ZAGREB, Dec 15, 2020 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said on Monday that more than one-third of members of parliament had recovered from COVID-19, were currently infected or had been in self-isolation.
According to official statistics, 29 MPs have recovered from COVID-19 or are still infected, and another 25 were in self-isolation, which makes a total of 54 deputies or more than one-third, Jandrokovic said in an interview with Croatian Radio, noting that the infection rate was evidently higher in the parliament than in the general population.
He called again for compliance with epidemiological restrictions and thanked everyone who over the past months had complied with them.
Decision on passes not made yet
Jandrokovic said that a decision on the introduction of passes enabling travel had not been made yet and that he hoped the number of new infections and deaths would go down, which would make that move unnecessary.
"But we also have to be ready, in case the numbers go up, for additional restrictions."
He dismissed criticism from the Opposition that the government alone was responsible for the consequences of the epidemic because it had not accepted any of its suggestions.
Responsibility for the spread of the infection rests with those who do not comply with restrictions, and raising the issue of responsibility at the moment will not help change the situation for the better, Jandrokovic said, commending the work of the national COVID-19 response team.
New parliament - lot of noise, aggression, little substance
Jandrokovic said that he was satisfied with the work of the parliament this year, adding that he was not impressed by the new parliament.
"It started very well, it seemed more serious, more substantial but as the time passes, I have the impression that the Opposition is resorting to the mode of work of the previous Opposition, with a lot of noise, aggression and debates bordering on incident and very little substance and concrete proposals," Jandrokovic said, adding that it seemed there was also a considerable lack of political experience and political and human wisdom.
