Isolation for everyone from the Igman anniversary, distance recommended for citizens of Konjic

By A. Vrabac

Four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Konjic, linked to the 70th anniversary of the Igman company from Konjic on March 11, have caused panic among those who attended the ceremony, as well as their families. 

Several hundred people attended the ceremony, not only from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Considering the number of employees at Igman Konjic, which has become a kind of quarantine, it is clear that the fear is more than justified. It is not encouraging that the media learn about confirmed cases through their sources in hospitals, rather than having such information announced by the Federal Crisis Staff. It is meeting today at 3 p.m., let's hope we don't learn of another case by then. Residents of Konjic are advised to self-isolate as much as possible and distance themselves from any social contact.

An additional problem is that a place for an isolation ward, where a larger number of people could be accommodated, has not yet been designated. Hospitals have self-organized and created isolation departments. But no one knows what the capacities are, and considering the number of ventilators in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are not prepared for the crisis that officials are announcing for the next 15 days. The only remaining measure is to stay home if you can. 

Fear has spread among the population due to the large number of people who have entered Bosnia and Herzegovina from countries affected by the coronavirus in recent days and who do not respect the rules of self-isolation and visit relatives, public places, thus endangering themselves and everyone around them. 

On the other hand, there are also responsible individuals who came from risk areas and reported to the competent authorities for testing, but this was not possible. They were recommended self-isolation for 14 days, and in case of symptoms, to seek further instructions. Since March 5, when the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 114 tests have been performed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to that information, coronavirus has not yet been confirmed in Sarajevo, but that does not mean it is not there, considering the number of people who have come to Sarajevo from abroad. 

It is justified to ask whether KCUS, as a reference laboratory, has enough tests and what will happen if mass infection occurs at some point. How many people have actually respected the self-isolation rule, and how many are able to isolate themselves somewhere for 14 days at all. Many were in contact with family members, work colleagues, neighbors until instructions on self-isolation were issued.

The World Health Organization stated that testing is the best protective measure. Because what is the point of self-isolation if symptoms have already developed? Then testing is not even necessary, but immediate action is.  

The only encouraging fact is that there have been no deaths in Bosnia and Herzegovina so far, or at least none confirmed from coronavirus. But again, that cannot be a consolation, because the fact is that the coronavirus is among us.