The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, has issued a health and travel alert as of December 31, 2020. According to the Serbian Ministry of Health, there are currently 334,991 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,163 deaths in the country. In the past 24 hours alone, 14,444 people were tested with 3,236 new cases confirmed. An estimated total of 9,014 individuals are hospitalized.
In response to the ongoing pandemic, the Serbian Government has implemented updated nationwide measures effective from December 30 to January 1. Restaurants and cafes can operate until 6:00 p.m., while food retail outlets and shopping malls may remain open until 8:00 p.m. Additionally, parties on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day have been banned.
Further restrictions will be in place from January 2 to January 11 allowing restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, food retail outlets and shopping malls to stay open until 8:00 p.m.
Previous measures still in effect include requirements for passengers traveling from the United States to present either a negative PCR or antigen test upon arrival in Serbia. Foreigners entering Serbia must provide a negative PCR test taken within the last 48 hours unless they fall into certain exempt categories such as transit passengers or diplomatic staff.
Foreign citizens with temporary or permanent residence in Serbia may enter without a negative PCR test but must quarantine at home for ten days unless they obtain a negative test result after arriving.
Other ongoing measures include unrestricted operation of pharmacies and gas stations; mandatory face coverings indoors and outdoors where contact cannot be avoided; prohibition of public gatherings exceeding five people except under specific conditions; enabling remote work where possible; limiting public transport capacity; banning hospital visits; restricting elder-care home visits to fifteen minutes; and maintaining a recommended outdoor distance of at least 1.5 meters between individuals.
Travelers should anticipate potential changes to these restrictions with little notice. The U.S. Department of State advises citizens to reconsider travel plans to Serbia under its Level 3 Travel Advisory while the CDC has issued a Level 4 Warning against non-essential travel due to COVID-19 risks.
U.S. citizens are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for alerts and consult various official resources including the CDC website for up-to-date information on reducing COVID-19 risk exposure.
For assistance or more information regarding conditions in Serbia during this time:
Embassy Belgrade can be contacted at +381 (11) 706-4000 or via email at BelgradeACS@state.gov.
Further details are available on their official website along with social media updates through Facebook and Twitter channels.