ZAGREB, Dec 1, 2020 - The European Commission has approved state aid to Croatia Airlines in the amount of HRK 88.5 million (€11.7 million), awarded as compensation for losses incurred by the company due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The European Commission has found a Croatian grant of €11.7 million to the state-owned airline Croatia Airlines to be in line with EU State aid rules," the EC said.

The Croatian government in mid-November granted Croatia Airlines state aid in the amount of HRK 88.5 million as compensation for losses the company incurred in the period from March 11 to June 30.

The money was secured through a budget revision.

The EC says that the measure aims at compensating the airline for the losses directly caused by the coronavirus outbreak and the travel restrictions introduced by Croatia and other destination countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

An independent external audit firm will verify that the aid does not exceed the amount of damage suffered during the period between 19 March 2020 and 30 June 2020. Following the audit, any public support received by Croatia Airlines in excess of the actual damage suffered will have to be returned to Croatia, the EC said.

ZAGREB, Dec 1, 2020 - The director of the Croatian Public Health Institute and a member of the national COVID-19 response team, Krunoslav Capak, said on Tuesday that the first vaccine against coronavirus was likely to be registered soon and that Croatia would be able to vaccinate its entire population.

"Over the past few days the media have been frequently reporting that the first vaccine is close to being registered and now it seems fairly likely that that will be Pfizer's vaccine that the Health Ministry and government have ordered via EU procurement in the amount of  one million doses," said Capak.

AstraZeneca's vaccine is expected to be registered soon too, Capak said, adding that Croatia had ordered 2.7 million doses of that vaccine.

There are two other vaccines that are close to registration, one made by the Moderna company, from which a million doses have been ordered, and another made by Johnson&Johnson, from which 900,000 doses have been ordered, he said.

"We have a sufficient quantity of vaccine for Croatia's entire population," said Capak adding that initially the vaccine would probably not be registered for use for persons under the age of 18.

However, considering that the vaccines will not arrive in Croatia at once and will be delivered in phases, a priority order has been prepared, Capak said.

The most vulnerable and exposed groups are first on the list - health workers, followed by residents and staff in aged care facilities, he said.

ZAGREB, Dec 1, 2020 - In the past 24 hours 2,900 coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia and a record 79 COVID patients have died, Health Minister Vili Beros said on Tuesday.

"A high number again. If we compare it with the number within a week, it is markedly higher. Then we had 2,323," he said at a videoconference with county heads, adding that the 75 dead was a very high number pointing to the danger of the disease.

In the past 24 hours 9,668 persons have been tested. Currently 46,830 people are self-isolating and 2,351 patients are hospitalised, including 245 on ventilators.

"That's an extreme burden on the health system and we are managing to respond to these challenges only thanks to our preparations. This only underlines how important it is to try to reduce the number of infections with our measures."

The minister said Varazdin, Medjimurje and Krapina-Zagorje counties had the highest incidence rates, with over 1,400 new cases per 100,000, while Istria, Dubrovnik-Neretva and Pozega-Slavonia counties had 700.

As for the the share of positive tests, Beros said it ranged from 36% to 44.51%, the highest being in Varazdin, Medjimurje, Krapina-Zagorje, Lika-Senj and Koprivnica-Krizevci counties.

December 1, 2020 – 22-year-old Jasmin Kunišinac, a former contestant on the reality TV show Farma, is raising an orphaned fox in his family home. The pair are local celebrities in Vinogradci, near Valpovo, Slavonia, thanks to their walks around the village, and also quite the hit on social media too

It's not unusual for Slavonian people to feel connected to the land and nature which surrounds them. The rich soils of the Pannonian basin in east Croatia often provide an occupation for at least one family member. Certainly, these soils will put food on the family table. The family of 22-year-old Jasmin Kunišinac, who live in Vinogradci, just west of Belišće and Valpovo, is no different. Jasmin's always felt connected to the land.

You could tell as much from Jasmin's 2018 appearance on the Croatian reality TV show, Farma. Upon entering the show, he was described as not lacking experience of life in a rural village. Viewers were told that, in his free time, Jasmin liked to ride, fish, hang out with friends and help abandoned animals. He said his favourite animals were horses and foxes.

Jasmin and Odi

Since early 2020, Jasmin's fondness for foxes has been evident for the 250 or so residents of Vinogradci to see, as he has taken on responsibilities for an orphaned fox. Villagers see him taking the fox, Odi, for walks around Vinogradci on a lead.

Vinogradci is focussed around three small streets, down which Jasmin and Odi walk. The houses are narrow at the front, elongated and stretching back away from the street. Behind them, long gardens stretch even further, often containing vegetables, fruit trees, animals or additional buildings for food production. The name of the settlement itself means 'vineyards'.

The quiet streets of Vinogradci, where Jasmin takes his fox Odi for walks © Grad Belišće

It is exactly the sort of land where wild foxes like to roam. By those who keep chickens on their land, these foxes are not always welcome.

Jasmin and his cousin found Odi by the side of the road at the beginning of the year. The pair had been cycling to their grandmother's when they came across the fox cub who, at that time, was no more than a couple of months old. They found the remains of Odi's mom not far away. She had been shot.

The pair decided to take Odi home and fed the fox with milk from a bottle, in much the same way you might a baby child. Jasmin's mum was less than thrilled. Her's is a household already quite full. As well as mom and dad, Jasmin has three sisters and a brother at home. And that's without even mentioning the other animals they have.

Thankfully, as Odi has become domesticated, he seems to have fit in with family life. He plays with the Kunišinac's Rottweiler and even their chickens seem to have got used to the sight of him. Jasmin's six-year-old sister particularly loves playing with Odi, who is more lively as the daylight begins to fade - foxes are nocturnal animals.

Odi and Jasmin are not only celebrities thanks to their walks around the quiet streets of Vinogradci. Thanks to folks' familiarity with Jasmin on the reality show, Odi has become quite the hit on social media. In addition to Jasmin acquiring more followers on Facebook thanks to the fox's arrival, Odi has attracted some 18,000 views on TikTok.

This is not the first fox that the Kunišinac family have taken in either. Jasmin's dad found one while he was out fishing, which they cared for before he left to be cared for at the zoo in Nasice. Given the foxes fondness for the fields around Vinogradci, there's no telling if Odi will be the last fox to be taken into their home. Who knows, the Kunišinac family and their foxes might create a long-running rural series as popular as Farma.

All photos taken from Jasmin Kunišinac Facebook

ZAGREB, Dec 1, 2020 - Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Tuesday the amendments to the law on the protection of the population from infectious diseases would not mean any repression but expand the number of people who would be in charge of oversight, including the police.

"This law is directed at a minority, an increasingly small minority of people who won't comply with the measures prescribed by experts," he said during a government meeting with county heads.

It is expected that the police will first and foremost give warnings, penalising only in extreme cases or in case of persistent refusals.

"It's important to note that this doesn't mean any repression. This law doesn't give any new powers, first and foremost to police officers, which are not stipulated by laws on police powers and jobs," Bozinovic said.

He went on to say that a COVID vaccine had been produced and would be registered very soon and then sent to states and testing locations. He said the Croatian Institute of Public Health had drawn up a plan in that regard.

"We must all take into account that the winter is the hardest period for the epidemic."

Bozinovic said the situation was serious as more and more people stayed at home. "Let's hope there won't be too many undiscovered illegal gatherings."

He said the Civil Protection Directorate was constantly restocking supplies and that no problems were expected.

ZAGREB, Dec 1, 2020 - MP Nino Raspudic (Bridge) said on Tuesday the latest anti-COVID measures were "grotesque and contradictory" because they were not based in science and reason, adding that they "won't pass."

He said Bridge would agree to even stricter measures if they were based on science and reason. He said people were confused and mistrusting, and that those in power believed that what they would impose on the rest of Croatia did not apply to them.

"When it's good, you take the credit, and now that you have messed up, you'd like us all to share the responsibility and the blame. It won't pass," Raspudic said, calling for a two-thirds parliamentary majority for the adoption of measures which restricted constitutional rights.

Marin Lerotic (IDS) said the latest measures were rushed and illogical. He took issue with the fact that the regional approach in applying the measures was abandoned.

"Especially irritating are threats against citizens and calls on neighbours to inform on each other. The government and the COVID response team have shown by example what selfish and irresponsible behaviour means, and now they are hypocritically pointing the finger at citizens," he said.

Hrvoje Zekanovic (Croatian Sovereignists) called on the government to cut by HRK 4,000 the salaries of the 15,000 people who lived off politics and had salaries of HRK 15,000 in solidarity with the businesses that have been closed for the next three weeks due to COVID. "I'm referring to members of the Croatian parliament too."

ZAGREB, Dec 1, 2020 - The green-left caucus in parliament warned on Tuesday that the proposed penalties for violation of epidemiological restrictions were draconian and infringed on human rights, adding that it would request that they be tested for compliance with the Constitution.

Inspecting private gatherings and disturbing the inviolability of the home is unconstitutional and if the parliament approves it, we will request that it be tested for compliance with the Constitution, MP Sandra Bencic told a press conference referring to a bill of amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Population Against Infectious Diseases.

"The penalties are draconic and should be adopted by a two-thirds majority in the Sabor and not by simple majority as planned," she underlined.

She added that she hopes the opposition will find a common language in that regard because everyone agrees that it is necessary to implement epidemiological restrictions but that they oppose the way the government is managing the COVID-19 crisis.

"Everything is being passed onto citizens who will have to pay HRK 500 for not wearing a mask properly and HRK 10,000 if there are more than 10 people in their home," Bencic warned, advocating that the penalties be reduced and be proportional to citizens' earnings.

Supervision of the implementation of epidemiological measures will be conducted by the police as well as various inspectors, which is a serious violation of human rights, she added.

MP Rada Boric warned that contacts of infected people had not been traced for more than six weeks. The government has abandoned that practice, shifting all responsibility onto citizens, she said.

ZAGREB, Dec 1, 2020 - After Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday tested positive for coronavirus, the government said that his chief of staff Zvonimir Frka-Petesic, his deputy Tena Misetic and government spokesman Marko Milic were not instructed by epidemiologists to self-isolate.

Their last working day and meeting with the prime minister was on Friday while Frka-Petesic had a brief meeting with the PM on Saturday and the meeting was held in line with prescribed epidemiological measures (physical distancing, wearing of masks, open windows).

The PM on Saturday tested negative for coronavirus and his chief of staff was  tested as well and his test returned negative, too.

Considering the posts they hold, all three officials will undergo testing again, the government said.