As of November 22, the Serbian Ministry of Health reported 121,120 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,199 deaths in Serbia. In the past 24 hours, 13,429 people were tested with 4,995 confirmed cases. Currently, there are an estimated 6,214 hospitalized cases.
The Serbian Government has updated country-wide measures effective Tuesday, November 24. These include the closure of restaurants, cafes, clubs, betting shops and shopping malls at 6:00 p.m., mandatory use of face coverings indoors and outdoors if contact cannot be avoided, and a prohibition on public gatherings exceeding five people indoors and outdoors. Work organizations and similar facilities are excluded from this measure but must adhere to a prescribed limit based on square footage (minimum four square meters per person). Working from home is encouraged where possible. Public transport requires face coverings with passenger limits set at half capacity.
Previous measures still in effect include bans on hospital visits and limited elder-care home visits to 15 minutes. A recommended outdoor distance between people is set at 1.5 meters.
For U.S. citizens entering Serbia as travelers or tourists from Croatia, Bulgaria or Romania, a negative PCR test taken within the previous 48 hours is required under measures enacted on August 14. Exceptions apply to permanent residents in Serbia and certain other categories such as transit passengers and children under age twelve accompanied by parents with valid PCR tests.
U.S. citizens residing permanently in Serbia must undergo health monitoring upon arrival including self-assessment tests via e-zdravlje.gov.rs both upon return and on the tenth day after arrival.
Travelers should be prepared for changes to restrictions without notice. Additional information can be found on the website of the Government of Serbia.
U.S. citizens are advised to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for alerts and check the Embassy COVID-19 webpage for updates.
The U.S. Department of State's current travel advisory for Serbia is Level 3: Reconsider Travel while the CDC has issued a Level 3 Warning advising against non-essential travel due to COVID-19 risks.
Recommended actions include consulting CDC resources for up-to-date information on reducing risk of infection, checking travel plans with airlines or cruise lines for any restrictions or updates, visiting relevant webpages for conditions in Serbia or U.S travel restrictions by Homeland Security, and seeking medical care if exposed to COVID-19 symptoms recently.
Assistance can be sought through Embassy Belgrade's contact details provided along with State Department Consular Affairs' numbers.