The number of people infected with COVID-19 in all Balkan countries is increasing. Part of the public accuses the authorities in Serbia and Macedonia of prematurely relaxing the preventive measures by flirting with the electorate in the run-up to the elections in both countries. Amidst an epidemic, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been rocked by a corruption scandal involving the supply of inadequate respirators. What is the price that the Balkan will pay for such decisions? Representatives of the civil society in Macedonia, Serbia, BiH and Albania discuss these issues in the regional Res Publica podcast, as part of the initiative #TalesFromTheRegion.