Approved: from now on, municipalities will be classified under the traffic light colour code based on the incidence of coronavirus

In line with the recommendations of international organizations, at Wednesday’s meeting, the Government approved the classification of municipalities into three colour zones based on epidemiological indicators – green, yellow, and red. Municipalities in the red zone may be subject to local quarantine and restricted population activity to control the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Municipalities are expected to be classified based on the coronavirus incidence as of the next week. Based on the zoning, it will be decided, as to what virus management recommendations will be provided to municipalities.

Municipalities will be assessed according to three criteria: the number of new cases per 100,000 population over the last 14 days, the percentage of positive tests in the tests performed within 7 days, and the percentage of cases not related to outbreaks within 7 days.

The green zone will indicate that the risk of the coronavirus is low, and that no additional restrictions are required. Municipalities with less than 25 cases per 100,000 population and with less than 4 percent test positivity per week will be classified as green.

The yellow zone will indicate that municipalities should be prepared and responsibly follow public health recommendations to control the spread of the coronavirus. The yellow zone will include municipalities with less than 50 cases per 100,000 population and test positivity of 4 percent and more, or with 25-150 cases per 100,000 population and less than 4 percent test positivity.  

The red zone will be considered the highest-risk zone. Municipalities in the red zone will have to follow the expert recommendations and instructions, and a decision will be made on the introduction of the local quarantine. Once the quarantine is declared, restrictions should also be foreseen for public life, events, and education, while wearing of personal protective equipment and observance of distances will be mandatory.

The red zone will include municipalities with more than 50 cases per 100,000 population, test positivity of 4 percent and more, and the proportion of cases not related to outbreaks of 30 percent and more per week, or municipalities with more than 150 cases per 100,000 population and the proportion of cases not related to outbreaks of 30 percent and more per week, meaning that at least 10 cases per week have to be registered in the municipality.