The National Coordinating Body (NKT) will most likely at today's session consider the possibility of catering establishments being open as early as next week, although the profession's position is that they should not start working before May 18.
"Vijesti" yesterday asked the Institute for Public Health (IJZ) whether they proposed opening cafes, restaurants and bars for the beginning of next week, and if not, how do they comment on the fact that many restaurateurs are heavily preparing to receive the first guests after being closed 16 March in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
The IJZ responded that the NKT session is scheduled for today at 13 p.m., and that this issue will be discussed:
"The current plan is to adhere to the previously announced dynamics of relaxation of measures, which will be one of the topics of the session," he wrote in yesterday's reply to "Vijesta". They also said that they are currently preparing instructions and measures that will be adopted in the coming period, about which they will inform the public.
Director of IJZ Boban Mugoša announced the night before yesterday on TVCG that they are considering opening cafes, restaurants, shopping centers, and beaches "some day before May 18 if the epidemiological situation is favorable, in compliance with regulations."
MORT gave recommendations to hoteliers
Regardless of whether beaches, restaurants and hotels will open before May 18, the Ministry of Tourism and Sustainable Development (MORT) has published recommendations according to which it is suggested to hoteliers that a maximum of four people can stay in ten square meters.
Managements of hotels and other accommodation facilities are recommended to keep a diary of important activities and measures carried out and record them in detail - the date and time of use of the disinfectant, employees at the reception desk should be well informed about the virus so that they can safely perform their assigned tasks and prevent possible spread in within the object.
This is stated, among other things, in the temporary instructions of the World Health Organization (WHO) for hotels and similar facilities, accommodation facilities for holidays and short stays as well as camps, which were published by MORT.
"Hotels and tourist accommodation facilities are not more susceptible to infection than other public institutions visited by a large number of people who communicate both with each other and with employees. However, these are places where guests temporarily stay together and where there is a high degree of interaction between guests and workers", the recommendations state.
It is also emphasized that every employee must strictly adhere to the basic protective measures against covid-19 recommended by the WHO, such as hand hygiene, physical distancing, avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth, practicing respiratory hygiene and following the advice to stay at home and seek medical help if they have symptoms consistent with the disease.
Managements of hotels and other accommodation facilities are recommended to adopt an action plan, mobilize resources, carry out supervision, keep a diary of activities, organize training for employees.
"Employees at the reception, among other things, should be well informed about the virus, they should have medical supplies - disinfectants/wipes for surface cleaning, face/eye masks, hand disinfection is mandatory after exchanging items (money, credit cards) with guests... Employees in restaurants, dining rooms and bars should take strict care of personal hygiene (frequent and regular hand washing, cough hygiene). Guests should be reminded that when entering and leaving the restaurant or dining room, they disinfect their hands with a disinfectant gel, which should preferably be located at the entrance to those facilities," the recommendations state.
It is desirable, according to the MORT website, that guests in snack bars avoid handling food.
"When necessary, change tongs and ladles more often, always leaving these items in separate containers. Clean and disinfect snack bar surfaces after each service. Machines for coffee, juices and others, especially the parts that are more in contact with the user's hands, should be cleaned and disinfected at least after each service, and more often if necessary", recommended protection measures for hoteliers.
Whenever possible, "the presence of a maximum of four people per ten square meters" is recommended.
"The tables should be arranged so that the distance from the back of one chair to the back of another chair is greater than one meter and that the guests look at each other from a distance of at least one meter," it says in the recommendations and adds that closing the rooms for children's entertainment should be considered.
More than 80 percent of patients recovered
So far, more than 19 percent of those infected have recovered from covid-80 in Montenegro.
Among the 278 samples analyzed from Wednesday afternoon to yesterday at the same time, there were no positives for the new coronavirus. The IJZ said that currently 51 people are sick, of which 28 are from Podgorica, ten from Ulcinj, five from Bar, three from Gusinje, two from Plav and one each from Nikšić, Herceg Novi and Bijelo Polje.
Yesterday, there were no patients infected with the coronavirus during hospital treatment. The Clinical Center (KC) said that the patient who was referred from Podgorica for treatment in Graz is still in danger.
According to the website of the National Coordinating Body for Infectious Diseases, the largest number of those infected so far are between the ages of 40 and 49. Out of a total of 324 registered positive cases, 181 are male. There are 19 patients under the age of 59.
Statistics show that among the sick, 30 are zero patients, while 260 are infected from contacts. The source of infection is unknown in 34 people, i.e. 10,49 percent of those infected.
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