The International Mobility of Serbian Citizens at the Outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Research into the characteristics of the international mobility of Serbian citizens who found themselves abroad at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was carried out by the Institute for Sociological Research of the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Philosophy. The main goal of the research was to explore the effects of the global health crisis on the international mobility of Serbian citizens from their own perspective. In particular, the research aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the reasons and modes of return to the home country, experiences and problems during obligatory self-isolation, as well as attitudes towards national responses to the pandemic. The topic has proved important for several reasons. The emerging health crisis has shaken up globalized international flows of people, goods, and services, leading to the fact that by the end of March 2020, as many as 91% of the world’s population were living in countries whose national borders were fully or partially closed (Connor 2020). According to Serbian state officials, during the aforementioned days over 300,000 Serbian citizens returned to the country from infected areas, thus endangering the rest of the population living within state borders (Stojanovic 2020). Sensationalist media reporting about infected citizens arriving from abroad and spreading disease throughout the country contributed to the moral panic about “returnees.” (...)