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The city where everyone is in a rush, whose streets are always crowded, became completely deserted during the pandemic. The only people you could have encountered were delivery workers, law enforcement officers, and those employees who had to go to the office. Others worked from home and a number of institutions had quickly adapted to the situation.
What happened to the cultural scene? Belgrade has more than 20 theatre stages, which were closed after the announcement of the state of emergency. The audience stayed at home, so the theatres decided to bring the plays directly to people’s living rooms. The National Theater had so many visitors during its first streaming event that the website crashed at one point.
Following the practice of the National Theatre, the others began to broadcast recordings of their performances, so audiences had the opportunity to see works that are no longer performed on stage. Several theaters will join forces and share an open stage in the Tašmajdan park during the summer.
As for cinemas, they have created their own streaming sites, while cable TV operators have opened all channels to their user base.
The citizens themselves have organized to deliver food and medicine to their oldest citizens, showing solidarity with them. The IT community has teamed up to work together on the necessary software and 3D modelers have printed face shields for healthcare professionals.
State institutions and schools have closed their doors and switched to online communication, so practically the entire state system has undergone an accelerated and forced digitalization.
Through the government's Digital Solidarity project, numerous companies have offered their online content for free, most of them in the field of education and business. Psychotherapists, with the help of developers, have created a place for psychological help.
As there were no parties, concerts, and cafes, the city organized several shows that were broadcast live via internet and television, following similar global examples of celebrities streaming their performances. The feeling of togetherness was best demonstrated every night at 8 pm during the curfew, when the nation applauded the health workers from their apartments, as a sign of support.