Montenegro open for tourists June 1
But only from nations that meet the criteria
Montenegro, the first country to claim victory over coronavirus with no active cases, is opening its borders June 1 – but not to everyone.
On Monday, the country’s prime minister, Dusko Markovic, announced Montenegro’s borders will be open for tourists to enter, but only from countries that meet certain criteria.
The European countries whose citizens will be able to cross over the small country’s borders must currently have no more than 25 COVID-19 patients per 100,000 inhabitants.
The last recorded case of coronavirus in Montenegro was about three weeks ago. The country declared itself free of COVID-19 on Sunday, 68 days after its first case of coronavirus was recorded, according to its Institute of Public Health.
“We will open the borders to the countries that have a similar epidemiological status,” he said. “We will not ask for special tests, everyone will receive clear instructions on what awaits them in the country and what regulations they must respect.”
Markovic said states that meet the criteria are Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Albania and Greece.
Notably, the list does not include Montenegro’s former ally, Serbia, from which Montenegro split in 2006.
The country, which is home to 620,000 people, recorded a total of 324 cases with nine deaths and 315 people said to have recovered, according to the Institute of Public Health. As of Sunday, there were no active cases in the nation.
In March, Montenegro closed down, shutting airports, seaports and borders, according to Reuters, which said it is dependent on income from tourists along the Adriatic coast.