ZAGREB, February 27, 2020 - The national civil protection authority on Thursday informed business people, members of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), about measures that are being taken with regard to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and its possible impact on the national economy, noting that there is no reason to panic.
*Follow this page for updates from Total Croatia News on the coronavirus in Croatia. Contact numbers for epidemiologists, travel advisories and measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus can be found here.
The head of the national civil protection authority, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, said that the authority would keep providing business people with information of relevance for their business.
Božinović said that maximum effort was being invested in reducing possible losses and sending a message that Croatia, as the current EU chair, functions in the current situation as it should.
HGK president Luka Burilović said that the HGK was in touch with companies and was following the situation on the ground.
The situation is not alarming for now, companies are trying to adapt and for the time being they are not reporting any significant problems, he said.
He added that the HGK was in touch with retail chains which had prepared for increased sales in recent days.
Burilović said that it was difficult to assess how much the situation would affect the national economy.
He said that the HGK and the national civil protection authority were defining recommendations for companies on how to act in emergency situations and that recommendations would also be made for individual sectors in the event of major problems.
The head of the Croatian Public Health Institute, Krunoslav Čapak, said that it was rather difficult to control arrivals and departures of foreign nationals in Croatia which happened on a daily basis.
"We are doing our best to minimise the risks," he said, adding that the current estimate was that borders should not be closed, including for business entities.
A general recommendation will be published today for business entities regarding the situation with the coronavirus, it was said at the meeting.
The head of the HGK Hauliers Association, Darko Vukadinović, said that the situation with hauliers had its specificities.
"There is practically only one border crossing towards Italy, with which we work the most, and the situation on the Slovenian side of the border is already chaotic," he said, adding that several Croatian truck drivers had been advised to go into self-isolation for 14 days.
"What happens with the truck and the goods in that case is still unclear," he said, adding that there was already a shortage of workers in that sector and that the situation now was even more difficult.
The head of the HGK Small Shipbuilders Association, Boris Vukušić, believes the circulation of people is the biggest problem as domestic workers are leased mostly to Italian shipyards in the north of the country.
We are cautious and there will certainly be disruptions in business, which will impact revenues, he said, expressing hope there would be no major financial losses.
We must not panic but look for markets elsewhere, he said.
More coronavirus news can be found in the Business section.
*Follow this page for updates from Total Croatia News on the coronavirus in Croatia. Contact numbers for epidemiologists, travel advisories and measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus can be found here.
