Controls to begin: Prison sentences for violating self-isolation orders!

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH is clear when it comes to endangering people's health, and soon all those who do not respect the instructions of the Crisis Staffs and do not adhere to self-isolation orders will have to answer criminally.

It is increasingly heard in public that individuals who arrived in BiH from countries most affected by the coronavirus are behaving irresponsibly and going to restaurants or shopping malls.
Doctors warn and plead that we strictly adhere to all instructions, because their efforts, all the plans of the crisis staffs, will be in vain if we are irresponsible individuals. All news from Italy clearly shows that Italians took the warnings very lightly, and are now in a very difficult situation. It has been unofficially confirmed for the Patria News Agency that police officers will begin serious controls of those in self-isolation.

Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities have decided to introduce mandatory self-isolation for BiH citizens arriving from abroad, confirmed the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Zoran Tegeltija, on Friday.

At the proposal of the entity ministries of health, the decision is that all these BiH citizens will go into isolation for 14 days, and this measure takes effect on March 16. Previously, orders had already been served at airports to individuals who arrived from crisis areas.

When it comes to criminal offenses against people's health, Article 225 on the transmission of infectious diseases states: "Whoever fails to comply with the regulations or orders by which the competent health service authority determines examinations, disinfection, isolation of patients, or other measures for the suppression or prevention of infectious diseases in humans, and due to this, a risk of spreading the infectious disease arises, shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year."

Article 226. Deals with non-compliance with health regulations during an epidemic.

"Whoever, during an epidemic of any infectious disease, fails to comply with orders or decisions made based on the regulations of the competent authority that determine measures for the suppression or prevention of the epidemic, shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year."

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 21 people have been confirmed infected with coronavirus so far. In neighboring Croatia, there are 38, and in Serbia, 41 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed so far.