March 20 (SeeNews) - Serbia has reported its first death related to the novel coronavirus disease, as the number of infected people in the country rose to 135 by Friday.
"Unfortunately, we lost the first human life in the fight against coronavirus in Serbia. A few hours ago, at the Novi Sad clinical centre, a 59-year-old man from Kikinda passed away," prime minister Ana Brnabic told a news conference broadcast live by public news service RTS.
A total of 17 new cases of the disease were confirmed on Friday, bringing the total number to 135, with eight people seriously ill and in hospital, Brnabic said.
"We are suspending public transport, and we are closing restaurants, cafes and malls from 08:00 CET on Sunday," she added.
Earlier on Friday, Serbia closed all of its border crossings for passenger traffic to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.