Serbia: Lift of the emergency state and reopening of the election race

published on 15 May 2020 | reading time approx. 1,5 minutes

Serbian parliament voted to lift the state of emergency which was declared on 15 March 2020 as part of efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. In response to improving health conditions, the Serbian government is slowly lifting restrictions on movements designed to reduce the spread of covid-19 with certain measures still in force until further notice.

Serbia announce that will allow in foreigners who can show a negative result on a PCR test not older than 72 hours. If they do not have it, they will have to go into self-isolation if it is Serbian citizen, or isolation with health supervision for a foreign citizen. In the same time, Air Serbia will renew limited regular passenger air traffic from 18 May 2020.
 
There are no restrictions on movement for residents of all ages, but everyone is strongly advised to respect the social distancing measures when outside, avoid large crowds, maintain the distance of at least 6.6 ft from others, respect the limitations on public gatherings and use disinfectants and personal protection like gloves and face masks. In meantime, senior care centers,  schools and universities remain closed until further notice and public gatherings are limited to maximum 20 people.
 
As the number of new infections slowly dwindles, talk of early elections is reopening. Without the introduction of a state of emergency in mid-March, Serbia would have already held regular elections on 26 April 2020.
 
Serbian President announced that the elections will be held on June 21. A faster election suits the ruling party more because they were the only ones visible during the state of emergency and can more easily organize election activities, while the opposition is a little more comfortable with a later election, as they will get an opportunity to consolidate and get voters accustomed to circumstances other than covid-19.