ZAGREB, 16 Sept 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has conducted 10,743 coronavirus tests, and 12.8%, that is 1,369, have returned positive, and nine patients have died, raising the COVID-related death toll to 8,472, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

There are currently 7,643 active cases, including 628 hospitalized patients, and of them, 72 are placed on ventilators. Also, 17,051 are self-isolating.

Since the first registered case of the infection with this novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020,  nearly 2.7 million tests have been conducted, showing that 388,260 people have caught the virus, and of the 372,145 have recovered, including 754 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Since the start of the vaccine rollout in the country, 43.64% of the total population, or 52.38% of the adult population have got vaccinated.

The statistics show that 49.17% of the adult population has been fully vaccinated.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

September 16, 2021 - The promotion of biodiversity and natural resources are the main goals of the competition for the Croatian Tree in 2021. It is up to you, as part of the competition, to choose your favorite and give it your vote, and this year you can choose from as many as 13 candidates from all parts of Croatia.

Each of the nominated trees has its own history and interesting story, and the one with the most votes will represent Croatia at the international competition European Tree in 2022, reports Turističke Priče.

This year's candidates for Croatian Tree of 2021 are:

1. Bricin oak (pedunculate oak - Quercus robur) from the Lonjsko polje Nature Park
2. A friend (oak medunc (oak) - Quercus pubescens) from the island of Krk
3. A century-old giant in the heart of Slavonia (mammoth - Sequoia gigantea) from Slatina
4. The last lady of the Podgorica park (sycamore plane tree - Platanus x acerifolia) from Podgorač
5. Chapel (huge thuja - Thuja plicata) from the Brick Arboretum
6. Ruđer Bošković's cypress (ordinary cypress - Cupressus sempervirens) from Mlini
7. Konavle plane tree in Pridvorje (plane tree - Platanus) from Pridvorje
8. Papuk old oak (sessile oak - Quercus petraea) from Papuk Nature Park
9. Majkovski gigantic oak (oak medunac (oak) - Quercus pubescens) from Majkovo
10. Brijuni old olive (olive - Olea europaea) from the Brijuni National Park
11. Old mother (large linden - Tilia platyphyllos) from the Municipality of Lokve
12. Eternal acacia (acacia - Robinia pseudoacacia) from Pačetin
13. Guardian of the monastery shade - cypress in the garden of the Hvar Franciscan monastery (cypress - Cupressus sempervirens horizontalis) from the island of Hvar.

You can vote until September 30 via the official website of the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, which will nominate the winner of the European competition on behalf of the Republic of Croatia as the national coordinator of the competition.

The winner of the European Tree of the Year competition is symbolically proclaimed in the run-up to World Forest Day on 21 March each year, and the proclamation ceremony is traditionally held in Brussels. Let us remind you that last year's winner and Croatian representative in Europe was the palm tree ''the oldest medulinka''.

The aim of the Tree of the Year competition is to promote biodiversity and natural resources across Europe. The competition seeks to promote individual trees and their significance in the natural and cultural heritage of the people who care for them, which require our care and protection in the future.

The basis of this competition is the story of the tree itself, which shows the importance of trees for the local community and their connection with the inhabitants of the area. The purpose is ultimately to raise public awareness of the need to preserve trees as a valuable natural resource important for human life, and especially because of the increasingly pronounced climate change.

The Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County invites all citizens to participate in the process of public voting for the winner of the competition and the promotion of the competition, all together to contribute to the protection and preservation of natural values. which the Republic of Croatia has at its disposal.

Voting instructions

• Voting can be accessed directly via the LINK and the official website of the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
• Only one candidate of your choice, by confirming a click on the website and only once from the same computer, laptop, or mobile device, is allowed to vote.
• Voting runs until  September 30, 2021,  at  12:00 AM.
• From  27 September 2021  until the date of the announcement of the winner of the Croatian Tree 2021 competition on 15 October 2021, the voting results will not be visible.
• Upon completion of the voting and processing of the received data, the winner of the competition will be solemnly announced via the online platform.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 16 Sept 2021 - Students and teachers of primary and secondary schools in Sinj must wear masks in class on Thursday, despite a recommendation of Sinj's civil protection team to lift the obligation to weak masks in schools.

"About 300 students and 25 teachers of the Dinko Šimunović Secondary School are today obliged to wear a protective mask in class, and the situation is the same in other secondary and primary schools in Sinj," the school's headmaster Tomislav Bilić told Hina.

He added that headmasters of primary and secondary schools in Sinj discussed on Wednesday evening the mandatory mask rule. He also said that one of his school's students was positive to COVID, and ten were in self-isolation because they had been in contact with the infected student.

On Wednesday, Sinj's civil protection team, at the proposal of Sinj Mayor Miro Bulj, made a decision recommending that elementary and secondary school students and teachers need not wear a protective mask.

Bilić said in a press release on the Dinko Šimunović school's website, despite the recommendation of the Sinj civil protection team, that measures on the mandatory wearing of masks in class were still in force.

He added that the school board might propose a decision to abolish these measures after collecting opinions from the Ministry of Science and Education, the teaching council, the parents' council and the students' council.

"I consider that through joint cooperation between teachers, parents, founders, the local team, and epidemiologists we will make the best decision in the interest of all our students," Bilić said in the press release.

The head of the education department within Split-Dalmatia County said on Wednesday that pupils in the county, including pupils in Sinj, were obliged to wear protective masks.

Students of primary and secondary schools in Sinj must wear masks tomorrow and in the next period, in compliance with the rules proposed by the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) and the Ministry of Science and Education, the county education department's head Tomislav Đonlić said on Wednesday evening in a press release.

The press release was prompted by the decision of the mayor of Sinj, Miro Bulj of the Bridge party, that elementary and secondary school pupils and teachers need not wear a mask.

"Mayor Bulj does not know the rules or intentionally accentuates this issue only to score cheap political points," Đonlić was quoted by the press release as saying.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

September 16, 2021 - It is arguably the most beautiful - and certainly the most diverse - of Croatia's national parks. In the first in a new series from our sister site, Total Croatia, meet Krka National Park, the video guide. 

One of my favourite facts about Croatia is that over 10% of its territory is given over to national and nature parks (you can get an overview of all 20 parks here). Add to that over 1,700 kilometres of Adriatic coastline in addition to more than 1,000 islands, and it is not hard to understand why many consider Croatia to be the most beautiful country in Europe. 

But while the majority of the parks focus almost entirely on their idyllic nature, Krka National Park offers an incredibly diverse experience. There are so many things to do here beyond the famous waterfalls and boat trip to Visovac monastery. Things that many tourists often don't find out about until it is too late.

With an impressive 1.3 million tourists a year in normal times, and a short day trip from the likes of Split, Sibenik and Zadar, Krka National Park is an excellent day out for all the family. And with so much on offer, we thought it would make the ideal starting point for a new TC video series, providing guides to some of Croatia's top destinations. 

The waterfalls of Krka National Park are internationally famous, but  did you also know about the Roman military amphitheatre at Burnum, the six Croatian fortresses guarding strategic points of the mighty River Krka, the educational workshops showcasing traditional life in Dalmatia as it once was? Or the 388 km of cycling trails, numerous hiking trails, an Orthodox monastery with Roman catacombs, and even a Neolithic cave documenting signs of human life at Krka, dating back to 6,000 BC.

Krka National Park is an absolute gem, with a range of fantastic things to see and do for all the family. In partnership with Krka National Park, we are deligthed to present the first TC video guide below. 

For more information about Krka National Park, visit the official website. 

For more information about tourist destinations in Croatia, check out the new Total Croatia portal. 

(with thanks to Jose Alfonso Cussianovich for the video editing)

September 16, 2021 - Will there be visa-free travel for Croatians to the USA by the end of the year? Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is making the final decision on Croatia's readiness to join the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). 

Croatian citizens could travel to the United States without visas as early as the end of this year, said a US Homeland Security official who is in Croatia this week to make a final assessment of Croatia's readiness to enter the visa-free regime, reports HRT.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will make the final decision on Croatia's readiness to join the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). A US ministry delegation is in Croatia this week to prepare a final report.

Serena Hoy, the ministry's international affairs secretary, told Hina that Mayorkas would make the decision by the end of September.

If everything goes according to plan, we believe that Croatia will be in the VWP by the end of the year, she said, adding that the delegation of the relevant ministry is optimistic that this will be the case.

After abolishing visas for travel to the USA for tourist and business purposes, Croatian citizens will apply through the Electronic Travel Authorization System (ESTA). Passengers will apply no later than 48 hours before the flight, and it will cost $14.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially nominated Croatia for VWP in early August, and the US embassy announced in February that Croatia met less than 3 percent of rejected visa applications - 2.69 percent at the time.

Hoy pointed out that this criterion is one of the most demanding and that there are many countries that want to join the visa-free regime, but it is difficult for them to overcome this obstacle.

Currently, VWP has all EU member states except Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Monaco, New Zealand, Switzerland, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Membership in the regime is assessed every two years, and exclusion is possible, which happened to Argentina in 2002, and Uruguay in 2003, according to the pages of the Congress.

A prerequisite for VWP is strengthening security cooperation and the mutual sharing of information between candidate countries and the United States.

The US delegation, among other things, assessed Croatia's security readiness by visiting airports and border crossings, and ports, and this week it will visit a reception center for migrants and have several meetings with representatives of the Croatian authorities.

In recent years, the Croatian side has also met with representatives of the US Attorney's Office, the Terrorist Investigation Center, and the FBI.

In August, Interior Minister Davor Božnović emphasized that Croatia's accession to the VWP would be important for Croatia's accession to the Schengen area.

For more, make sure to follow our travel section.

September 16, 2021 - The 8th edition of xSTatic is approaching this year in a slightly different, expanded edition. With the xSTatic trademark - graffiti art, which will come to life in public urban spaces through the works of famous graffiti artists, Split's Gripe (Koteks plateau) will gather the local urban scene on October 2.

Skate, music, dance, street basketball, and humor are the backbone of this year's xSTatic program - a festival that brings together and revives the 'street art' scene and promotes all the positive aspects of urban culture.

This year, xSTatic will host 24 domestic and 4 international graffiti artists who will enrich several public areas with their works: Miles (ST), Anxio (ST), Hoba (ST), Raider (ST), Nel (ST), Mrawa ( ST), Mikun (ST), Troll (ST), Osker (ST), Kwon (ST), Wens (ST), Ne (ST), Apaš (ST), Alte (ST), Owen (ST), Odie ST), Order (ŠI), Stone (ŠI), Sperk (ŠI), Liver (ŠI), Apler (ZD), Botro (ZG), Lonac (ZG), Bare (ZG), Wuper (Serbia), Azram ( Slovenia), Boriz (Slovenia) and Jarus (Canada).

On the central day of the festival, Saturday, October 2, artists will draw. at several locations around Koteks. As part of the event, graffiti dedicated to DJ Bronson will also be renewed:

"We will restore the portrait of DJ Bronson, in the same location where he was before. This time, his family is included in the selection of portraits, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for that. The mural will be drawn by our great friend and great graffiti artist Wuper, and should be finished during the festival. For all those who love graffiti art (almost) as much as we do, the story continues for the next few days, on October 3, at the Spaladium Arena, where Lonac (ZG) and Jarus (Canada) will paint "towers" measuring 25x10m," explains Pero Ranchic, the main representative of the graffiti section.

The skate competition organized by the Split skateboard club Kolo will start at 1 pm, and the competitors will measure their strength and skills 'one on one', modeled on the Game of skate.

A street basketball competition will follow at 2 pm, followed by an "All style battles" dance competition at 3 pm. Participants' dance skills will be assessed by famous dancers: Kamilla (LT), Leksa (BiH), and Lux ​​de Lux (HR). Announcements of winners in all categories will begin at 6 pm.

The all-day program does not end there. From 8 pm, stand-up comedians "SplickeScene," Josip Škiljo, Tomislav Primorac, Ivica Lazaneo, and Ante Travizi will try to make the people of Split and their guests laugh, along with dancing by Split hip-hop musicians Alejuandro Buendija and Sons, Banana Zvuk, Krešo Bengalka, Žuvi, Magellano, Lil Bear and Phlagma.

The all-day program will be accompanied by KLFM radio behind the scenes, which will move its studio to Gripe, from where it will report from the field, broadcast shows, and provide an all-day electric music backdrop to the festival.

Admission to the Festival is free for all visitors, in compliance with all applicable epidemiological measures.

Recall that since its first edition in 2009, xSTatic has become a cult festival that celebrates various aspects of urban culture and promotes affirmative messages and values, especially towards young people, which was recognized by the City of Split and is the only city festival of its kind.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

September 16, 2021 - The UNESCO-declared Mura-Drava-Danube biosphere reserve is the first in the world to cross over five countries - Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and Serbia.

On Wednesday, UNESCO declared the Mura, Drava, and Danube area the world's first five-state biosphere reserve. The largest protected river area in Europe is an excellent example of cooperation between the five countries. The biosphere reserve stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and Serbia to almost a million hectares and 700 kilometers of river flow, reports HRTurizam.

Recall, the joint nomination of the five countries was sent to UNESCO in September 2019, and it was the last step of the puzzle to declare the Mura-Drava-Danube the world's first five-state biosphere reserve. Due to its unique habitats and numerous rare species, the biosphere reserve is also known as the European Amazon.

The biosphere reserve area abounds in rare habitats such as large floodplain forests, sand and gravel banks, steep banks, and backwaters. They are home to the largest population of bald eagles in Europe and the nesting ground of many endangered bird species such as sand martin, little terns and black storks, beaver and otter habitats, and fish such as sturgeon.

About a million people depend on the Mura, Drava, and Danube, and these three rivers have shaped their lives. Floodplains protect settlements from floods and supply drinking water, while exceptional river landscapes increase the potential for sustainable tourism development.

"Cross-border nomination is a strong indicator of strengthening regional cooperation and unification of countries with a unique goal of nature protection. Working on a joint nomination is an excellent example of interstate cooperation on such an important issue," said Petra Remeta, director of the WWF Adria nature protection program back in 2019.

The value was also recognized by the European Union, which co-financed projects worth more than 20 million euros, which contribute to the protection of nature and the development of this area.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

September the 16th, 2021 - The A220 aicraft is one potential option for the Croatia Airlines fleet's renewal as the company which has struggled to find a strategic partner and be more competitive for years plans its next business moves.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, the A220, as various Airbus experts have said, covers a segment of 100 to 150 seats and is designed to meet the current global market demands for smaller aircraft in the skies.

The European aviation consortium Airbus presented the A220-300 aircraft in the City of Zagreb recently, emphasising that it is ideal for the post-covid era because, among other things, it is characterised by low consumption, high efficiency and has the performance of larger narrow-body aircraft.

The AirBaltic A220-300 with 145 seats of one class in the passenger cabin and a range of up to 6,390 kilometres was exhibited at the stand of Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman International Airport (MZLZ).

Among those gathered were representatives of Croatia Airlines, which, in a recently published post-covid strategy stressed the need to renew the Croatia Airlines fleet, and the presented aircraft is one of the possible options for that move, especially since the domestic airline has Airbus craft in its fleet already and is authorised to maintain them. That in itself is great advantage for the company which is likely to struggle against the likes of Ryanair and its incredibly cheap flights to many destinations across Europe.

This particular aircraft which could become a solid part of the Croatia Airlines fleet renewal has good environmental performance with the A220-100 and A220-300, having more than 99 percent common parts.

It was pointed out that the A220 can connect Croatia with Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the east coast of the United States. AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss said AirBaltic is the largest A220-100 user in all of Europe and the A220-300 in the world, as they currently have 31 aircraft of this type, and eight more will arrive next year.

Croatia Airlines has faced numerous complaints for many years, with huge numbers of people considering them to be outrageously expensive for what they offer, with the likes of not only British Airways but also the highly competitive Ryanair offering the same routes for a mere fraction of the price. It seems that new planes isn't the only thing the company which has posted losses for a long time needs to be looking into, as the cheap and cheerful Ryanair makes Zagreb a stronghold.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.