Under the title "Cave Man Emerges from Isolation for COVID-19 Vaccine," Sky News reported that about 20 years ago, a Serbian man chose to isolate himself completely from society, making a cave in a remote area his home. During these years, Banta Petrovic rarely left his distant cave. By sheer coincidence, he discovered during a brief visit to a nearby town that there was an outbreak of a virus known as COVID-19, and when vaccines became available, he emerged from the cave to receive his first dose.
Petrovic, 70, stated in an interview with Agence France-Presse that he wants to receive all three vaccine doses, including the booster shot. He urged citizens in Serbia to follow his example, expressing his bewilderment at those who doubt vaccines. Petrovic, a retired worker who was employed in the town of Birot in eastern Serbia, has gray hair and a long beard, with the signs of aging apparent on his face.
Petrovic lives in a hard-to-reach cave, requiring the scaling of rocky heights, a challenge for those with weak hearts. Inside the cave, the elderly man cohabits with animals such as goats, chickens, and cats, in addition to a dog. He said, "I wasn't free in the city. There is always someone in your way, whether it's arguing with your wife, neighbors, or the police." He added with a smile, "Here, nobody bothers me."
Before isolating himself from society, the elderly Serbian donated all his money to help build small bridges in his town. He remarked, "Money is cursed. It corrupts people."
