Isolation for everyone from Igman anniversary, Konjic citizens recommended distance

By: A. Vrabac

Four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Konjic, linked to the celebration of 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 BiH, and considering the number of employees at Igman Konjic who have become a kind of quarantine, it is clear that the fear is more than justified. It is not encouraging that the media learns about the confirmed cases through their sources in hospitals, instead of such information being announced by the Federal Crisis Staff. It is meeting today at 3 PM, let's hope we don't find out about another case by then. Konjic residents are recommended to self-isolate as much as possible and distance themselves from any social contact.

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

Fear has crept into the population due to the large number of people who have entered BiH in recent days from countries affected by coronavirus, 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 14 days of self-isolation, and in case of symptoms, to seek further instructions. Since March 5, when the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in BiH, 114 tests have been performed in FBiH. 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 arrived in Sarajevo from abroad. 

It is justified to ask if 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 measure of protection. 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 BiH so far, or at least none confirmed from coronavirus. But again, that cannot be a consolation because the fact is that coronavirus is among us.