register the presence of COVID-19 and the first to beat the virus.”
In the past 24 hours, Montenegro analyzed 140 new samples which all tested negative for COVID-19.

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Source: Xinhua