A father and son from central Bosnian city of Banja Luka are infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19), Alen Seranic the Health Minister of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity said Thursday morning, adding that the father stayed in Italy last month.

“We have a first confirmed coronavirus case. The patient is a middle-aged man who works in Italy and who returned from there last month. He resides in Banja Luka and following the recommendations, he reported to his doctor who sent him to the RS Clinical Centre,” Seranic told the reporters in Banja Luka.

He noted that they tested the patient earlier this week and that he tested positive. According to him, the patient is isolated at the RS Clinical Centre and that he feels good.

Seranic added that the patient's son also tested positive for COVID-19, but that his wife tested negative.

“The child from this family had tested positive. The child attends Branko Copic elementary school and we established measures for this school as well,” Seranic stressed. “It's important to note that experts are engaged in the process and they are running the measures.”

Following the press conference, local authorities have closed the school until Monday so they could perform a disinfection of all the classrooms.

According to the RS Health Institute's dana, 144 people from this Serb-dominated entity arrived from virus-affected areas and they are all placed under observation.

The conference was attended by the RS Health Minister Alen Seranic acting RS Public Health Institute director Branislav Zaljkovic and RS University Clinical Centre general manager Vlado Djajic, as well as Banja Luka Mayor Igor Radojicic.

Bosnia consists of two entities: the Federation which is shared by Bosniaks and Croats and the Republika Srpska – dominated by Serbs. Both entities have their own health ministries and health care systems, decentralised from the state.

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