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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Measures of the state of emergency

Belgrade, 16 March 2020

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Serbian Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic passed today a Decision on the declaration of the state of emergency, in line with the Constitution.

The Decision has come into effect.

As of Monday, 16 March, the work of pre-school, primary and secondary school and higher education institutions will be completely suspended. Kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and universities in the Republic of Serbia will be closed until further notice.

Enrolment of children will be carried out normally through e-Government:

1. E-Kindergarten available for the entire Serbia;

2. E-Enrolment for enrolment in schools will be active as of 1 April;

3. Trial test for the school-leaving examination after the eight grade will be done through a new technology;

4. Classes will be held via distance learning through RTS3, the RTS Planet platform, as well as through online learning platforms.

The borders of the Republic of Serbia are closed for all foreign citizens, excluding the diplomatic staff accredited in Serbia and foreigners with a valid residence permit.

Citizens of the Republic of Serbia, as well as accredited diplomats and foreign citizens with residence in the Republic of Serbia, who enter the Republic of Serbia, are obliged to be in self-isolation in the duration of at least 14 days, under criminal responsibility. This measure will be strictly monitored and its violation will be most severely sanctioned.

Upon entry into Serbia, citizens will be presented with a legally binding decision. The penalty for the violation of this provision is up to three years of imprisonment. This is very important in order to reduce the movement of citizens, which is one of the main reasons for declaring the state of emergency with the aim of preventing the spread of the virus COVID-19.

Regarding the citizens of the Republic of Serbia and foreign citizens with residence in the Republic of Serbia who come from the Republic of Italy, the Swiss Confederation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Romania, the Kingdom of Spain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the Republic of Austria, Slovenia and the Republic of Greece, the mandatory isolation is 28 days.

The introduction of the state of emergency does not mean a complete cessation of economic activities and the work in the private and public sector. Employers are advised to organise the process of work in such a way so that everybody who can should work from home. If work from home is not possible, the process of work must be organised in such a way so as to strictly respect all hygiene and technical measures for the prevention of spread of the disease (limited number of persons in a room, use of protective masks etc).

The government calls on all employers in Serbia to enable their employees to work from home to a maximum degree possible. It is very important to show solidarity at this moment and that is why we urge employers to act responsibly and have the necessary understanding for their employees. This applies especially to the citizens whose children will stop going to kindergartens and schools. Further details regarding this matter will be specified in the supplementary acts that will be adopted.

Citizens: self-isolation – no gatherings, no visits, no leaving the house without urgent need. Exceptions: when going to a shop or pharmacy, when walking pets, throwing garbage. Persons older than 65 are recommended not to go out at all, and younger members of the family to carry out all the necessary tasks for them.

Public transport: cancellation of night public transport and reduction of daily public transport.

Inspection services: prohibition of raising prices of basic foodstuffs and protective equipment. Strict penalties will be imposed on those raising prices during the state of emergency. Prices can be raised only within the limits of the semi-annual inflation rate.

We urge once more our eldest fellow citizens to take strict care and not leave the house and adhere to all recommendations for the sake of their own health and the health of their loved ones.

The Serbian government is fully committed to fighting the spread of the virus COVID-19, monitors the situation in the country, region and the world minute by minute, will inform you about everything in a timely manner and will bring all the necessary decisions to protect your health.