Editorial

Croatia COVID-19 Health, Travel & Stats Live Updates April 22, 2020

DUE TO THE SIZE OF THIS ARTICLE, THE APRIL 23 ARTICLE HAS MOVED TO THIS LINK

April 22, 2021 - A Croatia COVID-19 overview of the latest health, travel and stats news on the coronavirus crisis, with live updates in English, powered by Index.hr.

There are currently 1950 officially confirmed Croatia COVID-19 cases and 42 new cases since yesterday afternoon. 869 patients have recovered. Forty-eight people have died. 18 patients are on ventilators. There are 1033 active cases.

You can now track the progress of the curve of cases and recoveries on the official koronvirus.hr homepage. (You can also follow it into the English version here, which has less content but covers the essential information).

Note that koronavirus.hr is now mapping cases by county instead of town/city. Koronavirus.hr will update their map after the 14:00 CET daily press conference.

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Index also has a very useful breakdown of cases by town and city. Please note that these numbers may not correspondent to the total number, as the locations of some cases are usually confirmed later. We will update this information as we get it. 

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Index has now added two more stat counters - unemployment numbers and a more detailed look at the curve with new cases by day. 

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More than 177,688 people are dead from the virus, which originated in Wuhan City, China. Over 2,557,917 cases have been confirmed globally. USA has the highest number of recorded cases (818,744) and has now overtaken Italy the highest number of deaths (45,318) deaths.

UPDATED: April 22, 2020 - 08:00 CET - With apologies in advance if the translations are not perfect. With very limited resources and plenty of pressure, we are trying to get the updates done as quickly as possible, so a little help from Google Translate is necessary. We thank you for your understanding. 

PLEASE NOTE: Due to lack of resources, rather than the live feed service so far, we will be updating this page in the morning by 08:30, then again at 11:30, then real-time updates of the press conference at 14:00, then again at 18:00. We thank you for your understanding.

 

17:44: In an ironic statement today, the Revival union argued that a fourth form of teaching could be patented this school year - parallel teaching, commenting on Minister Blazenka Divjak's statement that children will not be forced to return to school and that parents will decide on this. More on Index.

17:42: The Josip Juraj Strossmayer University Student Assembly has donated one hundred protective visors to the Clinical Hospital Center (KBC) in Osijek.

17:00: Deputy Mayor of Karlovac Martin Furdek Hajdin announced on Wednesday that the county will invest 1.7m kunas in agriculture - for online food placement service, land consolidation, preparation of projects for construction of dryers, cold storage and the like.

The Karlovac County budget revised budget proposal plans 14 million kunas of lower revenues and expenditures, but nonetheless, investments in agriculture are planned because, according to Furdek Hajdin, anti-epidemic measures have limited the marketing of agricultural products.

On the family farm Ljiljana Maričić in Jelaši near Karlovac, Furdek Hajdin said that the coronavirus crisis resulted in them becoming more aware that many of the food eaten is not produced in Karlovac County, and there is a lot of unused soil in the county.

"It is a large area that has not been cultivated and has previously been used for food production and should be activated for crop and livestock farming," said Furdek Hajdin. It announced that a part of HRK 1.7m will be spent on the preparation of long-term investments, for dryers, cold storage, purchase sites, for land reclamation and irrigation, and for the final realization of these investments will be counted on European funds.

16:30: The government and headquarters have a serious problem with loosening measures. The whole country is waiting for them. More on Index

15:30: Evacuation of people from the Nursing Home in Koprivnica is underway. 

15:10: Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic was a guest of the N1 Live Studio. Butkovic commented on the proposal to ease measures the government should take at Thursday's session, major infrastructure projects in Croatia that continued despite the coronavirus epidemic, and briefly commented on the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place this year. More on Index.

14:40: Plan for Istria Cafes and Shopping Centers Opening. More on Index.

14:30: "58 tons of equipment arrived yesterday by plane from Shanghai, most of the equipment we purchased from state-owned Chinese companies, and donations to the Split hospital and the Split home were delivered from that flight," Damir Trut, deputy head of the headquarters, told the press.

14:21: About the new infection in a nursing home in Koprivnica

"There were 6 positive patients there, we had two first. Now with the last testing, where 20 residents were tested, 13 turned out to be positive. This is in a home where patients with severely ill and severely mobile patients will be taken away today. According to their information, people were put in self-isolation. We do not know how the breakthrough happened, but there are epidemiologists on the ground.

When can we expect the first relief measure?

"A document will be released tomorrow. All details will be published. There is always the possibility of a measure being revoked," Capak said.

About shops, schools ...

"It is being considered that trade openings are to be expanded, but of course under strict measures, and this will be decided by the government. So tomorrow it will be known. For schools, the same will be known tomorrow, what must and what does not have to open, and epidemiologists are only there to provide an epidemiological framework,” Capak said.

14:14: About serological testing

"It is important that the sample contains people who are at equal risk of becoming ill so that we can estimate per thousand subjects, 1,110, how many people have contracted the virus. Tests will be conducted at the HZJZ. We have submitted one project to expand our research, we will connect it with labs and do a wide-ranging survey that will give us information and the state of the population, but we would also like to do it on some subpopulations," Capak said.

"In a few days we will start collecting the blood of all our employees to see if any of ours have been infected," Markotic added.

Are there any specific guidelines for healthcare professionals regarding the normalization of the health care system?

"There will be special instructions, we are doing different things now. It is about the need to maintain hygiene intervals and the like. Preventive testing for some is also envisaged," Beros said.

14:04: Beros: Day 58 of coronavirus in Croatia. We have 42 new cases, a total of 1950 cases. 27614 tested, yesterday 1340. The number of positive cases has dropped so today is 7.06 percent.

314 were hospitalized, 3 less than yesterday. We have 33 more patients discharged from hospitals than yesterday and a total of 869 recovered from 68 more than yesterday.

We have a focal point in the nursing home in Koprivnica where we have 13 positive cases and 2 positive employees.

About the nursing home in Split

Due to the complexity of the case, I would like to ask you a few more days to think carefully because we want the decisions to be well-founded. 

"I asked a few more days for technical reasons, because some people are sick, some in self-isolation, so we can interview them normally. I don't know exactly when, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, maybe Monday, it won't last more than a couple of days," he added.

About the measures

"We are communicating with you and the public that when the situation is favorable we will consider very carefully which of the measures we have put in place and we have talked about putting together with the government a plan of measures that will least disturb the epidemic. The government will come out tomorrow with a document outlining the stages and dates.

About the data

HZJZ is a 127-year-old institution, since then it has been promoting health and maintaining good health. We collect a whole lot of data on everything. We now had to move to a different way of reporting where we collect data daily. We do our best to report everything in a timely manner. No one intends to hide information. We have no reserve people, our primary concern is to protect our health. We had to redirect our people to the fight against coronavirus and to reporting, see how much we posted on the HZJZ web site and on the koronavirus.hr web site, if we couldn't provide some data, if we couldn't process the data the way some wanted, have some understanding, please.” Capak said

Distance for politicians?

"We have issued instructions and we have made no distinction between politicians and citizens. The measures apply to everyone," Capak replied.

13:43: HUP chief Gordan Deranj on N1 television commented on the current situation in Croatia.

"We look forward to loosening the measures, we have businesses, we want to create and contribute ... This deadlock, this work ban, exhausts us all and, of course, when there is no activity, the future is uncertain."

13:40: The Croatian Institute of Public Health has refused to provide the Dataspekt website, which deals with data processing and trying to process data on the coronavirus epidemic in Croatia, with the statistics they have requested.

We asked IT expert Mark Rakar for comment on the CESP's refusal to explain that it burdens the work and the regular functioning of public authorities, calling it Twitter an absolute disgrace. More on Index.

13:30: Situation by counties based on local headquarters announcements 22. 4.

Virovitica-Podravina - 5 new. Total 7
Zadar - 1 new. Total 83
Primorsko-goranska - 0 new.
Požega-Slavonia County - 0 new. Total 3. All healed
Bjelovar-Bilogora - 0 new. Total 10
Istarska - 0 new.
Osijek-Baranja - 2 new. A total of 113. 34 cured
Split-Dalmatia - 10 new. Total 434.
Šibenik-Knin - 1 new. Total 83. Healed 27
Vukovar-Srijem - 0 new. Total 37
Zagreb - 1 new. Total 125
City of Zagreb - 2 new. Total 454
Krapina-Zagorje - 1 new. Total 126
Varaždin - 3 new. Total 40

13:21: Three more infected in Varazdin County

13:20: One newly-infected person in Zagorje, possible travel without passes to Zagreb next week. More on Index.

12:20: A total of 220 people were tested yesterday. There are two new cases. Two more were tested positive. There are a total of 454 positives. The night shift in the covid dispensaries is being abolished because there is much less work, it was said at the beginning of the Zagreb press conference.

12:04: According to the data of the Zagreb County Institute of Public Health, 125 persons have been registered in the Zagreb County area by today by 11:00 who have tested positive. Compared to yesterday, this is one more person confirmed with COVID-19, but also 8 more people who have been cured. So far, a total of 31 people have been cured and three have died.

11:58: There are no new positive cases in the County of Vukovar-Srijem and the total number of sick persons is still 37.

11:50: "We tested all staff, only one finding came out positive. But Zenta's House physically visits one of our epidemiologists every day to monitor the situation because negative findings today do not mean that they will remain as they are for a day, it all depends on contact people with the virus and the incubation period," epidemiologist Zeljka Karin told Dalmatia today about a positive finding by a resident of the Nursing Home in Split's Zenta.

11:47 Šibenik-Knin has 1 new infected person, a total of 83. 27 people have been cured. > More

11:35: Croats are buying paracetamol en masse, and the head of the chamber of pharmacists reveals how much. More on Index.

11:33: Divjak about going back to school: Nobody will force kids, parents will decide.  More on Index.

11;22: Data of Osijek-Baranja County: 146 persons tested. 2 positive findings, both were medical professionals, and both were in medical quarantine. We have 34 cured people, including Dr. Peric.

10:49: According to the NZJZ Split-Dalmatia County report, out of a total of 102 tests tested, 10 more were infected with coronavirus, from Split 5, Makarska 4 (all newly infected users are the Home for the Elderly and Disabled Makarska) and Trogir 1. reported from the headquarters.

10:45: There are no new patients in the last 24 hours in Istria. Another 4 people have recovered.

10:28: There are no new infected in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County today. Currently, 41 people are infected, 29 have been healed and one patient has passed away. At the moment, in the County of Primorje-Gorski kotar, another 1,500 people and 540 people are in self-isolation and are under constant surveillance. More than 1600 tests have been carried out so far, Kanal RI reports.

10:18: The County of Pozega-Slavonia is no longer positive for COVID-19, the County reported.

10:00: Press conference of Zadar County Headquarters.

"We have 1 new infected person, which is a total of 83. We have 14 cured. We have 6 patients in the hospital and 7 patients in Biograd. No one is on a respirator. We were instructed to terminate night shifts in COVID dispensaries. We also received equipment from Shanghai. "We have carried out inspections in nursing homes and have not identified any irregularities," said the Chief of Staff.

"The last two infected were in self-isolation and had no contact with anyone, had no symptoms," said a Zadar epidemiologist.

"So far, over 700 samples have been taken at Zadar Hospital, one person is at JIL, today we will release a few patients, mostly for home care and one goes to Biograd Hospital. We are taking one sample from an employee today, the next in 24 hours, and if they are negative, they go back to work. 11 medical staff are in isolation. From Friday, we will start taking tests by drive-in, "said the hospital director.

"Our National Headquarters abolishes one measure and then monitors what is happening. It is important to monitor the situation in our environment as well, and the epidemiological situation depends on it. If Rome has opened a library, we probably will soon. The distance is the most effective measure for this virus. and our new life will be at distance, "said epidemiologist Medic.

"I do not have the exact number of asymptomatic confirmed. I can say that out of 17 Biograd Hospital staff, 13 of them were discovered after self-isolation, when they needed to return to work, that they were positive, some had symptoms. In my estimation, one third of them were asymptomatic. "said Medic.
 

09:57: MUP reports on the arrival of another plane load of protective equipment, some 58 tons.

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09:49: HZJZ refuses to provide statistics on COVID-19 in Croatia, Marko Rakar: an absolute disgrace.  More on Index.

09:34: Five new cases of coronavirus infection confirmed in Virovitica-Podravina County. 

09:30: What measures will loosen first? More on Index.

09:00: Relaxation begins in Istria, soon all shops will be open. More on Index.

08:20: Oktavija Djakovic Rode, Head of Virology at the Zagreb Contagious Hospital, appeared on Together for Health on HRT. She reiterated that it was essential to prevent the coronavirus from spreading by washing hands.

"It belongs to a group of viruses that have a lipid coating and are not very resistant to external conditions. It is very easy to remove them with anything, the most normal methods being washing hands and disinfectant. The fact is that we have disparaged that most important hygiene measure," she said.

08:10: "In Istria, there is highest percentage of coronavirus recoveries in Croatia - as much as 79 percent! This means that the numbers are quite satisfactory to us. Therefore, a measure was adopted that Istrian citizens can move indefinitely," Dino Kozlevac, Chief of Staff, told Glas Istre.

07:00: Some of the latest TCN articles:

CNB Governor Boris Vujcic: Croatian GDP Dropping Three Percent Every Month

Plenković Says Measures to Reactivate Economy Will Be Appropriate, Safe

Milanović Visits Meat Factory to Check Risks to Food Supply Chain

Coronavirus: More Than 2.1 Million Croats Now Shopping Online

Self-Isolation as It Once Was & How Croatian Tourism Can Compete on Price

Animal Shelters in Croatia: the Volunteers of 'Udruga Pobjede' in Osijek

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06:45: Some very encouraging graphs from the AI team at Velebit.ai - there have been more recoveries than new cases in 6 out of the last 7 days. You can see much more detailed data about corona in Croatia, the region and the EU on their website.

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06:35: The new numbers will be announced at the regular press conference at 14:00. 

06:30: Welcome to the TCN daily update on COVID-19. We start the day with 1908 officially confirmed Croatia COVID-19 cases and 27 new cases since yesterday afternoon. 801 patients have recovered. Forty-eight people have died. 18 patients are on ventilators. There are 1059 active cases.

Some useful TCN articles on what you need to know.

Croatia Travel Update - overview of borders, flights, ferries, new travel restrictions

Croatian Government Opens Donation Fund.

Who Needs to Wear a Mask?

What is Open and What is Closed?

Igor Rudan: Why We Must ALL Stay Home For at Least 1 Month

New Viber Update Service from Croatian Government - 400,000 Followers in First 24 Hours. Here is How to Join.

A Behind the Scenes Look at Running TCN in the Corona Era

(Live updates provided by Index)

Entry into Republic of Croatia

As of midnight on March 19, 2020; crossing the border of the Republic of Croatia is temporarily restricted. Croatian citizens and residents will be allowed to return to Croatia, which means that they may go to the country where they work and reside and must follow the instructions and measures of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) upon their return. These measures went into effect at 00:01 on March 19, 2020 and are valid for 30 days. More information and exceptions here.

For the latest Croatia travel advice in these uncertain times, click here.

Social Distancing Measures Implemented

Also as of March 19, 2020; it is compulsory to strictly adhere to anti-epidemic measures and strict social distance measures. A strict measure of social distance requires avoiding close personal contact at a distance of at least:

  • Two (2) meters indoors
  • One (1) meter outdoors

The anti-epidemic measures required according to this decision include a ban on holding all public events, gatherings of more than 5 people in one place and the suspension of all retail and trade activities. EXCEPTIONS and details can be found here. These measures were strengthened today March 21, 2020. Residents are being ordered not to leave home except to get food or medicine. 

Total Slovenia News & Total Montenegro News Updates

  • COVID-19 in Slovenia - here.
  • COVID-19 in Montenegro - here

Live World Coronavirus Updates

  • Live world updates from CNN here.
  • Live world updates from The Guardian here.
  • Live world updates from Al Jazeera here.

World Health Organization Coronavirus Updates

  • Live updated international map tracking spread of coronavirus from Johns Hopkins CSSE here.
  • Live updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) here.

Croatian Health Organization Coronavirus Updates

  • Live updates from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (daily updates at 15:00 CET in Croatian) here.
  • Live updates from Croatian Government at their dedicated website koronavirus.hr here and their Facebook page here.

Other Croatia Resources for Updates, Information and Assistance

  • COVID-19 INFO CROATIA - A Facebook group with updates and information in English here.
  • Jedni za druge - A Facebook group of volunteers who do deliveries in several cities here.

*Follow this page for updates on the coronavirus in Croatia from Total Croatia News. 

*Follow this page for updates on the Zagreb earthquake in Croatia from Total Croatia News. 

UPDATES from April 21, 2020

18:37: Another direct flight from Shanghai with 58 tons of medical equipment has landed at Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman airport, which is a continuation of the continued delivery of protective equipment and supplies to the Croatian health system in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, the government said.

For the most part, these are the equipment that Croatia acquired from the state-owned companies MEHECO and Sinopharm.

A donation from the Deltron company from Split and their Chinese partners, Gree Electric Appliances Inc., which is intended for the Clinical Hospital Center of Split and the Health Center of the Split-Dalmatia County, was also delivered this summer, the Government's Public Relations Office reported this afternoon.

17:47: At a press conference of the National Civil Protection Headquarters today, it was said that one patient at KB Dubrava, with significant chronic illness, died of COVID-19.

The family complained that they had not received any information about her condition and had been told that she had passed away from pneumonia. 

17:34: Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic spoke today with European Council President Charles Michel about an upcoming virtual meeting of top EU heads of state or government. More on Index

17:20: Three residents of the Makarska Home for the Elderly and Disabled who were transported to Split Hospital with temperature in the afternoon are negative for COVID-19. They tested negative in the first test a few days ago, but since they had a fever and the disease was identified in 11 residents and five employees, they were transported to the hospital and tested again. And again, they are negative.

16:30 Split-Dalmatia County prefect Blaženko Boban has announced measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in that county, pointing out assistance to about 550 people who have lost their jobs and are not receiving any compensation. More on Index

15:40: Police say they have received more reports from citizens who have received messages and calls to their e-mail and cellphone numbers from +38516700060, from persons who have introduced themselves as employees of a Swiss travel agency doing online booking services.

Police said the fraudsters while interviewing citizens, required them to provide them with user information and a password for their Booking.com account, while an email contained a link to suspicious content. 

15:30: Out of 32 closed catering establishments, 21 are open again today.

15:00: Bozinovic said at a conference that the government would pass an exit plan this week to loosen measures. 

14:39: Data so far

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14:20: A drive-in diagnostics for the coronavirus began in Makarska on Tuesday for faster and safer testing, and a tent for testing was erected in front of the gynecology entrance of the Makarska branch of the Split-Dalmatia County Health Center.

The tent was set up in cooperation with the Makarska Civil Protection Headquarters and the Red Cross City Society, and swabs will be taken to the citizens by the doctors of the Mertojak central ambulance from Split.

14:00: National Civil Protection HQ press conference:

In the last 24 hours, there are 27 new cases and 1908 in Croatia in total. One fatality since yesterday. 18 patients on ventilators. 

"Today is the 57th day since the coronavirus was found in Croatia. We have 27 new cases, a total of 1908. 26274 people were tested, 664 yesterday, a percentage of 7.26 positive. One woman died yesterday, born 1932 with a significant chronic illness. A total of 48 patients have died. There are 18 patients on ventilators. 801 have recovered.

"We collect information from 12.45 to 12.45 day after day. The local media publishes at other times, so the numbers are different," Beros said.

When could border crossing with neighboring countries be facilitated?

"A few days ago, we extended the decision to ban cross-border harmonization at the EU level. We will follow what is concluded at the European level. There are exceptions to this when it comes to family reunification. There are some exceptions," Bozinovic said. 

About schools and universities

"We have repeatedly said that some measures can be eased. Any further decisions that the government will make depend on the epidemiological situation. We will make a risk assessment and say what each individual situation means for the number of patients. Then the government will make a decision. What I know, what I've heard, read, teaching online is going well and there's no reason not to end the year like that."

About mass

"You know that the government, all ministers, are working to come up with a phased exit strategy, a loosening strategy, when it is completed, and it should be this week, we will know more about everything. It is important to us that when we start to loosen to make sure that everything is well-aligned with the needs of the various stakeholders in the society, on the other hand, to make some assessment of the epidemiological risk at that point."

About HGK requirements, caterers, and plexiglass setup

"I can only repeat. The government will come up with one complete strategy, with stages, and then we will agree on everything with the experts. You will hear the priorities set by the government.

We have communicated clearly from day one that this is not a situation that will go by so quickly and that we recommend that everyone try to organize themselves in a way that the epidemiology profession is looking for, because this will all take time," Bozinovic said.

On the number of new cases

"We said that in principle. The number should be reduced for 5 to 7 days, but the trend is important, we have a slight downward trend. The number of new patients per day is falling slightly. This is still mild, hopefully, it will be larger soon. But we also follow a whole host of other parameters," Capak said.

13:45: The State Inspectorate closed a number of restaurants last weekend, including the Tekka restaurant in Zagreb. The explanations for the closure varied from one to the next, as the State Inspectorate under the leadership of Andrija Mikulic tried to come up with a good enough excuse to destroy one of the few hospitality businesses that survives despite measures introduced by the coronavirus epidemic. 

13:30: The Voice of Entrepreneurs Association points out that the State Inspectorate headed by HDZ's Andrija Mikulic is repressing entrepreneurs and closing many catering establishments for ridiculous reasons.

Today in Rijeka, a new case has emerged to support their thesis.

Specifically, this morning, when the opening of the proceedings had begun, the competent inspector in Rijeka left the facilities sealed, because in the meantime they did not meet the new conditions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health. According to the Voice of Entrepreneurs, these are conditions that cannot be met if they cannot access their office space.

13:20: Psychiatrist Ante Bagarić commented on the coronavirus crisis in Croatia and how this crisis and the pandemic and the consequent uncertainty that comes with it affects our mental health.

"The pandemic has left mental disorders and more people are committed to solving these problems," Bagaric said.

13:01: Two new patients in Sisak, gas station closed in Petrinja. The new cases are father and son who were confirmed positive after testing. Due to the need for self-isolation of the employees, given the workplace of a new patient, the Ina gas station was closed in Petrinja.

12:49: A girl infected with the coronavirus leaves her apartment in Novi Zagreb. More on Index

12:46: A woman is ill in Varaždin, in serious condition. Three medical teams in isolation.

12:35: Split-Dalmatia County press conference is underway:

In the Split-Dalmatia County, out of 165 tests completed, there are 5 new cases, from Split 2 and Makarska 3.

"Among the new cases, 3 are health professionals, 2 from the nursing home in Makarska and 1 master of pharmacy. Two people are from self-isolation. A total of 98 people were hospitalized," according to the Split-Dalmatia County Civil Protection Headquarters.

There are seven people on ventilators, 5 from Split-Dalmatia County and 2 from Šibenik-Knin County.

There are 113 health workers in self-isolation, and there are 13 people quarantined at the Zagreb Hotel on Duilovo.

To date, 424 cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the Split-Dalmatia County, 83 of which were cured and as of 21.04.2020. 341 people positive for COVID infection.

12:21: No new cases have been reported in Bjelovar-Bilogora County for six days in a row, and four patients have recovered in the meantime, according to the Civil Protection County Headquarters.

12:20: Head of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Krapina-Zagorje County Anđelko Ferek-Jambrek reports that 3 new cases have been registered in the county - 2 from the Jesenje Municipality and 1 from the City of Oroslavje. 

11:48: There are no new patients in Zagreb County for two days in a row. 

11:47: There are no new cases in Lika-Senj. A total of 21 persons are positive for COVID-19, of which 14 are positive from the territory of the Municipality of Udbina, 5 from the territory of the Municipality of Plitvice Lakes and 2 from the City of Novalja.

11:45: No new cases in Karlovac County, pediatrics reopened in Ogulin. 

11:28: A document by the HGK: These are requirements for discounting measures by date. More on Index

11:25: A statement arrived from Split-Dalmatia County confirming the statement of Boban that there are five new cases. 

11:24: Zadar County has one new case.

11:08: The Tekka restaurant in Radnička Street has reopened. The inspection sealed it, and owner Mario Minder said: "I'm confident we will survive, otherwise I wouldn't even open it again!"

11:05: Rijeka Epidemiologist on life after the epidemic: What cafes, beaches will look like. More on Index

11:00: The president of the Caterers Association guest-hosted the show Together for Health of HRT 4. He pointed out that it was too expensive for the caterers to make changes at the outlets. 

10:54: The trend of slow linear growth of the number of patients continues in Osijek-Baranja County. During the 24 hours, one person was positive, and it was a person from Beketinci who was in self-isolation, and because of his good general condition, there was no need for hospitalization.

10:42: After there were no new cases in the Šibenik-Knin County for three days in a row, a new one was registered today in the Drniš area, the Civil Protection HQ of Šibenik-Knin County reported.

10:32: Split-Dalmatia County prefect. Boban told N1 that, according to the latest information he knows, they have 5 new patients and 82 cured this morning.

10:24: Economic expert and consultant Andrej Grubisic made a guest appearance on N1 television and commented on the current situation.

He thinks it would be good to accelerate relaxing the existing measures while, in addition, controlling the epidemiological picture. "Because all the measures that are liberalized can always be made more restrictive," Grubisic explains.

He says there is no doubt that, in addition to the economic guild, we also have a potential health guild because a good part of everything that is normally done in the healthcare system is put on hold. "Namely, I think that the real pressure on the health system, with the exception of these people who are now on the front line, is only expected after the measures are relaxed. Of course, not their fault," Grubisic commented. 

10:23: Bjelovar-Bilogora County Prefect Damir Bajs argued Tuesday that getting out of the crisis is not possible by saving the public sector, but only with increasing public investment and securing jobs for construction workers and others in times of crisis.

Therefore, the County of Bjelovar-Bilogora has prepared a new set of economic recovery measures, including the announcement of 15 public tenders in the construction sector worth more than HRK 100 million, and the county and deputies will reduce their salaries by 20% during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The position of the County of Bjelovar-Bilogora is that it is not possible to get out of the crisis with the austerity of the public sector, which is the opinion of many heads of local self-government units, but only with the increase of public investment and securing jobs for our construction workers and related activities in times of crisis," said Mayor Bajs in Bjelovar after meeting with representatives of the County Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

10:22: Minister of Science and Education Blazenka Divjak posted an essential message on Facebook this morning for high school graduates.

She said that the material of the second semester of the fourth grade for compulsory subjects will not be in the state graduation exams.

She also confirmed that exams for compulsory subjects will be held from June 8 to June 29. 

10:20: There will be no commemoration in Jasenovac due to the coronavirus. 

10:15: There are no new cases in Istria.

There are still no new coronavirus patients in Istria County after all 55 tested swabs were tested as of Sunday, and in the meantime, four more have been cured, bringing the total to 66.

The head of the county Civil Protection Headquarters, Dino Kozlevac, said that thirty samples of swabs were taken yesterday on the field and at the Department of Infectology of the Pula General Hospital for suspected coronavirus.

He again thanked the citizens of the county for their responsible behavior so far, which, he points out, has led to a favorable state of affairs in this area.

"However, despite easing the measures and the possibility of more free movement, we urge them to remain responsible and move on the path only in case of urgent need," Kozlevac said.

He noted that it is still necessary to comply with the measure of restricting gathering in public spaces and regularly listen to the instructions of experts, in order "to get everyone out of this emergency situation as soon as possible".

10:09: County of Primorje-Gorski Kotar records 2 new cases

"The County of Primorje-Gorski Kotar has two new cases in the last 24 hours.

Both infected individuals were in isolation and under the supervision of epidemiologists. These are contacts of people who have become infected abroad.

10:05: There are no new infections in Bjelovar-Bilogora County.

"In the past 24 hours, 30 people have been tested for the coronavirus at Bjelovar General Hospital and all 30 have tested negative.

Thus, in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, 10 coronavirus patients have been confirmed so far, 4 of which have been cured.

There are 306 people in self-isolation in the area of ​​our county, and in the last 24 hours, the Bjelovar-Bilogora Police Directorate recorded only 1 violation of self-isolation measures.

So far, the County Police Department has inspected self-isolation measures 2558 times.

Due to the discipline of our citizens and adherence to all measures and instructions in preventing the spread of the coronavirus infection, our county is at the very bottom of the Croatian counties by the number of patients. Let us continue to be responsible and continue these positive figures to protect the health of our residents," the county posted on its Facebook page.

10:00: There are no new cases in Virovitica-Podravina County.

"In the area of ​​Virovitica-Podravina County, for the 22nd day in a row, there are no new patients with COVID 19. In the last 24 hours, 11 samples were tested and all were negative.

So far, a total of 249 persons have been tested in the area of Virovitica-Podravina County, of which 247 have been negative. There are two positive spouses, with no symptoms of coronavirus. They have been retested, and if the results are negative, they will be able to return to normal life activities.

Police officers of the Virovitica-Podravina County Police Department, at checkpoints in neighboring counties, have checked 3,523 people in 2,737 vehicles in the last 24 hours. Of these, eleven persons tried to enter Virovitica-Podravina County without a valid e-Pass. In addition, police officers visited 12 addresses of people who were in isolation, all at home.

Even though Virovitica-Podravina County does not have COVID 19 patients for twenty-two days, it is not time to relax. Adhere to measures of social distance and avoidance of direct contact," a post on the county's Facebook page reads.

09:50: There are no new cases in Požega-Slavonia County

In Požega-Slavonia County, it is the 21st day without new cases, and there are currently 236 people in self-isolation. A total of 175 people were tested, and currently 31 samples have been sent for analysis. Only 3 diseased persons remain confirmed in the county. One sick person has been hospitalized and two are in home isolation.

09:45: Vuk Vukovic writes for Index: Quarantine in the EU will hit Croatia particularly hard. Read his analysis

09:42: Istrian police have reported a repeated violation of self-isolation measures in Porec for the third time, while for two others, the police officers in Umag have found that they are violating a measure of self-isolation for the second time, Istrian police reported on Tuesday.

"Considering the number of persons in self-isolation in our county, it is evident that only a small number of them do not follow the instructions of epidemiologists and leave their homes and make social contacts with other persons, although this is strictly forbidden," the spokeswoman of the Istrian police Natasa Vitasovic said.

09:30: Alemka Markotic commented on the announcements about the tourist season. She says there will not be many guests in Croatia this season. More on Index

09:15: Molecular biologist Ivan Djikic thinks Croatian scientists at the Infectious Diseases Clinic, Dr. Fran Mihaljevic, who have been able to isolate the virus that causes COVID-19, have done a great thing.

This enables them to study the COVID-19 disease in Croatia and engage in numerous research projects around the world.

"This is especially valuable for investigating new drugs or methods of preventing virus entry or multiplication in cells," says the scientist. 

09:10: Dario Jurican commented on the closure of the restaurant by the State Inspectorate by projecting a painting on the State Inspectorate building. The vast majority of hospitality facilities are closed due to the decisions of the HQ. Those who work must abide by the numerous rules of epidemiologists. But the State Inspectorate closed several facilities. 

09:05: The Bayer pharmaceutical company will pay a donation of 50,000 euros, or nearly 380,000 kuna to the Croatian state budget, and additionally donate 8,000 masks to Croatian hospitals and medical staff, the company said today. 

09:03: HUP seeks the abolition of para-fiscal levies. 

09:00: In closer markets, there is a desire for summer travel to Croatia, but the realization is uncertain and will depend on the decisions of the headquarters and governments on whether they will be able to travel across borders, directors of Croatian National Tourist Board offices in six European countries told Hina. 

8:45: DRIVE-IN coronavirus testing is conducted nationwide. An HRT journalist visited the team in Pula. They can test two people every five minutes. More on Index

8:30: Minister of Tourism: The situation is normalizing, we are considering public transport. More on Index

07:10: Recent TCN articles on coronavirus:

Croatian Inspectors Seal 20 Restaurants Contrary to Tourism Ministry Instructions

Coronavirus in Croatia: Testing Blood Samples Will Reveal Important Things

Croatian Institute of Public Health Publishes Guidelines for Catering Establishments

COVID-19 in Croatia: List of New Measures Explained

28 Croatians Repatriated from Italy

Coronavirus, Croatia and the EU: Where are we Now? What of the Future?

07:00:Igor Rudan: Why Singapore, Japan, Qatar and Emirates Now Have Coronavirus Outbreaks

 

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06:40:  More encouraging graphs from the team at Velebit.ai, showing a big drop in the number of active cases and a rise in recoveries. More detailed data on the dedicated Velebit.ai COVID-19 page.

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06:35: The new numbers will be announced at the regular press conference at 14:00. 

06:30: Welcome to the TCN daily update on COVID-19. We start the day with 1881 officially confirmed Croatia COVID-19 cases and 10 new cases since yesterday afternoon. 771 patients have recovered. Forty-seven people have died. 18 patients are on ventilators. There are 1063 active cases.

UPDATES from April 20, 2020

17:05: Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman spoke to Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany Heik Maas on Monday, April 20, 2020.

"Minister Radlic Grlić informed his German counterpart about timely measures taken by the Croatian Government to prevent the spread of COVID19, as well as the consequences of the recent earthquake in Zagreb. He thanked the German side for assisting Croatia in the aftermath of the earthquake and the German side's openness to any further assistance in reconstruction. 

In these challenging times, Minister Radlic emphasized the importance of a joint and coordinated response from the European Union, which should show collective strength, community and solidarity. He welcomed the adoption of European Commission measures in response to the pandemic and stressed the importance of unity in adopting the Multiannual Financial Framework. The new seven-year EU budget should make it possible to deal with the consequences of the pandemic, but also to take into account the specificities of individual Member States, in particular the importance of using EU funds for Croatia.

This was the first in a series of video consultations to coordinate activities, as Germany takes over the EU Council Presidency after Croatia. Minister Grlić Radman presented further plans under the Croatian Presidency. Both sides agreed that the exchange of experiences between Croatia and Germany is of great importance as work will continue on some of the topics of the Croatian Presidency in the second half of the year during the German Presidency. This is true, for example, of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership.

The Minister thanked his German counterpart for his assistance with the repatriation of Croatian citizens and emphasized the role of Croatia as the presiding country in coordinating consular cooperation. Ministers also addressed the situation in Libya and Ukraine and stressed the importance of multilateralism and a global approach in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ministers Grlic Radman and Maas also discussed ways and modalities of arrivals of German tourists to Croatia," the ministry said.

17:03: At the proposal of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Krapina-Zagorje County, the Civil Protection Headquarters eliminated e-passes in the territory of the Krapina-Zagorje County.

16:31: Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has announced that the Government will prepare a conclusion based on which, as well as within the framework of epidemiologists, the Civil Protection Headquarters will make decisions on Thursday to reactivate and normalize some of its economic activities.

"The government will prepare one conclusion this week, and after that, the Civil Protection Headquarters, in line with that Government's conclusion and the framework provided by epidemiologists, will make decisions to reactivate and normalize some of its economic activities," the prime minister said. 

16:12: The Financial Agency (Fina) reported that the enforcement of foreclosures on the cash of all-natural persons, totaling almost 245 thousand, has ceased, which is a measure of help in the wake of the COVID-19 paandemic.

"FINA ceases to enforce foreclosure on funds in relation to all natural persons, except in exceptional cases, prescribed by law. Natural persons who do not have any foreclosure will continue to be debited in the next few days," FINA said in a statement. 

It recalls that amendments to the Law on Enforcement of Monetary Funds entered into force on Saturday, which prescribes a delay in the enforcement of foreclosures on funds for the period of validity of special circumstances, or until July 17 this year, with the possibility of extending the duration of special circumstances for an additional three months.

FINA thus stopped implementing enforcement of funds for a total of 244,865 natural persons, which included 234,587 citizens/consumers and 10,269 natural persons engaged in registered activities.

15:25: Tax expert Hrvoje Zgombić: When will the lies of the unions in the public sector be swallowed? More on Index

15:24 "The Croatian government is considering the order to begin reactivating the economy, and that will be given to the experts," said the head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, on Monday.

"Croatia has a strategy that has shown very good results and is not in a hurry with any dates because today, to say that you will start with something on May 11, is not good. The government is considering the order in which something should be initiated and the experts will give word."

15:24: There are no new cases in Varaždin County in the last 24 hours, and County Civil Protection Chief Robert Vugrin said on Monday that the effects of enforcing the decision to move without a pass would be monitored and - if there was significant deterioration - additional epidemiological measures would be sought.

"In Varaždin County, we have been able to keep the pandemic under control through restraint. Therefore, the effects of implementing the new decision will be monitored in the next few days and - if there is a significant worsening of the epidemiological situation - the National Headquarters will be asked to determine additional epidemiological measures," said Vugrin.

He added that in this case, it is possible to restrict movement within the four zones in the Varaždin County, the former municipalities of Varaždin, Ivanec, Ludbreg, and Novi Marof.

Vugrin reiterated that there were no newborns and that one person had recovered. So far, 33 people have fallen ill and 24 have been cured.

There are eight people undergoing treatment at the General Hospital in Varaždin and in good general condition, and one is on a ventilator at the Dr. Fran Mihaljević Clinic in Zagreb, Vugrin added.

15:20: Constitutional Court Judge Goran Selanec tweeted about the closure of restaurants delivering food or delivering it in front of the restaurant. More on Index

14:55: HRK 5.5 million has been secured from the Osijek city budget to support entrepreneurs in difficulty due to the coronavirus crisis, in the form of a grant of HRK 1,000 per employee, Osijek Deputy Mayor Zana Gamos said on Monday.

"We have announced a public invitation for entrepreneurs from the Osijek area whose business is at risk. We invite micro, small and medium-sized companies, crafts, independent businesses and cooperatives whose applications for support from the Croatian Employment Service are positively evaluated to apply for our public invitation. They can receive one-off financial assistance in the amount of one thousand kuna per employee," Gamos said at a news conference.

According to her, HRK 5.5 million was secured in the first round of city budget allocation.

The public invitation runs until June 15, and as of today, it is possible to download the application from the City's official website.

14:50: Karlovac County has no new COVID-19 patients for the eighth day, the civil protection headquarters said today, and the epidemiological situation was assessed as good overall, so the first steps to revive the economy and prepare for the normalization of life are listed. 

14:45: Krunoslav Capak talked about going back to school. He says the e-school is working well so, in their opinion, the kids don't need to go back.

"Some kindergartens and some 1st through 4th-grade schools are still working. What exactly will be the period when students will return to schools depends on the epidemiological situation and the agreement between the government and the headquarters. If it is a continuously good situation, we will talk. Because this e-school is going well, we think some don't even need to go back to schools. We'll talk about graduates," Capak said.

14:40: At the very end of the National Headquarters press conference, Bozinovic spoke about the extension of some measures.

"Croatia has a strategy that has shown very good results, has not rushed with any dates, because to say today that you will start with something on May 11 is not good. The government is thinking about what order something should be started and the word will be given by the experts. that the government will come out with a hologram and I think there will be something on that on Thursday. You have to be aware that we are in a pandemic, it is quite clear to us that it will be going into economic activation. As for the headquarters' decisions, two decisions have expired to date, and we have extended the measures of strict restraint and suspension of public traffic, until May 4," Bozinovic said. 

14:20 Last Friday, a 51-year-old Albanian was killed in construction work in the Spadici settlement in the Porec area. The Istrian Institute of Public Health confirmed that the injured worker was infected with the coronavirus.

After his death, two questions were asked - who was he in contact with and where were his fellow workers? More on Index

14:00: National Civil Protection HQ press conference:

Only 10 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 1881 cases in total. No deaths since yesterday, leaving the total at 47 fatalities. 18 patients are on ventilators.

"We have 10 new cases, and a total of 1881 cases. A total of 25610 people were tested. There are still 47 fatalities. 324 patients are in hospitals and 786 at home. There are 18 patients on ventilators, 5 less than yesterday," said Minister Beros.

About loosening measures regarding e-passes

"15 counties sought and obtained consent to eliminate travel permits within counties. Zagreb and the City of Zagreb eliminated the pass between 2 counties. As for the others, the PGZ requested and obtained consent to split into three areas - Gorski Kotar, islands and the Primorje region, and the SDZ also singled out islands that still need passes, and the Lika-Senj region also kept passes for Udbina and Novalja.

As for the epidemiological situation, things can go back to how it was; things can get worse. The aim of the system was to slow down movement in the territory of Croatia and this decision played a very important role in preventing the spread. We must not let the virus outsmart us and bring us back to square one. We urge citizens to continue to be rational and to leave their homes only when needed. The main rule is to stay home."

"We have already asked all county headquarters to monitor the situation very closely and respond very quickly to any infection because the quality of their reactions depends on the curve," he added.

Recreational sports?

"Talk about recreational sports. It's not a problem with individual sports, but collectively it's a problem. It's all on the table, we talk about it intensely and when the time comes, we will allow anything that is not a big risk," Capak said. 

About serology testing

"These are all more or less well-known. These studies are interesting for us to see how much our population is infected with the virus. To see how many are asymptomatic in the population at all, I hope that by Friday we will get everything we need to carry it out and that we will have results very soon, we will test about a thousand people, maybe more."

"For this type of virus, I can't show all the acute infections, the first 4, 5 days are mostly negative. whether it was 7, 8 days or 2 months ago, but it's important to know that some people have been in contact with the virus. This part is important to us. The percentages depend on where we will test, but also depend on the epidemiological situation. Percentages go below 1 percent, somewhere up to 10 percent," said Markotic.

About bakeries

"There are now very detailed instructions for the operation of the facilities, it can be seen that there are many uncertainties, we cannot write rules about how far the table should be away from the door. I think there is no need for that. It would be good to have two people working - one to collect payment and the other to hand out the goods. The truth is that in bakeries people work with money and goods, but they take the goods with paper or gloves."

Will the bakeries be open from 5, 6 in the morning?

"We have been communicating for days that the Government of the Republic of Croatia will make a document outlining all activities that could be opened at some stage, or measures that could be loosened. The headquarters will then give its opinion, how and in what way, some of the measures will be loosened. This is intensive work, and this week I expect that we will have a complete picture that will include this requirement for the bakeries to work from early in the morning. When this is done, everyone will receive this document and according to it to organize," Bozinovic replied.

About more testing

"We are constantly talking about increasing capacity. We have been testing homes for the elderly for a long time, some counties have sent us 300, 400 samples ... Our capacities are large enough to do that. "

About returning employees to work

"We have not issued any new recommendations for employers. It is recommended that work from home be continued and, where that is not possible, shift work must be provided. If there is no social distance, protective equipment is required," Capak said.

How is the work of medical staff teams managed?

"I don't know if they take a day off or if they count overtime. I don't know enough labor law," Capak said.

"During this time, while they are in the custody phase, they will receive a salary, some directors may order them to use their vacation. However, in informal discussions, we indicated that, except in exceptional cases, it is not desirable," Beros replied.

About waiting lists

"It is clear that the health care system is not significantly overburdened. We had a meeting this morning about restoring the normal functioning of hospitals. We are discussing with epidemiologists how we will restore the normal functioning of the health care system. It will be slowly restored. It will not be completely normal," Beros replied.

What does slow return mean?

"It is difficult to say when everything will be fully restored. I believe that by the end of this week some services will be available," Beros added.

13:45: There are no new cases in Bjelovar-Bilogora County. A total of 10 coronavirus patients have been confirmed in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County so far, 4 of which have been cured.

13:42: According to the data of the Zagreb County Institute of Public Health in the Zagreb County area by Monday at 11 am, 124 people were coronavirus positive. Compared to yesterday, this is the same number, which means that there are no new patients in the Zagreb County area. So far, 21 people have been cured and three have died.

13:40: Inspection closes restaurants under various pretexts. Index spoke with the owners. 

1:32: Interactive charts: Here's how Croatia handles the coronavirus over other countries. More on Index

13:31: Will Czechs go to the Croatian coast this summer? The issue has caused controversy in the Czech Republic. More on Index

13:28: HDZ Inspector General Andrija Mikulic said after a meeting at the State Inspectorate that tomorrow morning, inspectors will go to all locations where work bans have been issued, will oversee conditions prescribed by epidemiologists, and make decisions to suspend procedures if institutions to adhere to epidemiological recommendations.

12:51: From midnight, no passes were allowed within the three areas in the County of Primorje-Gorski kotar, and the pass was only required to go from one area to another or to another county, a press conference of the County Civil Protection Headquarters said.

12:46: HNB Chief Economist Vedran Sosic appeared on Together for Health HTV4. He explained the measures they are taking to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the economy and financial system. He noted that the measures were adopted before the crisis, and one of them is to provide liquidity to commercial banks. 

12:43: In the Krapina-Zagorje County, as of yesterday, four new cases were recorded, all four from the area of ​Oroslavje, said the Head of the County Civil Protection Headquarters, Anđelko Ferek-Jambrek.

12:39: koronavirus.hr announced the counties that lifted the ban on leaving the place of residence and permanent residence:

Vukovar-Srijem County
Brod-Posavina County
Osijek-Baranja County
Požega-Slavonia County
Virovitica-Podravina County
Bjelovar-Bilogora County
Koprivnica-Križevci County
Međimurje County
Karlovac County
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (Note: The Decision allows movement without passes within the three areas of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County: Primorje, Kvarner Islands and Gorski Kotar)
Zadar County
Šibenik-Knin County
Split-Dalmatia County (Note: the previous measures remain in force for the islands, with the exception that on the island the administrative unit does not require an e-pass)
For other counties, official decisions are pending.

12:16: SNAGE MP Goran Aleksic says a government measure of suspending enforcement for three months is not enough because it only applies to enforcement actions that go through FINA.

"We have a number of situations where the HZMO or the employer pays a portion of the proceeds directly to the creditor. Such foreclosures have not been resolved by this law and therefore the Enforcement Act must be changed. otherwise, all citizens with directly enforced incomes will be discriminated against," Aleksic warns, and roughly estimates that about one-third of them are," he told N1. 

12:14: At noon the meeting at the State Inspectorate began. There will be representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, as well as representatives of the Association of Caterers. The main topic will be the closure of several hospitality facilities in recent days.

Marin Medak, president of the National Association of Caterers, says they have unofficial information that the Inspectorate could undo brutal restaurant closures, but have yet to receive anything officially.

"We didn't get anything official, but unofficially it was said yesterday that the decisions would be overturned if some changes were made," Medak tells N1 television. 

12:10: 335 people were tested in Zagreb last weekend, of which 13 were positive, bringing the total number to 449.

12:05: In the last 24 hours, Vukovar-Srijem County has recorded one new patient from Vinkovci who has been living in Zagreb for a long time, where they were tested, and only statistically recorded as from the Vukovar-Srijem area, which now has a total of 37 patients.

11:45 Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board chief Josko Stella was a guest on N1 television. He spoke about how tourism is affected by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as whether there would be a possible price reduction for domestic tourists on the Adriatic.

Stella said they've been hit hard, but not so much considering it is still the preseason. "That real blow is yet to come," he reckons.

He points out that they expect that a bigger tourist influx could occur in August. 

11:37: The headquarters of Split-Dalmatia County announced that there are 10 new cases. More on Index

11:02: Osijek Headquarters press conference is underway:

One new case in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 110.

"We launched an initiative to open bakeries at 5, 6 am, we have requested approval from the National Headquarters. We will also send a letter requesting that white goods, clothing and equipment stores be opened," said Osijek-Baranja County. "We want to open up everything we can keep under control," he added.

10:56: No new cases in Zadar County.

10:55: There are no new cases in Šibenik-Knin County for the third consecutive day, so the number of infected persons remains at 81, the County Civil Protection Headquarters reported on Monday. 

10:40: No new cases in Međimurje for the sixth day in a row, the County Administration reported on Monday, and after eliminating e-passes within the county, they called for strict adherence to all instructions and recommendations of the National and County Civil Protection Staff. 

10:09: Croatian chef Mate Jankovic commented on the closure of the Tekka restaurant in Zagreb as well as inspection controls at other restaurants. He says it's all getting crazy. More on Index

9:47: If the number of those infected continues to fall, the ban on religious gatherings will be lifted, ie they will be free to attend mass celebrations, Vecernji List writes.

It will be part of a new agreement between the Croatian Episcopal Conference and the National Civil Protection Headquarters, which could come soon, as the HQ and the church leadership have been in constant contact and are assessing when a religious gathering measure could be abolished. 

9:20: Požega-Slavonia County recorded the 20th day without a new case, with 250 people currently in self-isolation. A total of 144 people were tested and ten samples were sent for analysis. Only 3 infected people remain confirmed in the county, the local headquarters reported.

9:00: "As of midnight, the residents of Virovitica-Podravina County, by the decision of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, can move within the county without e-passes.

They, of course, need them to go to other Croatian counties, but the relaxed measures have been received positively, especially for entrepreneurs, craftspeople, business people, farmers from our area, who can now easily move within Virovitica-Podravina County. Otherwise, in the area of ​​Virovitica-Podravina County, for the 21st day in a row, there are no new patients with COVID-19," the county reported.

8:50: Who is Andrija Mikulic? His predecessor wouldn't even take him as a chauffeur. More on Index

07:49: What are the next activities to open?

"The joint decision of the epidemiologists and the HQ, we give measures to protect ourselves, when we have had a fairly large increase in the number of patients, we have adopted these stringent measures, one of the strictest in Europe, we had to make them for the protection of health. I don't know if people forgot our doctor Nela Srsen who said that they didn't have a place in hospitals or enough respirators so they didn't even put them on respirators over 70. We took measures to prevent this from happening to us. Now that we're fully prepared for the above scenarios, For cafes, people will not be able to sit next to each other. For example, if there was a table for 4 people so far, it will now be able to sit one to 2, it will have to be disinfected after the guest leaves. have some safeguards for both the hairdresser and the client. And with the strict disinfection of everything that is used. First, we wait to make sure we have a favorable epidemiological situation.

"Public transportation will certainly be available soon. But the same under measures," he revealed. We will recommend the masks to everyone, especially on public transport.

About weddings

"I understand, but it will also have to be the new normal. Social distance measures will have to be assured. It won't be possible to have 10 people at the table. This is impossible," Capak said when asked if weddings could be possible in June, July.

07:41: About closed restaurants

"We let it be a food delivery or a drive-in. Now we have further clarified what it looks like. It is not a drive-in if you put a table on the road and it is handed over food. There should be a special place where it is paid and where it is taken over. It can be on one table, for example it can be on a window, on a door or just in front. There must be two people or one person who has to disinfect his hands and the rest each time. We have made 11 points of functioning of all restaurants. around that and it will be distributed to everyone. As soon as everyone who is closed fulfills these conditions, they will be able to work further, "Capak said.

07:37: "We have resisted the virus for a long time. It is a month today that the first infected person appeared in the area of ​​Split Dalmatia County. I think we put everything under control, the problem is that the virus has entered the homes," said Željka Karin, an epidemiologist Split-Dalmatia County.

07:34: Dino Kozlevac from Istrian Headquarters revealed that this morning Istria has no new infections. "We are ready to welcome the decision to cancel the passes. We must relax because we are suffering enormous damage. The citizens of Istria are allowed to move within the county. Of course, if the situation worsens, we will easily close everything again," Kozlevac added.

07:30: Head of Croatian Institute of Public Health Capak is a guest on HRT. "The abolition of passes is the first measure of facilitating citizens' lives. Although mobility of people is conducive to expansion, we assessed this as a problem for citizens and farmers alike, so we agreed to allow counties to move without passes. 10 counties have requested this. We will consider three additional requests today, "Capak said.

"Other counties may also agree to move between counties, as agreed by the City of Zagreb and the County of Zagreb," Capak added.

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06:45: Two encouraging graphs on the rising curve of recoveries and a descending curve of active cases. More great data from the AI kings at Velebit.ai here.

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06:35: The new numbers will be announced at the regular press conference at 14:00. 

06:30: Welcome to the TCN daily update on COVID-19. We start the day with 1871 officially confirmed Croatia COVID-19 cases and 39 new cases since yesterday afternoon. 710 patients have recovered. Forty-seven people have died. 23 patients are on ventilators. There are 1115 active cases.

UPDATES from April 19, 2020

17:44 In the last 24 hours, a new case has been reported in Varaždin County after 10 days without new patients. At the same time, a new recovery is being recorded. The total number of patients so far increased to 33, and a total of 23 people have recovered.

17:11: Among the eight deceased are a woman and a man from a nursing home in Ploce. Read more on Index

15:25: The Split-Dalmatia County HQ will submit a proposal to the National Headquarters this morning to abolish e-passes, so that citizens can move freely within the county as early as Monday, the head of the county headquarters, Luka Brcic, confirmed for Radio Dalmatia.

Once the e-passes have been lifted, restrictions on travel to and from islands will continue to apply. However, movement within the island will be free, Brcic confirmed.

14:49: Another 70 tons of protective equipment for the Croatian health system and all other services involved in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic arrived from China today, and a special flight from Shanghai has delivered more masks, protective suits and visors by plane.

14:00: National Civil Protection Headquarters press conference:

In the last 24 hours, there are 39 new cases in Croatia and 1890 in total. Eight fatalities since yesterday - Zagreb two, Split three, Osijek one, Dubrovnik two. All fatalities had chronic illnesses. 23 patients are on ventilators. 710 have recovered. 

"The coronavirus is still a major challenge for all systems. The Ministry of Health monitors the situation in the Republic of Croatia on a daily basis in terms of the number of patients and takes urgent measures," said Minister Beros.

The HQ commented on the restaurant closures by the Inspectorate.

Andrija Mikulic said there were many inquiries. "We have 35,000 buildings, of which we identified irregularities in 31. Someone placed a desk on a public traffic surface, and he should not have done so," Mikulic said of Tekka's closure. 

"It is not our goal to oppress entrepreneurs, but compliance with the law and protection of health is the primary task," he said.

"All caterers who meet the epidemiologists' measures, with gloves, masks, plexiglass - we will suspend procedures and these people will be able to work. I repeat, we have arranged a meeting and it is going towards relaxing measures," Mikulic said.

Capak commented on the increase in cases

"The situation in nursing homes is under control. Things are completely under control. A huge number of swabs have been taken, a small number are positive. We have a situation in Dubrovnik, where there were more residents with temperatures in the nursing home in Metkovic, they are not positive, but two employees are positive. In Dubrovnik, four employees are infected and have no symptoms," Capak said.

When asked how many people have died in nursing homes today, Capak said he did not know exactly.

Great success of the Fran Mihaljević Clinic

Alemka Markotic commented on the great success of the Fran Mihaljević Clinic, where the coronavirus was isolated. "They did everything on their own. They are hardworking people. They have been working 24/7 in the lab for the last two months," Markotic said.

What about the measures?

Asked what will happen to the measures as the number of infected people grows, Minister Bozinovic said: "We are thinking about relieving measures. We are aware that yesterday we said when there was a day with fewer people sick, that it does not have to mean that there will not be a day with more people. They will not be applied all at once."

He added that the opinions of the experts and the ministries must be heard. "The fact is that Croatia manages to keep the pandemic under control. From the beginning, we have a double-digit number of newly ill people and we are doing everything to keep our linear growth as high as possible," he says.

"Today we have extended three decisions - on holding funerals, on measures for getting married, and to close playgrounds until May 4," Beros said.

E-passes

Bozinovic says there are 10 counties that have requested eliminating e-passes in the county. "Zagreb and the Zagreb County are seeking to eliminate it between them. I think we will adopt all these requests," Bozinovic said.

Markotic was asked to comment on theories that the virus was created in the lab, which Trump is investigating. "The whole world, when confronted with a pandemic, thinks about it. These are legitimate considerations. A lot of research is being directed to try to see that some of the viruses have originated in the lab. What we have in the literature so far is no such evidence. It should be understood that throughout history, when there was no molecular biology, it was not possible to create a virus in the laboratory."

13:19: A 51-year-old Albanian citizen was killed while carrying out construction work on a house in the Spadici settlement in the Porec area on Friday afternoon, Istrian police said, and the Istrian County Public Health Institute reports that the injured worker was infected with the coronavirus. 

12:59: Another person has died as a result of a COVID-19, a resident of the Ploče Nursing Home. This is the second person in the Ploče nursing home who has passed away since the outbreak of the pandemic, and one person is in very poor condition and is in the intensive care unit of Dubrovnik General Hospital.

"The deceased patient was housed in a retirement home in Ploče, and was 83-years-old. There are currently two people in the Intensive Care Unit at Dubrovnik General Hospital, one of whom is a 93-year-old woman in very poor condition and one patient from Dubrovnik-Neretva County is in the respiratory center of KBC Split," said the director of the Dubrovnik hospital Marijo Bekic.

So far, 110 people have contracted the coronavirus in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Five people died, two of whom were residents of the home in Ploče and one who was a resident of the Elderly Home in Dubrovnik. 15 people have recovered.

12:55: A middle-aged male (born in 1965) passed away at KBC Split yesterday. in addition to several chronic diseases, the person also had COVID19. This morning at KBC Split, another male also passed away, born in 1950, who, in addition to several chronic diseases, had COVID19. None of the persons listed were residents of the Nursing Home.

According to Split-Dalmatia County, out of 176 tests performed, 11 more were infected with the. coronavirus, from Split 4 (one of whom was a user of the Center for the Elderly and Disabled in Split in Zenta and one from the Center for the Elderly and Disabled Makarska). Makarska 4 (all from the Home for the Elderly and Disabled in Makarska), Baska Voda 1 (from the Home for the Elderly and Disabled Makarska), Vrgorac 1 and Otok 1.

There are no health professionals among the new cases.

65 people from Split-Dalmatia County have recovered.

94 people were hospitalized.

7 people are on ventilators, 5 from Split-Dalmatia County and 2 from Šibenik-Knin County.

106 health professionals are in self-isolation. 14 people are quarantined at the Zagreb Hotel in Duilovo.

A total of 409 people are infected with the coronavirus in Splti-Dalmatia County.

The Civil Protection Headquarters of the Split-Dalmatia County submitted a proposal to the National Civil Protection Headquarters to move without e-passes, while the previous measures will remain in force for the islands, with the exception of movement on the island. The decision will come into force with the confirmation of the National Headquarters, which will be notified in due time.

12:55: Kult Plave Kamenica has released a record and a ruling banning Tekka from working. More on Index

12:25: The headquarters warned the Varaždin doctors for not following the instructions, this is their answer. More on Index

12:02: A new case has been reported in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County after 6 days with no new cases of infection in that county.

The infected person returned from work in Austria. The good news is that one person has recovered since yesterday, so the number of people infected in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County remains 43.

11:40: The Split-Dalmatia County HQ will submit a proposal to the National Headquarters this morning to lift e-passes, and citizens will be able to move freely within the county as early as Monday, the head of the county headquarters, Luka Brcic, confirmed to Radio Dalmatia.

Once the e-passes have been lifted, restrictions on travel to and from islands will continue to apply. However, within an island, movement will be free, Brcic told Radio Dalmatia.

11:38: In the last 24 hours, Koprivnica-Križevci County has three new cases of COVID-19, and 32 cases recorded in the county so far.

"As the National Headquarters allowed the counties to discuss a decision that would allow movement within the county without e-passes, we made that decision, but it still needs to be confirmed by the National Headquarters," said Ratimir Ljubić, Chief of the County Civil Protection Headquarters, adding that it could happen today or tomorrow.

11:24: In the last 24 hours, three new people have been infected with coronavirus in Zagreb County, the civil protection headquarters reported. Zagreb County has a total of 124 people positive for COVID-19, and so far 21 people have been cured and a total of three have died as a result of the infection.

11:23: There are no new cases in Zadar County in the last 24 hours. A total of 81 people are infected, 541 persons are under active surveillance, i.e. self-isolation, and supervision expired for 1947 persons. So far, 659 individuals have been tested for the coronavirus, of which 566 were negative, 81 positive, and results are still pending for 12 samples.

11:07: After two negative tests, six more people from Osijek-Baranja County were cured of the coronavirus. Thus, the number of people cured has increased to 26, with 23 being under medical care at the Osijek Clinical Hospital and three at Nasice General Hospital.

Unfortunately, an 88-year-old woman from Osijek, who was at the Infectious Diseases Clinic, passed away yesterday and had severe chronic illnesses for several years. On behalf of the County Civil Protection Headquarters, OBZ Chief Goran Ivanovic expresses condolences to the families of the deceased.

10:57: Are Czechs, Hungarians and Austrians going to Croatia in the summer? More on Index

10:49: There were no new patients in Brod-Posavina County, and so far a total of 20 positive cases have been reported, of which 16 are active, 3 have been treated and 1 has died.

10:34: In Lika-Senj County, there is one new case. The newly ill person is a family contact of an already confirmed positive person from the municipality of Udbina, is in good general condition and is in self-isolation.

A total of 21 people are positive for COVID-19, of which 14 are positive from the Udbina municipality, 5 from the Plitvice Lakes municipality and 2 from Novalja.

One person was cured.

10:27: For the fifth consecutive day, there are no new patients in Međimurje County. So far, eight people have been infected and four have been cured.

10:25: For the fifth consecutive day, there are no new cases in Vukovar-Srijem County, so the number of patients still stands at 36. According to information from the County Civil Protection Headquarters, 23 people were tested in the last 24 hours, so that the total number tested so far in the county has grown to 635.

10:20: A little before 10 am, mass started again at the church in Sirobuja, despite the ban. More on Index

10:09: Great news has come from the Civil Protection Headquarters of Istria County. In the past 24 hours, there are no new patients. 

9:52: In the Krapina-Zagorje County area so far, a total of 118 coronavirus positive persons with a residence in the County have been recorded.

Compared to the day before, there are 2 newly registered people - both from Oroslavje. The total number of people recovering is still 5. So far, 1 person has passed away, so the total number of active cases is 112.

Over the past 24 hours, 85 samples have been taken and a total of 924 samples so far.

9:44: There are no new cases in Karlovac County on Sunday. All 59 findings sent for testing on Saturday are negative. In that county, the number of COVID-19 patients remained at a total of 28 people.

9:43: No new cases in Bjelovar-Bilogora County. On Saturday, 7 findings arrived and all were negative. So far, 218 people have been tested for the coronavirus at Bjelovar General Hospital, 10 of them positive.

9:43: There are no new cases in Šibenik-Knin County, so the number of infected people is still 81.

At the Department of Infectology of Šibenik Hospital, 10 people were hospitalized, one of whom was on a ventilator. One patient was discharged for home care and two were still on ventilators at KBC Split. Since the outbreak of the pandemic to date, 18 have recovered.

In the last 24 hours, there were no reports of self-isolation violations at the Šibenik-Knin Police Department.

9:41: In the area of ​​Virovitica-Podravina County, for the 20th consecutive day, there are no new patients with COVID 19. In the last 24 hours, 39 samples were tested and all were negative. So far, a total of 225 people have been tested in the area of ​​Virovitica-Podravina County, of which 223 were negative. Two positive spouses have no symptoms of the coronavirus, but waiting for their self-isolation time, which is 28 days.

9:37: The National Headquarters made five decisions yesterday.

Measures at the borders are being extended, but the model of organized convoys is being lifted. Truck drivers will be notified at the border that they are only allowed to drive on motorways and stop only at specific locations.

Measures to ban the gathering and operation of facilities such as cafes and non-food shops and a range of activities will continue, and will last until May 4.

The measure banning crossings at border crossings has been extended until May 18.

The ferry from Zadar to Ancona, which has been suspended due to the pandemic, will resume operating from April 26 twice a week.

The new measure makes it possible to move within counties IF county headquarters request it from the National Headquarters. The decision to loosen the measures began at midnight.

9:11: The Civil Protection Headquarters of the City of Zagreb will demand that the traffic permits for the Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje counties be lifted after the epidemiologists have assessed the epidemiological situation in those counties, Hina has learned from the City of Zagreb.

"The Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia has supplemented the Decision on the Prohibition of Leaving Permanent Residence. Therefore, the Civil Protection Headquarters of the City of Zagreb will ask the Croatian Institute of Public Health to evaluate the epidemiological situation in two neighboring counties - Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje, and then the National headquarters to request the lifting passes among these counties," said the City of Zagreb.

9:06: The Voice of Entrepreneurs Association responded with a statement saying that the State Inspectorate had unjustifiably closed over 20 restaurants across the country, thus directly ignoring the recommendations of the Ministry of Tourism. More on Index

9:01: Požega-Slavonia County has recorded no new cases for the 19th day. There are currently 244 people in self-isolation. Nine new samples were sent for analysis and 134 were tested in total. Only 3 diseased persons remain confirmed in the county. One sick person has been hospitalized and two are in home isolation.

8:30: On April 18, 2020, the National Civil Protection Headquarters issued a Decision amending the Movement from Permanent Residence in Croatia, which stipulates that, at the proposal of the County Civil Protection HQ, the Civil Protection HQ of the Republic of Croatia may lift the ban on moving from the permanent residence for the county or part of the county, in which case no e-Pass is required to move to the area.

The Dubrovnik-Neretva County Headquarters announced that no such proposal has been made for this county, which means that e-passes are still needed.

"In the case of submitting a proposal to lift the ban on moving from the place of residence, the public will be informed in due time," they said.

8:22: Zagreb Hairdresser described haircuts during the pandemic. More on Index

07:33: 28 Croatian nationals and 10 Bosnia and Herzegovina nationals arrived in Croatia last night from Italy as part of organized repatriation, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP) said.

They came from the Italian regions of Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto.

"The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, in coordination with the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Rome and the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Trieste, has agreed with the competent state institutions of the Italian Republic and local authorities of the regions of Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto in the past most of whom were quarantined," the statement said.

07:30: Three cases in Metkovic have been confirmed, including two from the Home for Adults and Rehabilitation, Metkovic Mayor Dalibor Milan announced on his official Facebook page on Saturday night.

These are the first proven cases of infection in the Metkovic area, and samples were taken on Friday.
"The staff of the home had no symptoms and were preparing for shifts in isolation," said Mayor Milan.

On Saturday, 59 residents and staff of the Metković Adult and Rehabilitation Center were tested for preventive reasons, with results expected Sunday.

07:20: SARS-CoV-2 virus was isolated at the University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević", RTL reported on Saturday night.

"We have grown the virus under laboratory conditions from a swab of a patient who was positive for SARS-CoV-2," said Zeljka Mačak Safranko, a biologist at the Dr. Fran Mihaljevic Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

The first step is to develop the vaccine, but many other research and projects.

"First of all, it's a matter of sequencing the whole viral genome, seeing what the nucleotide sequence is like, seeing the differences with some other strains, making a general characteristic. As it grows in culture, faster, slower, how strongly it multiplies ..., "explained Ivan Christian Kurolt, a biologist at the Infectious Diseases Clinic" Dr. Fran Mihaljevic ".

Macak Safranko points out that he remembers that day well.

"We were in total chaos. We worked all week from morning until dark. Total chaos, a bunch of test samples ... However, the scientific curiosity kind of prevailed here that I was able to go to that lab, put that swab on cells. After five days I came and saw that it was a virus. We later confirmed it with molecular methods. I felt proud and happy. I didn't think it would go quite as easily, "explained biologist Željka Mačak Šafranko.

Isolated virus sent to Germany

Their team is not alone. The isolated virus was sent to Germany the day after the March 22 earthquake that struck Zagreb. They say their office was completely destroyed.

"That we got the isolate from Croatia ... It was very important to us because once we find that a substance can work against a virus, we have to prove that it is not only effective against local viruses, but that it is more applicable," The team leader at the Helmholtz Center for Infectious Research in Germany is Luka Cicin-Sain.

Along with those isolating from Croatia, they have German, Austrian, from northern Italy and soon from the USA.

"It may take a year, maybe more, for the vaccine, but it's not as black as it seems at first glance. Before we have an effective vaccine, it's very likely that we will be able to treat this virus," Cicin-Schein says.

Markotic: Great success for the Infectious Diseases Clinic and for Croatia

Director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic "Dr Fran Mihaljevic" Alemka Markotic, on RTL last night, emphasized that it was a great success for both the Clinic and Croatia that they were able to isolate the virus at the Clinic.

"But first and foremost, it's a success for the team I've been leading for a long time. However, they have now become independent and have done most of it with my knowledge, but very independently. Having your own virus, isolating the native strain of the virus is a big deal. You can get in to all the scientific and clinical studies in the world, and it is also important because of the cooperation we have with our partners in the world. We have sent them a virus and it will help them to characterize the virus, but possibly in the development of some vaccines, "said Markotic .

She also revealed that the Clinic had been offered a few days ago to join a US biotechnology company.

"They do state-of-the-art cell biotherapy that they use in tumors, but the same principles could be applied to fight the virus. The offer is top notch, but we'll see if we can agree," Markotic said.

07:15: The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, reiterated on Saturday that a favorable epidemiological picture would have an effect on mitigating the measures and would gradually give way to what is most hindering the economy, such as movement.

"We talked about how things would be set up. It is important that the epidemiological situation is favorable and that we have a series of five to seven days of decline in the number of new patients. We will gradually relax the measures so that what is most damaging to the economy, such as traffic, be first in line, "Capak told Nova TV.

All that will be released will put into strict epidemiological frameworks that will prevent the spread of coronavirus, such as hygiene, disinfection, social distancing and no gathering of large numbers of people in one place, emphasized the CES Director.

He explained today's decision by the National Civil Protection Headquarters to allow free movement within counties without e-passes.

"We are starting this trend for those counties that have a better epidemiological situation and where there is no need to block traffic from one part of the county to another, to be exempted from the traffic prohibition measure, restricting movement," Capak said, adding that it will be allowed where possible.

Inter-county traffic has not yet been allowed, and this will happen when the epidemiological situation is favorable for a longer time and there are no new outbreaks.

As for the homes for the elderly and infirm, he said that coronavirus infection was confirmed in two new homes in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. In one shift, four employees were found to be completely asymptomatic in the shift of employees who were supposed to take the shift, while one carer and one employee were positive for the virus in the second home.

Given the epidemiological situation in Croatia and Europe, the social distance measure is the main measure preventing the spread of coronavirus infection and Capak recommends that we keep it.

"When the situation improves, we will discuss whether it is possible to let more people in their vicinity or not," he said.

Regarding the transmission of viruses in Croatia, he said that there has been a decrease in both imports and local transmission and that the current numbers of newborns are good. But Capak reminded that in the last 10 days, nearly 500 people have fallen ill, and they also have their contacts in self-isolation.

"We are not virus-free, we still need great caution. That's why we are considering releasing measures, which will be very gradual. The virus is still there. We need to learn to live with it," Capak said.

ai-velebit.PNG

06:45: One of the main fascinating (and encouraging) graphs from Velebit.ai - the daily confirmed cases (orange), recoveries (green) and deaths (red). Click here for lots more detailed corona data.

06:35: The new numbers will be announced at the regular press conference at 14:00. 

06:30: Welcome to the TCN daily update on COVID-19. We start the day with 1832 officially confirmed Croatia COVID-19 cases and 18 new cases since yesterday afternoon. 615 patients have recovered. Thirty-nine people have died. 27 patients are on ventilators. There are 1178 active cases.

UPDATES from April 18, 2020

17:19: In Dubrovnik, 4 new patients have no symptoms. Patients are also lying about symptoms. More on Index

17:18: Quick tests arrive next week. What exactly is it and who will be tested? More on Index

16:24: Director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic "Dr. Fran Mihaljevic" Alemka Markotic at a conference of the National Headquarters for Civil Protection explained the situation with the tests and what was planned. More on Index

15:57: There are no new cases in Međimurje today.

As of yesterday afternoon, 11 people had been tested and all findings were negative. Currently, 757 self-isolation measures are active in Međimurje County. Although the epidemiological situation is favorable in Međimurje, the Međimurje County Civil Protection Headquarters urges the citizens to comply with all prescribed measures especially during the good weather and on the weekends in order to continue this positive trend.

15:55: SDP today organized a panel on education and matriculation during the coronavirus pandemic, at which proposals to postpone the state graduation for August and even its cancellation could be heard.

Senior expert adviser to the National Center for External Evaluation of Education Ana Sesar said they were ready for graduation in June, but thought the optimum term is in August.

"We suggested that the Ministry postpone graduation because of the safety of students, their families, but also because of the need to maintain the quality of education. State graduation is a good measure, which represents an optimal assessment.

15:44: The National Civil Protection Headquarters extended the restriction measures for another two weeks, but with modifications such as the ability to move within counties without e-passes, Head of Headquarters and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic reported.

"The headquarters has made decisions extending decisions on measures to limit social gatherings, shop operations, and service activities. The decisions apply until May 4," he said.

Bozinovic said the decision on border crossings for the transit traffic of freight vehicles is being extended to May 18, but without the organized convoy model.

Truck drivers will be notified at the border that they may only drive on the motorways and stop only at specific locations, he explained.

"This will speed up cross-border freight trucking procedures and ensure that it is not abused and that everyone follows the prescribed measures," he added.

In addition, Božinović reported that since April 26, an extraordinary freight line has been introduced in the Ancona-Zadar maritime transport.

15:25: Miroslav Skoro has addressed the public about the coronavirus. More on Index

15:05: Capak announced relaxed measures and openings: He announced that public transport would return, but under a different rule than before the measures were in place. He said the hairdressers would start working as well. 

"At some point, we will release public transportation, but not as it has been so far - with strict behavioral measures prescribed," Capak said.

There are also plans to open catering facilities, hairdressers and other services, and they will need to be organized with strict epidemiological measures.

"Hairdressers cannot use social distancing, but they can have protective equipment and disinfect everything they do. When the epidemiological situation permits, hairdressers will start working as well," Capak said.

14:00: National Civil Protection Headquarters press conference:

18 new cases in the last 24 hours, 1832 in total.

"In the last 24 hours in Croatia, we have 18 newly diagnosed people. Since yesterday, two people have died in Split and one in Zagreb. There are 27 people on ventilators. 331 have been hospitalized," said Minister Vili Beroš.

He confirmed that all three deceased persons had previous chronic illnesses.

Bozinovic says the ban on gathering and operating facilities such as cafes is being extended and will last until May 4.

He said measures are being extended at borders but that there will no longer be the organized convoy model. Truck drivers will be notified at the border that they are only allowed to drive on motorways and stop only at specific locations.

Bozinovic reiterated that the e-pass measure is being eased tonight at midnight so that no more e-passes will be needed within any county.

"We have a very good figure today that we haven't had in a long time. It was last between March 17 and 18. Five days ago, we had 66 cases. The situation is improving, but we may have some people that are sick that we don't know about. The danger has not passed," said HJZJ chief Krunoslav Capak.

"We have estimated that we have a favorable epidemiological situation and that we can remove inter-county movement restrictions IF requested by counties. Restrictions between county movements remain," Capak explained, adding that the measures would be very cautiously mitigated.

Alemka Markotic spoke about testing in nursing homes: "All residents in homes where the infection occurred were tested. What will be tried next is rapid serology testing."

She explained that extensive testing will be conducted for both staff and users to detect those who may not have clear symptoms, as well as those who have an asymptomatic illness. She said test combinations would work.

"If there are economic reasons, the headquarters may decide that e-passes would not be used between the two counties. If the local headquarters agree, there is no reason for the national headquarters not to make that decision," Bozinovic said when asked whether the movement would be allowed between the City of Zagreb and cities like Zaprešić, Velika Gorica or Samobor in Zagreb County.

13:43 Two new cases were recorded in Zagreb County compared to the day before, the Zagreb County Institute of Public Health reported on Saturday, where a total of 121 infected persons have been registered so far.

So far, 21 people have been cured of the coronavirus and three have died.

13:41: There are ten new cases in Zagreb in the last 24 hours.

"We have a good trend. There are 10 new positives in the last 24 hours. That is 3 percent of the total number of tests in 24 hours," Mayor Milan Bandic said at a press conference. 

13:39: In the last 24 hours in the Varaždin County, there are no new patients for the 10th consecutive day. The total number of patients so far is still 32, and a total of 22 people have recovered. There are nine people undergoing treatment at Varaždin General Hospital and in good general condition, while one is on a ventilator at the Infectious Diseases Clinic “Dr. Fran Mihaljević" in Zagreb.

Statistically, Varaždin County still counts three additional people who have a registered place of residence here but live in Zagreb where they have been tested and treated.

13:37: The Dubrovnik-Neretva County Civil Protection Headquarters today revealed that six new cases of COVID-19 have been reported, four of which relate to cases at the Josipovac Rehabilitation Center intended for people with special needs and one was an infected doctor at Dubrovnik General Hospital.

Thus, the number of people infected so far in Dubrovnik-Neretva County has risen to 106.

13:25: Another person infected with the coronavirus has died. It is the 38th victim of the coronavirus in Croatia. This is a 55-year-old employee of the Makarska Vodovod who was the first person confirmed with the virus in the area of Baška Voda.

He has had more serious lung problems before, Mayor of Baska Voda Josko Roscic told Makarska today.

12:29: No new cases in Karlovac County for the sixth day. The number of cases in the county remains 28. Of these, seven were hospitalized, 13 were treated at home, seven were cured and one died.

12:21: No new cases in Šibenik-Knin in the last 24 hours, keeping the total number of cases at 81.

Due to the favorable epidemiological situation, the quarantine in Murter and Betina has been lifted.

11:47: No new cases in Brod-Posavina County in the last 24 hours.

Two people have recovered.

11:31: Another woman from a nursing home in Split has died. This is a 96-year-old woman who had several chronic illnesses.

In Split-Dalmatia County, there are 5 new cases, and the total number of cases is 398.

11:00: Croatian Ministers Devise Plan to Restart Economy: An Overview of Activities 

10:29: Three new cases have been confirmed in Krapina-Zagorje County. Two newly registered persons are from Oroslavje and one from Novi Golubovac. 

The total number of people recovered is still 5. 1 person has died so far.

10:24: Fourth day without new COVID-19 patients in Vukovar-Srijem County, county headquarters said.

10:20: There are no new cases in Istria in the last 24 hours. Of the 43 swab samples taken on Thursday, all were COVID-19 negative and one patient was cured, accounting for a total of 48 cured in Istria County, according to the county's Civil Protection Headquarters. 

9:31 Bozinovic is on N1, talking about what measures could be loosened. He said that by midnight tonight, lifting the e-passes measure was coming into effect. More on Index

9:10 The headquarters of Pozega-Slavonia was the first to submit new information today. They announced that for the 18th day in a row, there are no new patients. 207 people are in self-isolation,

30 new samples were sent for analysis, and a total of 125 individuals were tested. Only 3 infected persons remain confirmed in the county. One sick person has been hospitalized and two are in home isolation.

8:20: In Croatia, there are 1814 cases, 36 have died and 600 have been cured. New data from local headquarters are expected, and the National Headquarters will release new countrywide data at 2 pm.

07:00: Some of the latest TCN articles:

Božinović: We Are Embarking on Easing Measures Thoughtfully, Cautiously

Professor Igor Rudan - What Coronavirus Has Taught Me So Far

Mass Coronavirus Testing in Croatia to Begin, Here's How It Will Be Done

Estonian Company Datel Offering Zagreb Earthquake Aftermath Satellite Tech

06:40: There are few new cases than recoveries in Croatia for the third day in a row. For more detailed analysis, check out the amazing charts from Velebit.ai

06:35: The new numbers will be announced at the regular press conference at 14:00. 

06:30: Welcome to the TCN daily update on COVID-19. We start the day with 1814 officially confirmed Croatia COVID-19 cases and 23 new cases since yesterday afternoon. 600 patients have recovered. Thirty-six people have died. 30 patients are on ventilators. There are 1178 active cases.

 

UPDATES from April 17, 2020

17:42: In addition to the absence of new infections for the third day, three people recovered in Dubrovnik-Neretva County and now a total of 13 have recovered, the County Civil Protection Headquarters reported. From the beginning of testing, 1108 samples were sent for analysis.

16:19: Director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic Dr. Fran Mihaljević, Professor Alemka Markotic revealed for N1 that she had been tested for and was negative for the coronavirus.

15:05: A 47-year-old from Osijek died of the coronavirus yesterday suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. To make the tragedy worse, even two weeks earlier, her father died at the age of 71 from COVID-19, Vecernji List reports.

15:04: Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the inability to further carry out cultural and artistic programs through a period that cannot be defined at the moment, most of the activities of the Rijeka - European Capital of Culture 2020 project are suspended, the City of Rijeka reported on Friday.

The Rijeka 2020 company will continue to perform the necessary tasks with a minimum number of employees in order to complete the payments of obligations related to the programs that have been held so far and to prepare the programs that will be able to be maintained when the isolation measures are completed.

The draft plan was drafted by the City of Rijeka and Rijeka 2020, and submitted to the Ministry of Culture and the County of Primorje-Gorski Kotar on Thursday, and is the basis for further discussions on the implementation of the project.

For now, it is certain that the budget planned for the implementation of the ECOC program will be reduced as public budget revenues are reduced as a result of the measures taken. The ECOC crisis management plan is divided into the first phase, in which Rijeka 2020, established to prepare and implement the ECOC program, continues to perform the necessary tasks with a minimum number of employees in order to complete the payment of obligations related to the programs held so far and to prepared the second phase, ie those programs that will be able to take place when the isolation measures are completed, said Rijeka 2020 director Emina Visnic.

A decision was made on the collective redundancy of 59 employees, ensuring the possibility of returning to existing jobs when the conditions and the need to perform certain jobs were created. This saving measure is a gross blow to the COVID-19 crisis directly at the heart of the largest European and Croatian cultural project, it was pointed out.

14:53: Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli will speak with Czech Minister Klara Dostalov next week to organize Czech tourists coming to Croatia, Cappelli announced on Friday in a telephone statement to Hina after discussing the issue by telephone with Croatian and Czech Prime Minister.

Noting that he also attended a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his Czech counterpart, Andrei Babis, Minister Cappelli adds that it was agreed that he would speak with the Czech Minister Dostalov next week about what he said was the tourist 'bridge'.

"The two of us are determined to find opportunities to realize this, and with similar practices, we would continue for other interested markets," said Cappelli.

14:44: Minister Divjak has announced her plan for graduation. More on Index

14:00: National Civil Protection Headquarters press conference is underway:

In the last 24 hours, there are 23 new cases, and 1814 in total. One fatality since yesterday; a woman from Osijek with underlying health conditions. 30 patients on ventilators. 600 recovered.

They commented on the situation in the nursing homes. They referred to the allegations of lack of equipment to work in the Zenta home in Split.

"As it has been communicated for several days, a contingent of protective equipment has gone to all the county headquarters and locations where the elderly homes are," the press conference revealed. They say that the assessment that there is no equipment does not stand, but they also add that it is a matter of redistribution by the home.

They did not know when any nursing home received equipment. They say it depends on local headquarters, but they add that the equipment has been assigned. On Sunday, new equipment goes to homes.

"In terms of training on the use of protective equipment. In 2015, we put one video on our website. We put it up again back in February. That video shows how the equipment is placed on and off," Capak said of educating a security guard to use protective equipment.

Alemka Markotic commented on the possibility of finding a vaccine quickly.

"The headlines sell the story, and the question is what it says below. I haven't read any of it developed. On the WHO site dated 20/03, you have 44 institutions developing the vaccine. Who will go the furthest, we will see. The largest institution in the US, together with one company, is currently in the first phase of clinical research. We will see who else will get some good results. Vaccines are being developed in many places," said Markotic.

They responded about cancer patients who have fixed appointments for chemotherapy, but then it comes to waiting for hours.

"Corušić told me that it has been reduced, but that waiting lists are not extended. The problem is that cancer patients from all over the country are arriving in Zagreb. It is impossible to reorganize so there is no waiting, I have to admit. On the other hand, I cannot tolerate that there is no physical distance," Beros said.

About the measures

"As you know, from the first day onwards, we communicate with you and the public every day not only our decisions but also our thoughts. At this point, it is true that most measures expire on the 19th and that we will certainly need most of these measures in this regard. But it is also certain that we are definitely moving towards a phase where lifting them will come.

The Prime Minister asked all ministers to prepare today an overview of economic activities that would be important from an economic point of view. After that, they will give their judgment to the epidemiologists, they will tell how to organize it to comply with the measures," Bozinovic said.

13:17: Parliament has today, by 80 votes in favor, 16 against and 21 abstentions, amended the Infectious Disease Protection Act extending the powers of sanitary inspectors to include COVID-19 in the list of infectious diseases. 

13:01 Split Headquarters press conference is underway.

"To date, the number of new patients is eight, which means that there are 393 in total. One of them is from the nursing home in Makarska. The situation is better and we must emphasize that half of these new people are from self-isolation. In self-isolation, we have 105 health professionals," said Željka Karin.

The coronavirus has appeared in another home for the elderly and infirm in Split, it is the Zenta Home.

As Željka Karin, director of the NZJZ, told a press conference of the County Headquarters, one cook from the Zenta House is positive for the coronavirus. All tenants were tested.

She confirmed that there were currently 62 infected tenants and 12 staff from the Vukovarska home.

12:47 This is the 17th day in Požega-Slavonia County without new cases, and there are currently 235 people in self-isolation. A total of 95 people were tested and one sample is currently being submitted for analysis. Only 3 cases remain confirmed in the county.

12:46 In Karlovac County, 42 people were tested yesterday. The findings have not yet arrived, so the number of 28 patients remains in Karlovac County. Police have identified one violation of self-isolation in the past 24 hours.

12:40 No coronavirus infections in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. The total number is 100.

12:38: In the Varaždin County, for the ninth day in a row, there are no new cases. 22 people out of 32 have recovered, so only 9 are currently undergoing treatment at Varaždin General Hospital and one at the Infectious Diseases Clinic "Dr. Fran Mihaljević" in Zagreb.

12:19: A patient was sent home from the Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation of Stubičke Toplice a day after it was confirmed that a nurse had entered the hospital. About 40 patients were released the day after the virus was discovered.

"When this was revealed, we detected who the contacts were. We immediately tested everyone. Everyone released home was in consultation with the HZJZ. Of those who remained in the hospital, only one the person developed the symptoms and went home," they. said.

Minister Beros and Krunoslav Capak are in Krapina.

"We have discussed rapid tests, which may change our overall strategy as we will have results for the tested staff and patients very quickly," Minister Beros said.

To release patients from the hospital, Krunoslav Capak said it was a decision of the hospital and epidemiologists, who know if patients have the conditions for self-isolation at home.

"A decentralized approach is being considered," Minister Beros said when asked about loosening measures.

Krunoslav Capak commented on the quarantine on Murter. "The local headquarters suggested that quarantine be organized, and we support the decisions of the local headquarters. This turned out to be very good, many with symptoms turned out to be positive. The situation has calmed down. When local epidemiologists evaluate, the quarantine will be lifted," Capak said.

Minister Beros thanked the citizens for sticking to the measures.

"We have detected a problem, self-isolation is violated. When determining this measure, people are given information on how to behave in their own apartment. It is necessary for the one under this measure to stay in their room and not eat with their household," Beroš said.

12:09: In the Zagreb County area, 119 people were confirmed coronavirus positive. This is one more patient compared to yesterday. So far, 19 people have been cured and three have died.

12:04: Milan Bandic's press conference beings:

Six cases recorded at the Institute of Public Health Andrija Štampar yesterday. There are 20 positive beneficiaries and five staff members of the private Nursing Home.

There are no coronavirus infected in urban nursing homes.

11:46: In the Vukovar-Srijem County, for the third consecutive day there are no new cases, so the total is still 36.

According to the County Civil Protection Headquarters, 24 people have been tested in the last 24 hours, or 580 in total.

There are 387 people in self-isolation in the county, and there were no reports of violations since yesterday. And that number is positive, considering that 15 days ago that number was over 1000.

There are 4 people in the quarantine facilities. Vinkovci County General Hospital has 4 hospitalized COVID-19 positive people, while the rest are home-based because of milder symptoms of the disease. All 4 of these people are stable.

11:25: There are no new confirmed cases in Međimurje County, 20 people were tested yesterday. So far, eight people have been infected and three of them have recovered.

11:04: Osijek headquarters press conference is underway. One woman died.

Goran Ivanovic, the head of the county Civil Protection Headquarters, said that a woman had passed away since yesterday. The death toll has increased to six. 26 patients were hospitalized.

As of yesterday, 90 samples were tested, with no positive results. There are 108 positives in the county, 16 have been cured.

10:55: At Bjelovar General Hospital, 7 people were tested for the coronavirus yesterday. Five results are negative, with the remaining two expected results throughout the day. Out of these five, only two people from the Bjelovar Nursing Home were tested, and both findings are negative. So far, out of 207 people tested, 10 have been positive for the coronavirus.

10:54: In the past 24 hours, no new cases were reported in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, which is the fifth day in a row without new cases, according to the County Civil Protection Headquarters.

Also, the number of medical treatments has increased, which now stands at 22, so the number of patients in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is currently 45.

10:45: Another person from Šibenik-Knin County is positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is a person from the Knin area who has close family contact with previously ill persons. As of today, a total of 81 people in the county have COVID-19.

At the Šibenik Hospital Infectology Department, 12 people were hospitalized, one of them on a ventilator and two patients are still on a ventilator.

10:05: "The situation is getting better in Krapina-Zagorje County. A few moments ago we received 37 samples tested, none positive, we have a total of 113 infected. We have a man who arrived from Switzerland at a time when that country was not on the list. He was like a businessman walking around," Zeljko Kolar told N1.

10:00: At today's press conference, the Zadar County Headquarters gave the latest information regarding the state of the COVID-19 virus epidemic in the county.

In the area of Zadar County, one new person is infected with the coronavirus, so the total number of patients at the moment is 80.

The new patient is an administrative officer of the Orthopedic Hospital in Biograd na Moru.

10:03 A total of 62 swab samples were tested in Istria, 1 of which was coronavirus positive (COVID-19). It is a person in self-isolation, who has stayed and worked in close contact with patients in Italy.

One person was cured, accounting for a total of 47 coronavirus (COVID-19) recoveries in Istria County.

Yesterday, 43 coronavirus swabs (COVID-19) were taken by field sampling and at the Department of Infectology of the Pula General Hospital.

9:58 PM Ivica Luksic, a maxillofacial surgeon who has been appointed hospital treatment coordinator for the City of Zagreb and seven other counties and the manager of a respiratory center in KB Dubrava, answered questions about the coronavirus. More on Index

9:26 So far, Vukovar-Srijem County has received 194 reports of self-isolation violations on 53 occasions. They also found 573 people without a proper pass to leave their place of residence. As of yesterday, 26 people were caught.

9:19 A woman from a village near Zadar has the coronavirus. She says she feels like she's at the zoo. More on Index

08:48: For 16 consecutive days, Virovitica-Podravina County is free of new patients with COVID 19. All samples submitted in the last 24 hours were negative. 

Some good news for anglers has been announced. The headquarters will make a decision on permitting recreational fishing on the waters of the counties managed by sports fishing associations in our area. Of course, with the obligation to adhere to strict measures of social distance and to avoid direct contacts.

At the checkpoints, police officers controlled 2,848 vehicles containing 3,430 people. Six of them had no passes.

08:44: In about ten days, the first thousand serological (blood) tests should come to help epidemiologists determine how much immunity the nation has acquired for coronavirus.

The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, has revealed that a sample of thousands will be tested first. After that it will go to the so called. stratified sample across all counties, many more people will be tested.

"The purpose of these tests is to see how many people have gotten the virus, to know what level of immunity we have in the population, but also to let people who are tested know that they are immune and need not fear," Capak told 24 Sata.

08:10: Some of the latest TCN articles:

Coronavirus Sees Dismissal of 20,000 Croatian Employees in One Month

Croatian Telecom Donates 4 Million Kuna to Clinic for Infectious Diseases

Coronavirus: Are International Reserves Sufficient for Kuna Stability Defence?

Croatian Tourism Minister: We are Focusing on Domestic Tourism, Lower Prices

Post-Corona Tourism Planning: Lessons from Portugal & South Africa

08:05: Igor Rudan on Andrija - Digital Assistant in Croatian Coronavirus Fight

08:00: Looking for more detailed statistics? The AI kings at Velebit.ai have some VERY detailed breakdowns we have not seen elsewhere.

07:55: In terms of population, the highest number of cases is in Krapina-Zagorje County. The ratio of infected to tested is higher than the Croatian average. 

07:25: The director of the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine and a member of the National Civil Protection Staff Maja Grba Bujevic confirmed on Thursday that the quarantine from Tomislav's home, which houses citizens in isolation, is moving to Hotel "I" and added that the National Headquarters did not interfere with that city's decision.

The request for the quarantine to be transferred from Tomislav's home to Hotel "I" was sent to the National Headquarters by the Zagreb Civilian Protection Headquarters.

07:01: Numerous states that have succeeded in reducing the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in recent days have announced a gradual easing of quarantine measures and normalization of the situation. There is much talk about this in Croatia as well, but there is still little concrete information.

What could the loosening of measures in Croatia look like? More on Index

07:00: Last night's HRT Otvoreno (Open) discussed the loosening of some measures to help the economy. More on Index

06:35: The new numbers will be announced at the regular press conference at 14:00. 

06:30: Welcome to the TCN daily update on COVID-19. We start the day with 1791 officially confirmed Croatia COVID-19 cases and 50 new cases since yesterday afternoon. 529 patients have recovered. Thirty-five people have died. 31 patients are on ventilators. There are 1227 active cases.

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