FB&amp;H Assistant Minister of Health Goran Čerkez said today that a study conducted in November 2020 showed that 19.2 percent of B&amp;H citizens have contracted COVID-19, and it is estimated that now it is between 25 and 30 percent.

-We were a little deceived by the lower numbers of infected people and we see that more and more people do not adhere to the introduced measures, which is why the competent authorities must react- Čerkez pointed out at the press conference of the Crisis Staff of the FB&amp;H Ministry of Health.
He announced that visits to nursing homes for the elderly would be allowed in the coming period. Čerkez also said that cantons would be able to adopt more restrictive measures, but not different ones.
FB&amp;H Assitant Minister added that in the next 15 days the crisis staff will consider the possibility for the football supporters to attend matches in the continuation of the football Premier League.
Head of the Epidemiology Service of the FB&amp;H Public Health Institute, Sanjin Musa, emphasized that the number of new infections, although declining, is still high, which is why it is very important to adhere to all measures to combat the spread of the infection.
He underlined that the so-called The "British strain" of coronavirus, whose presence in B&amp;H has been confirmed, has minimal impact on the effectiveness of vaccines developed so far.

He announced that visits to nursing homes for the elderly would be allowed in the coming period

Čerkez: We were a little deceived by the lower numbers of infected people and we see that more and more people do not adhere to the introduced measures, which is why the competent authorities must react

Čerkez: About 30 percent of B&H citizens have contracted COVID-19

The newly appointed City Council of Mostar adopted a decision, on February 5th, to conduct the election of the mayor of Mostar by public ballot. This decision contravenes Article 36 of the Statute of Mostar, which states that the elections in the City Council must be conducted by secret ballot. 

This is the message from today's joint statement by the OSCE Mission to B&amp;H, the European Union Delegation/European Union Special Representative, the Embassy of the United Kingdom, the Embassy of the United States of America and the Office of the High Representative on the City Council of Mostar.
-We, the undersigned, call on the City Council to bring its voting procedures back into compliance with the Statute of Mostar and to repeat the first round of elections for the mayor of Mostar. A country aspiring to become an EU Member State must adhere to the principles of the rule of law. We call upon all city councilors to show responsibility and to swiftly elect the Mayor in full accordance with the rule of law and the Statute of Mostar in its next session- it is said in the statement.&nbsp;

"A country aspiring to become an EU Member State must adhere to the principles of the rule of law"

The newly appointed City Council of Mostar adopted a decision, on February 5th, to conduct the election of the mayor of Mostar by public ballot

Intl. organizations request first round of voting for Mostar mayor be repeated

In the last few days, a British strain of coronavirus was detected in our country, in Sarajevo.
This was confirmed by the head of the laboratory and prof. dr. Teufik Goletić from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, at the press conference of the Federal Crisis Staff of the Ministry of Health.
Namely, a foreign citizen who was staying in Sarajevo as a tourist was infected with British strain of coronavirus. He was reported as an asymptomatic case, but a PCR test for coronavirus confirmed the presence of the virus.
Sequencing of the virus was conducted at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Sarajevo, and a strain that has not been registered in B&amp;H so far has been established.
23 samples were sequenced, 20 of them successfully, and one of them is the British strain, said, among other things, Goletić.
This strain has been confirmed in 75 countries so far, and South African in 35 countries. Also, the British strain of coronavirus has minimal impact on vaccines produced to date.

23 samples were sequenced, 20 of them successfully, and one of them is the British strain, said, among other things, Goletić

Head of the laboratory and prof. dr. Teufik Goletić from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Prof. dr. Teufik Goletić: British strain of coronavirus was detected in Sarajevo

In the past 24 hours, 2,519 samples were registered to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H, of which 231 were positive for SARS-CoV-2.

In the past 24 hours, 1,006 patients recovered. There are currently 8,760 active cases of SARS-CoV-2.
Ten new deaths were reported to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H in the past 24 hours.
As of today, the total number of deaths in the Federation of B&amp;H is 2,541, the FB&amp;H Institute of Public Health reported.
Today, 30 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Brčko District of B&amp;H, after testing 125 samples. One person died.
Five people have recovered, and 455 cases of the infection are currently active.
In the last 24 hours, 843 samples were tested at the RS Institute of Public Health, and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed in 81 people.
Ten deaths have been reported to the RS Institute of Public Health in the last 24 hours.
There are 3,966 people currently under health supervision, the RS Institute of Public Health announced.

Ten new deaths were reported to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&H in the past 24 hours

There are currently 8,760 active cases of SARS-CoV-2 in FB&H

COVID-19 confirmed in 342 people in B&H, with 21 deaths

Thousands of drivers were left stranded in freezing traffic jams in Germany overnight to Tuesday as the heaviest snowfall in years brought travel chaos across the country.

Traffic on the A2 motorway near the city of Bielefeld was brought to a standstill by heavy snowfall, with some drivers trapped for at least 16 hours, according to media reports.
The jam caused by lorries stuck in the snow and stretching over 37 kilometres (23 miles) had still not been cleared by early Tuesday morning, local police said.
Video footage showed shivering drivers huddled in their vehicles, complaining of going for hours without food as temperatures plunged to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit).
Severe jams were also reported in other parts of the country including Hesse, where some drivers were stuck in their cars for 15 hours, according to police.
Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has asked residents to avoid getting in their vehicles until Wednesday at the earliest.
Northern and eastern Germany in particular were pummelled by snow on Sunday and Monday night, with blizzard-like conditions and some of the coldest temperatures seen in years.
In Bielefeld, a man was found dead on a snow-covered road on Monday, though emergency services said initial findings suggested he had suffered a medical emergency.
Train services across the country have seen severe delays and cancellations due to the winter weather, with snow and ice clogging the rails.
Snowfall is expected to decrease in the coming days, according to forecasters, but temperatures of up to minus 18 degrees will mean travel conditions remain hazardous.
With the wind chill factor, temperatures could feel as low as minus 30 degrees at night, forecasters have said.

Train services across the country have seen severe delays and cancellations due to the winter weather, with snow and ice clogging the rails

Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has asked residents to avoid getting in their vehicles until Wednesday at the earliest

Snow and bitter cold bring travel chaos in Germany

The WHO mission to China to uncover the origins of the coronavirus has failed to identify the animal source, scientists said Tuesday.

Experts believe the disease -- which has gone on to kill more than 2.3 million people worldwide -- originated in bats and could have been transmitted to humans via another mammal.
While transmission from animals was the likely route, so far "the reservoir hosts remain to be identified", Liang Wannian, head of the China team, told reporters.
He added that studies showed the virus "can be carried long-distance on cold chain products," appearing to nudge towards the possible importation of the virus -- a theory that has abounded in China in recent months. 
He also said there was "no indication" the sickness was in circulation in Wuhan before December 2019 when the first official cases have been recorded. 
WHO foreign expert Ben Embarak, who was based in the WHO's Beijing office for two years from 2009, backed up the assertion saying there was no evidence of "large outbreaks in Wuhan" before then.
The mission is a diplomatically knotty one, which was trailed before it began by fears of a whitewash, with the US demanding a "robust" probe and China firing back with a warning not to "politicise" the investigation.
During the closely-monitored visit, reporters were largely kept at arms' length from the experts, but snippets of their findings crept out over Twitter and interviews. 
The experts spent one month in China, two weeks in quarantine and the same again on fieldwork.
But, already over a year after the virus emerged, some of it was of questionable relevance to their stated aim of finding the virus source, including a visit to a propaganda exhibition celebrating China’s recovery from the pandemic. 
The group spent just an hour at the seafood market where many of the first reported clusters of infections emerged over a year ago.
They also appeared to spend several days inside their hotel, receiving visits from various Chinese officials without going out into the city.
But deeper research was carried out at the Wuhan virology institute where they spent nearly four hours and said they met with Chinese scientists there including Shi Zhengli, one of China's leading experts on bat coronaviruses and deputy director of the Wuhan lab.
Former US president Donald Trump repeated a controversial theory that a lab leak may have been the source of the pandemic.
Scientists at the laboratory conduct research on some of the world's most dangerous diseases, including strains of bat coronaviruses similar to Covid-19.
Beijing is desperate to defang criticism of its handling of the chaotic early stages of the outbreak.
It has refocused attention at home -- and abroad -- on its handling of, and recovery from the outbreak.

Experts believe the disease originated in bats and could have been transmitted to humans via another mammal

While transmission from animals was the likely route, so far "the reservoir hosts remain to be identified"

WHO mission to China fails to find animal source of coronavirus

The FB&amp;H Hydrometeorological Institute has issued an orange alert for tomorrow due to the expected intense precipitation.

The regions for which the warning is issued are Herzegovina and southwestern Bosnia.
The expected amount of precipitation in Herzegovina and southwestern Bosnia is between 30 and 60, locally up to 80 l/m2, the FHMI reported.

The regions for which the warning is issued are Herzegovina and southwestern Bosnia

The expected amount of precipitation in Herzegovina and southwestern Bosnia is between 30 and 60, locally up to 80 l/m2

Orange alert issued for tomorrow expecting heavy and intense precipitation

Travellers arriving in Britain from abroad will have to take two coronavirus tests during quarantine, the government is expected to confirm on Tuesday.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to announce that people told to isolate at home will be required to get a test two and eight days into a mandatory 10-day quarantine period.
The new measures, which critics say come too late to curb the spread of the virus, are aimed at halting new variants.
But the health ministry said Britain's response had been informed by experts leading to "some of the toughest border regimes in the world".
"Enhancing our testing regime to cover all arrivals while they isolate will provide a further level of protection and enable us to better track any new cases which might be brought into the country, and give us even more opportunities to detect new variants," a spokesman said.
Environment Secretary George Eustice confirmed that announcements on the new quarantine regime would be made in parliament later on Tuesday.
-We have to be ever mindful of the risk of other variants entering the country- he told BBC radio. 
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has been under pressure to tighten rules for international travellers, following criticism the regime was too lax.
New mandatory hotel quarantine rules for travellers returning from dozens of countries deemed "high risk" from Covid-19 are due to start from February 15.
The new rules will require all UK citizens and permanent residents returning from countries on a travel ban list to self-isolate in a government-approved facility for 10 days. 
Other visitors from the 33 countries currently on the list, which includes all South American nations and South Africa, are currently barred from visiting Britain under virus lockdown rules.

The new measures, which critics say come too late to curb the spread of the virus, are aimed at halting new variants

The new rules will require all UK citizens and permanent residents returning from countries on a travel ban list to self-isolate in a government-approved facility for 10 days

Mandatory COVID tests in quarantine for UK arrivals

Minister of Defense of B&amp;H Sifet Podžić, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Matthew Field and Commander of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo Brigadier General Eric Folkestad attended the ceremony of handing over protective masks to fight the COVID-19 pandemic that the UK government has provided for members of the B&amp;H Armed Forces.

This is a valuable and significant donation of 6,000 sets of protective masks, which contain a total of three masks, which is the first part of the donation to the Armed Forces, and another 3,000 sets are on the way.
Satisfaction was expressed at the handover ceremony, which was also attended by Deputy Minister of Defense Mijo Krešić, Chief of the Joint Staff of the AFB&amp;H Colonel-General Senad Mašović and associates, as well as other senior officials of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of B&amp;H, representatives of the UK Embassy in B&amp;H and NATO Headquarters Sarajevo. It was said that this valuable donation will significantly help members of the B&amp;H Armed Forces in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also expressed support for continued assistance to the Ministry of Defense and the B&amp;H Armed Forces in fulfilling the commitments on the Euro-Atlantic path of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Ambassador of the UK to B&amp;H HE Matthew Field pointed out that the first 6,000 packages are being delivered today, each with three high-quality washable face masks with the logo of the Armed Forces of B&amp;H - one in camouflage, one in military green, and one in black for civilian use, and another 3,000 are on the way.
The Commander of the NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, Brigadier General Eric Folkestad, said, among other things, that the NATO Headquarters Sarajevo will continue to provide support to the Ministry of Defense and the B&amp;H Armed Forces, and that this donation is an example of NATO support, which will enable members of the B&amp;H Armed Forces to protect themselves, but also others.

This includes 6,000 sets of protective masks, which contain a total of three masks, which is the first part of the donation to the Armed Forces, and another 3,000 sets are on the way

First 6,000 packages are being delivered today, each with three high-quality washable face masks with the logo of the Armed Forces of B&H - one in camouflage, one in military green, and one in black for civilian use

Donation of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Ministry of Defense and AF

As previously announced by the President of the Alliance, SBB has begun to introduce commissions in some cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The President of the Alliance for a Better Future of B&amp;H, Fahrudin Radončić, made the decision that Bahrudin Hadžiefendić, MD, PhD, is the new Commissioner in the Tuzla Canton.
MD, PhD Bahrudin Hadžiefendić is a doctor of medical sciences by profession, employed at the University Clinical Center Tuzla at the Surgery Clinic. In November 2014., he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives of the FB&amp;H Parliament, and in the period from 2015. to 2019., he held the position of Minister of Health in the Government of Tuzla Canton.
This is a continuation of the internal reorganization of SBB, which has very high ambitions for the 2022. elections.

The President of the Alliance for a Better Future of B&H, Fahrudin Radončić, made the decision that MD, PhD Bahrudin Hadžiefendić, is the new Commissioner in the Tuzla Canton

Hadžiefendić: Member of the House of Representatives of the FB&H Parliament

Hadžiefendić appointed as SBB commissioner in Tuzla Canton

Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina Selmo Cikotić met today in Sarajevo with newly appointed EUFOR Commander Major General Alexander Platzer.

They pointed out that joint responses to global security challenges, assistance in case of natural and other disasters, joint exercises, and exchange of information remain key priorities for future cooperation between the Ministry of Security and the European Union Military Forces in B&amp;H.
Minister Cikotić informed Major General Platzer about the current activities of the B&amp;H Ministry of Security, primarily in preventing illegal migration, fighting organized crime and other security threats, and the consequences of the pandemic, the B&amp;H Ministry of Security said.

They pointed out that joint responses to global security challenges, assistance in case of natural and other disasters, joint exercises, and exchange of information remain key priorities for future cooperation

EUFOR Commander Major General Alexander Platzer and Minister Cikotić

Minister Cikotić meets with EUFOR Commander

The Coalition for Mostar 2020 in an open letter to the High Representative in B&amp;H (OHR) expresses its regrets "that the OHR and the international community in Mostar have again sided with the HDZ and are doing everything they can for a Croat from the HDZ to be elected the mayor of Mostar".

-We know that a letter for annulment of the conclusion of the Mostar City Council on the public vote was sent to you by the B&amp;H Bloc, which also voted for that conclusion, and now they want a secret ballot to hide their betrayal, which you are unfortunately helping them with. More than two-thirds of the councilors, precisely 31 councilors, voted for the conclusion on the public vote. You are again referring to your Statute when it comes to the election of the mayor, where your Statute is completely imprecise on the matter- the Coalition for Mostar said in a statement.
In its letter to the High Representative, the Coalition states that the OHR refers to Article 36, paragraph 1, which states that elections to the City Council shall be conducted by secret ballot unless otherwise provided by the Statute.
The Coalition demands that the High Representative answers the citizens of Mostar why he did not react and protect his imposed Statute for eight years, and now he is reacting to a conclusion that was adopted almost unanimously and emphasize that they are ready to complete the mayoral election on Wednesday.
-If you reverse the City Council's conclusion on the election of the mayor, you bear the responsibility for Mostar- the Coalition said in the statement.

The Coalition demands that the High Representative answers the citizens of Mostar why he did not react and protect his imposed Statute for eight years

If you reverse the City Council's conclusion on the election of the mayor, you bear the responsibility for Mostar, the Coalition said in the statement

Coalition for Mostar sends an open letter to High Representative in B&H

President of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Bakir Izetbegović received the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Bosnia and Herzegovina Gholamrez Alimohammad Ghelichkhan in an inaugural visit, the party said in a statement.

At the meeting, they discussed bilateral cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the current situation in both countries.
Ambassador Ghelichkhan conveyed greetings to Izetbegović from the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Izetbegović briefed Ambassador Ghelichkhan on the results of the local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a special focus on the results of the SDA.
Izetbegović expressed gratitude to Iran for the help and support provided to Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially during the period of defense against aggression. He pointed out the existence of problems in relations within the country, which remained as part of the legacy of the past war, but also the significant progress that has been made despite these problems.
Speaking about the priorities, he singled out the need to strengthen the rule of law and fight corruption, build infrastructure and make further progress on the Euro-Atlantic path. He also focused on the tourism, trade and energy sectors, especially in the construction of wind and solar power plants, as potential opportunities for Iranian investors.
Ambassador Ghelichkhan conveyed the interest of Iranian investors in strengthening cooperation, especially in the field of dairy industry, energy, but also through the establishment of free economic zones that would enable more intensive and productive cooperation of businessmen from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iran.

They discussed bilateral cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the current situation in both countries

Izetbegović briefed Ambassador Ghelichkhan on the results of the local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a special focus on the results of the SDA

Izetbegović receives Iranian Ambassador Ghelichkhan in inagural visit

As we have learned, the High Representative in B&amp;H, and this was confirmed to us from several sources, annulled the first round of elections for the mayor of Mostar.
Namely, the High Representative intervened because the voting was public, instead of secret, as required by the City Statute.
- I am forced to intervene in order to remind city councilors that the elections for mayor of Mostar must be conducted in accordance with the Statute of the City of Mostar, and especially in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 36 of the Statute, which requires that elections in the City Council are secret if it has not been determined otherwise by this Statute- it is stated, among other things, in the decision of the High Representative.
It should be reminded that before the voting for the candidates for mayor last Friday, the City Council of Mostar, at the proposal of the "Coalition for Mostar", accepted the conclusion to vote publicly.
After the first round, Irma Baralija, the candidate of the "B&amp;H Block", dropped out of the further race with five votes, while Dr. Zlatko Guzin, the candidate of the Coalition with 11 votes, and Dr. Mario Kordić, the HDZ candidate who had 14 votes, entered the second round.

The High Representative intervened because the voting was public, instead of secret, as required by the City Statute

Inzko annulled the first round of elections for the mayor of Mostar, mayor will be elected secretly

The Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ALMB&amp;H) conducted the verification process for the Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine and determined that the tested sample of the vaccine corresponds to the declared quality in terms of tested parameters.

-Considering the above, the conditions have been met to start the process of immunization of the population with the Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine- stated the ALMB&amp;H.

Tested sample of the vaccine corresponds to the declared quality in terms of tested parameters

ALMB&H:  conditions have been met to start the process of immunization of the population with the Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine

ALM B&H approves Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine for immunization in B&H

The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) remains adamant that the vote for the new mayor of Mostar must be done in public, as started by the decision of the City Council.

-Those who ask for a secret ballot, and call on the OHR to intervene in order to impose it, obviously have no honorable intentions- said the SDA.
As they say, the entire public in B&amp;H, and especially the people of Mostar, want to have a clear picture of who will support Zlatko Guzin from the Coalition for Mostar, and who will vote for Mario Kordić from the HDZ with a direct vote "in favor" or abstention.
Voting for the mayor of Mostar 12 years ago, which was conducted in secret, resulted in non-transparent manipulations and the election of HDZ candidates, despite the existence of a pro-Bosnian majority. This was followed by years of mutual accusations that could not change anything but obscure the truth.
-That is why the SDA will not agree this time to repeat such a scenario and vote for the mayor in secret. We ask the OHR to respect the will of the Mostar City Council, and not to interfere in the election of the mayor this time, because that will enable new behind-the-scenes manipulations-said the SDA.

Those who ask for a secret ballot, and call on the OHR to intervene in order to impose it, obviously have no honorable intentions, said the SDA

As they say, the entire public in B&H, and especially the people of Mostar, want to have a clear picture of who will support Zlatko Guzin from the Coalition for Mostar, and who will vote for Mario Kordić from the HDZ with a direct vote "in favor" or abstention

Čerkez: About 30 percent of B&H citizens have contracted COVID-19

Intl. organizations request first round of voting for Mostar mayor be repeated

Prof. dr. Teufik Goletić: British strain of coronavirus was detected in Sarajevo

COVID-19 confirmed in 342 people in B&H, with 21 deaths

Snow and bitter cold bring travel chaos in Germany

WHO mission to China fails to find animal source of coronavirus

Orange alert issued for tomorrow expecting heavy and intense precipitation

Mandatory COVID tests in quarantine for UK arrivals

Donation of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Ministry of Defense and AF

Hadžiefendić appointed as SBB commissioner in Tuzla Canton

Minister Cikotić meets with EUFOR Commander

Coalition for Mostar sends an open letter to High Representative in B&H

Izetbegović receives Iranian Ambassador Ghelichkhan in inagural visit

Inzko annulled the first round of elections for the mayor of Mostar, mayor will be elected secretly

ALM B&H approves Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine for immunization in B&H

SDA maintains that vote for Mostar mayor must be conducted in public

News

Čerkez: About 30 percent of B&H citizens have contracted COVID-19

Intl. organizations request first round of voting for Mostar mayor be repeated

Prof. dr. Teufik Goletić: British strain of coronavirus was detected in Sarajevo

COVID-19 confirmed in 342 people in B&H, with 21 deaths

Snow and bitter cold bring travel chaos in Germany

WHO mission to China fails to find animal source of coronavirus

Orange alert issued for tomorrow expecting heavy and intense precipitation

Mandatory COVID tests in quarantine for UK arrivals

Donation of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Ministry of Defense and AF

Hadžiefendić appointed as SBB commissioner in Tuzla Canton

Minister Cikotić meets with EUFOR Commander

Coalition for Mostar sends an open letter to High Representative in B&H

Izetbegović receives Iranian Ambassador Ghelichkhan in inagural visit

Inzko annulled the first round of elections for the mayor of Mostar, mayor will be elected secretly

ALM B&H approves Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine for immunization in B&H

SDA maintains that vote for Mostar mayor must be conducted in public