Amendments to the law, stricter control of compliance with measures – greater powers for communal inspectors and militiamen

The amendments to the law will give greater powers to communal inspectors and militiamen, who will be able to control the observance of protection measures against the coronavirus, such as the use of masks and maintain distance indoors and outdoors, and to write orders for minor crimes .

Currently, only sanitary inspectors are authorized to do so, of which 140 in Serbia.

This will provide a legal framework that will allow police officers to punish failure to wear a mask on site and to grant police officers and community inspectors sanitary inspector authorizations. The importance of this legal framework has been repeatedly emphasized by epidemiologist Predrag Kon.

“By amending the law, ordinary police officers will be able to impose a mandatory fine of 5,000 dinars for not wearing a mask at the scene. When a police officer finds himself without a mask inside and writes a fine, he may pay half of immediately or within eight days. ” minus – 2,500 dinars per day or filing a request for a court decision within that period, “previously stated Deputy Secretary of the Government of Serbia and member of the working group for the Law on Protection of the Population against Infectious Diseases Tamara Stojčević.

According to him, the changes also introduce a personal protection measure, which previously did not exist because due to previous infectious diseases, such as Ebola and others listed in the Law, there was no emphasis on personal responsibility or protection.

“In the case of the crown it was crucial. We are introducing it as a measure that must be respected according to the law, on the basis of which sanctions are imposed, but the essence is not in criminal policy, but in the preventive, “said Tamara Stojčević.

According to the latest information, a physical distance of one and a half meters is mandatory in both indoor and outdoor areas. The use of masks indoors is also mandatory, but that does not mean that you will necessarily be punished if you sit in a cafe or office and do not have a mask, because regulations do not strictly define the distance to wear or for how long, reports Sputnik.

That is why it will be up to communal inspectors and police officers to assess whether the situation inside is dangerous or not.

“If you and a colleague are sitting alone in a 15-square-meter office at two distant tables, then it’s really stupid to insist on wearing masks. But if there are 10 people sitting in an office, one hundred at the table, then they should be wearing the masks. That’s from “Neither the law, nor the decree, nor the measure can foresee all possible situations,” explains Stojčević.

It is not mandatory to wear masks outdoors, unless there are a large number of people somewhere and there is not enough space for a safe distance between them.

Penalties from 5,000 to 300,000

The amount of the fine for non-compliance with anti-epidemiological measures ranges from 5,000 to 300,000 dinars. There is a difference if they refer to a natural or legal person, as well as, of course, what type of violation it is.

As stated above, if a person does not pay the fine within eight days or does not file a request for a court decision, the court receives a final order of execution.

Said order is executed by suspending the fined portion of the salary through the employer, blocking the account until the fine is paid or changing the fine imposed for work in the public interest (eight hours of work in the public interest for 1,000 dinars) or prison at the beginning of a day equal to fines of 1,000 dinars.