Serbia closed a number of small-scale border crossings with its seven neighbouring countries on Thursday morning, including several with Croatia and with Bosnia and Herzegovina, in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak in that country.

Earlier on Thursday, local police spokesman in Croatia’s Osijek-Baranja County, Zoran Kon, confirmed to N1 television that Serbian border police moved to close three border crossings with Croatia as ot 7 am on Thursday – the Batina-Bezdan and Apatin river crossings on the Danube, as well as the Erdut-Bogojevo railway bridge. 

Croatia and Serbia share 14 border crossings. All others reportedly remain open, including the major road crossing at Bajakovo-Batrovci on European route E70.

In Bosnia, border police confirmed that on the Serbian side six border crossings have been closed (Badovinci-Popovi, Jamena-Donje Crnjelevo, Mokronozi, Carevo Polje, Zvornik, Skelani-Bajina Basta) and the Brasina train station in Serbia.

Later on Thursday, Serbian police issued a statement saying that more than 40 smaller border crossings with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia had been shut down.

As of Thursday morning, Croatia and Serbia each had 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, while Bosnia reported five. All three countries had introduced travel restrictions for incoming travellers arriving from worst-hit areas of the world, and imposed bans on large public events.

Bosnia also shut down schools throughout most of the country, as did Slovenia on Thursday after the number of confirmed cases rose to 57.

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