With COVID-19 up on the rise, Serbia has decided to delay their parliamentary elections that were originally planned to run on April 26th 2020 after declaring the country in a state of emergency.
The delay in parliamentary elections also effectively minimize the public’s activity to restrict the outspread of the COVID-19 virus, as reported by Bloomberg.
Currently, Serbia has closed all their borders to foreigners, except for the Chinese doctors that were requested to tend to the needy patients, diplomats, and full time residents. Even the schools, nurseries, universities are all closed down temporary to prioritize the well-being of the citizens of Serbia.
Additionally, a night time curfew was imposed to curb the spread of the virus since 18 March. Residents were asked to stay at their premises, especially the elderly that are 60 years old and above.
154 individuals were arrested in the second night of curfew for going against the imposed rules of the curfew, but the night itself was relatively smooth sailing, said Interior Minister of Serbia Nebojsa Stefanović last Friday (20 March).
“No one will be able to enter the territory of Serbia. That is a necessary measure. It is strict, it is hard – but it is important for protecting the population,” said the minister.
The commission of Serbia stated that the preparations for the ballot shall continue after the state of emergency has been lifted. The state of emergency may last up to 90 days and could possibly be extended to a maximum of 180 days.