Serbian military opens field hospital amid coronavirus spike

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Troops in Serbia set up an emergency 500-bed field hospital Monday, a day after neighboring Kosovo re-imposed a nighttime curfew in four cities, as the Balkans battled to contain a surge in coronavirus infections that underscored the risks of swiftly easing lockdowns.

The makeshift hospital in a sports hall in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, is a “precautionary measure” as hospitals in the capital are reaching their capacity because of the coronavirus outbreak, the city's deputy mayor, Goran Vesic, said. Serbian infections have returned to levels last seen at the peak of the pandemic in the Balkan country in March and April.

Serbia's rising infections provide a chilling insight into how the virus, while retreating in much of Europe, can roar back if lockdowns are lifted too swiftly.

The country went from having some of Europe’s toughest lockdown measures to a near-complete reopening at the beginning of May. Soccer and tennis matches were played in front of packed stands, resulting in several players testing positive. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic and other players also caught the virus following an event he organized in Serbia and the Croatian Adriatic resort of Zadar.

Serbia’s defense minister, Aleksandar Vulin, himself reported to be infected with the coronavirus but now apparently recovered, visited another 110-bed field hospital the military constructed in the southern town of Novi Pazar town, site of the latest Serbian virus cluster.

Greece moved to contain the burgeoning threat by banning Serbs from crossing its only open land border from Monday morning. The new restrictions caused a seven-kilometer (four-mile) traffic jam at the Promahonas border crossing with Bulgaria. Authorities eventually allowed about 105 cars carrying Serbs into Greece that had been trapped...