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Report: Jovic facing charges in Serbia for defying quarantine order

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The Serbian government is set to charge Luka Jovic after the Real Madrid forward broke his mandatory 28-day coronavirus quarantine following his arrival from Spain, Reuters' Zoran Milosavljevic reports, citing the country's state news agency, Tanjug.

Jovic claims he left his apartment in the Belgrade suburb of Vracar to buy medication.

The city's prosecutor has reportedly instructed local police to press charges against the 22-year-old, who, like other citizens returning home from heavily affected countries, was ordered to enter quarantine.

Jovic could face harsher measures, including arrest, if he breaks quarantine again.

Meanwhile, Marca reports Jovic broke Real Madrid's own quarantine orders when he traveled home to Serbia to be with his girlfriend after La Liga suspended play over the coronavirus outbreak in Spain.

Jovic, however, claims Real Madrid's medical team gave him permission to travel.

"First of all, I am very sorry that I am the main topic (of debate) these days, and I am sorry that people are constantly writing about me and not about the main protagonists in the fight against this crisis, who are the doctors and all those who work in healthcare," Jovic wrote on social media, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

"In Madrid, my COVID-19 test was negative. So I decided to travel to Serbia, to help and support our people, in addition to being close to my family, with the permission of my club.

"When I arrived in Serbia, they gave me the test and it came out negative. I am very sorry that some people have not done their job professionally and have not given me specific instructions on how I should behave during my isolation.

"In Spain it is allowed to go to buy food or buy products in pharmacies, which does not happen here (in Serbia). I apologise to everyone if in any way I have hurt or put someone in danger. I hope that together we can overcome all this."

Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, declared a state of emergency on Sunday. The country has over 100 total coronavirus cases with no deaths, while Spain is the second-most infected European nation behind Italy with over 17,000 confirmed cases and 803 deaths, according to global statistics tracking site Worldometer.

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