Octogenarian Ceda Filipovic awoke at 5am, donned his mask and set off for one of the Belgrade supermarkets opening at dawn for the city’s elderly.

When Serbia introduced a state of emergency two weeks ago in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the authorities banned all those over 65 years from venturing outdoors but said some supermarkets would be opened every Sunday at 4am for the elderly only to allow them to buy staple produce.

The government has introduced a general curfew from 5pm to 5am to reduce contact between people.

Filipovic said he had come to terms with the isolation.

For him and his 79-year-old wife, who live on the first floor of an apartment building in the centre of the city, the highlight of their day is when their seven-year-old granddaughter, Sofia, comes by their window with her mother or father to chat with them.

“We’re waiting for better times and are hoping this will end,” said Filipovic, who is the father of a Reuters cameraman. “We’ll have to be patient, to wait and see and survive.”

In the nearby supermarket, Filipovic bought flour, cooking oil and some wine.

Serbia, a country of 7 million people, has so far reported 659 coronavirus cases and 11 deaths.