Two persons infected with the novel Covid-19 coronavirus died in Montenegro on Sunday, the first victims of the second wave of the epidemic in the country that began two weeks ago with the import of the virus from Serbia, the country's health authorities reported.

Currently, the virus is confirmed in 157 people, the national Covid-19 response team said.

The virus appeared again in mid-June after no cases were reported for nearly a month and a half. It was brought in by Montenegrin nationals who had gone to Belgrade to see a football match that was attended by 25,000 people.

On June 1 Montenegro opened its borders to all countries with 25 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The government said in a statement on Sunday that it would continue to follow the European Union’s policy on this matter.

As part of efforts to contain the second wave of the epidemic, the authorities have banned religious and political gatherings outdoors. During the first wave of the outbreak, Montenegro reported 324 cases and eight deaths.