ZAGREB, November 22, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros, who is isolating at home because he has coronavirus, said on Saturday the situation with the number of infections and related deaths was alarming and announced that he would talk with county heads on Tuesday.

Speaking for RTL television via video link, he again called for people to be more responsible.

"Tuesday is an important day, when all of us at national level will once again talk with prefects, which will be an opportunity for the national, local and regional governments to hold constructive talks and assess all problems."

Asked if that meant they would discuss new restrictions, Beros said every opportunity was good for talks.

He said many were criticising the national COVID response team's measures, but added that many in the world claimed that milder restrictions would be effective if people complied with them.

"We can impose stricter measures, but if people won't wear masks and (if they) socialise at private gatherings... Everything is an opportunity to show responsibility."

Asked if it was realistic for a vaccine to be in Croatia by Christmas, Beros said, "We joined early enough all European initiatives for procuring vaccines from various manufacturers. As a state, we have done everything. Now it's all up to the manufacturers."

ZAGREB, November 22, 2020 - Despite the fact that Croatia's economy somewhat recovered from the record decline in the second quarter, thanks to activities after the lockdown, analysts estimate that in the third quarter it also fell at a double digit rate compared to the previous year.

The national statistical office (DZS) will release at the end of next week the first estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) for Q3, and seven analysts who took part in Hina's survey expect a drop in GDP of 10.4% on the year.

Their estimates of the decline range from 9.5% to 11%.

Economy in recession

That will be the second quarter in a row that the economy declines on the year, which means it has entered a recession, but the decline will be milder compared to the record 15.1% drop in the previous quarter.

The record decline in Q2 was a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictive measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, which paralysed economic activity from the second half of March to the end of April.

"When the measures were relaxed in June, and especially during the summer months, most activities already started to recover. First high-frequency indicators confirm that Q3 will see a growth compared with the period from March to June, but a relatively steep decline in GDP on the year is inevitable," one of the analysts said.

Personal consumption continues to decline

The decline is mainly due to weak personal consumption, which is the largest component of GDP. Data from the national statistical office show that retail trade turnover fell by 7.6% in Q3 compared to the same period last year.

"That is mainly a consequence of trends in hospitality services, which didn't manage to compensate for losses caused by the closure of the economy even during the summer months, and tourist spending was markedly lower compared to the previous year," it was said in the survey.

Even though the summer tourist season was slightly better than expected at the start of the coronavirus crisis, the decline in tourist turnover was sharp.

According to the DZS's data, there were 6.6 million tourists in commercial accommodation establishments in the first nine months of 2020, which is a drop of about 63% from the same period last year, while the number of tourist nights dropped by 54% to 39.7 million.

The decline in industrial production also had a negative effect on GDP. In the past quarter, production dropped by 1.3% on the year.

That is a consequence of weak domestic demand, as well as foreign demand, as indicated by the decline in exports since the start of the year.

According to the DZS's data, the value of exports of goods in the first nine months of 2020 totalled about HRK 80 billion, which 4.8% less compared to the same period last year, while imports dropped by 10.1%, to approximately HRK 126 billion.

"High levels of uncertainty and worsening expectations also curbed stronger investment, while government spending is the only GDP component that is mitigating the negative trends on the demand side with its growth," one of the analysts said in Hina's survey.

Second wave of corona crisis

Because of the second wave of coronavirus spreading in Croatia and Europe, analysts also expect an economic decline in Q4 compared to the previous year.

It is expected that holiday spending and tourist activity will weaken due to epidemiological measures.

In addition, a further decline in exports and imports is expected, given the new restrictive measures introduced in most European countries due to the second wave of coronavirus, as is recession in Croatia's largest trading partners, Italy and Germany.

Deep, but brief recession?

Because of all this, a record decline in economy is expected in the entire 2020.

According to Hina's survey, seven analysts on average estimate that in the entire 2020 the economy could decline by 9.2%. Their estimates of the decline range from 8% to 10%.

The estimates of the decline have slightly decreased since three months ago analysts on average expected a drop of 10.5%.

According to one analyst, some of the reasons for that include a somewhat salvaged main tourist season, the resilience of construction (more) and industry (less) to negative trends, reduced gap in trade in goods (goods exports more resilient than imports) and, finally, the government's fiscal impulse through wage subsidies and maintaining household income levels, as well as the moratorium on loan repayment.

Despite being mitigated, this year's economic downturn could be greater than during the 2009 financial crisis, when the GDP dropped by a record 7.4%.

The government itself expects a greater drop in economy than in 2009, so it estimates that the GDP will decline by 8%.

The Croatian National Bank also expects a drop of about 8%, while the European Commission estimates that Croatia's economy will decline by 9.6% this year.

While the drop in GDP in 2020 will likely be deeper than during the global financial crisis, it is expected that this recession will be shorter. Then, the recession lasted for six years, while this time the economy is expected to grow as soon as next year.

ZAGREB, November 22, 2020 - A total of 3,308 new coronavirus infections have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, and the number of active cases stands at 19,985, the national coronavirus response team said on Sunday.

Of the active cases, 2,031 are hospitalised, including 223 patients who are on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, 49 people have died as a consequence of infection with coronavirus.

A total of 2,353 patients have recovered over the past 24 hours, and 9,216 have been tested, while 43,023 people are in self-isolation.

Since February 25, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 103,718 people have been infected with the novel virus and 82,380 have recovered.

To date, 676,965 people have been tested for coronavirus, and 1,353 have died.

November 22, 2020 - Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares are the best doubles team in the world this year!

Croatian Davis Cup national team member Mate Pavic and Brazilian tennis player Bruno Soares are the best tennis doubles team in the world this year, which was confirmed on Saturday. Next year, they will hunt for trophies with other partners.

Pavic and Soares unhappily finished the group stage at the final tournament in London and did not make it to the semifinals thanks to a worse set-quotient than the remaining two pairs with two wins and one defeat. They came to the O2 Arena with only a 35-point advantage over American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury.

However, with the defeat of Austrian Melzer and Frenchman Roger-Vasselin in the semifinals, Ram and Salisbury remained behind by 35 points, so Pavic and Soares became the best doubles team in the world for the second time in their careers. Pavic did it two years ago with Austrian partner Oliver Marach, and Soares in 2016 with British partner Jamie Murray, with whom he will reunite next year.

In 2021, Mate Pavic will play with his teammate from the Croatia national team Nikola Mektic, who will fight for the title in London with Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof against Melzer and Roger-Vasselin.

"I am very happy that Bruno and I finished the year at number 1. It was a great partnership and a nice achievement for the end," said Mate Pavic, who has played with Soares as a permanent partner since the tournament at London's Queen's Club in 2019.

In a year and a half of joint performances, the Croatian-Brazilian duo won the US Open and the tournament in Montpellier in 2020, reached the finals of Roland Garros and the Paris Masters, and in 2019, won the Masters in Shanghai and lost the final in Stockholm.

"It is a special moment for us that we finished as number 1. I think it is a huge achievement that shows that we played well throughout the year, how constant we were, winning big tournaments. We will celebrate well and remember all the beautiful moments together on the court because we all went through a difficult year together," concluded Bruno Soares.

Source: HRT

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 22, 2020 - A very generous gesture from Glavic Clinic to thank Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong for his efforts to promote Croatia. 

How cool is this?

Last month in Dubrovnik, the first-ever digital nomad conference was held in Croatia. The last presentation on the first day of Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads was from the deputy director of Glavic Clinic, Nikolina Kurtela. 

After a stimulating first day, I don't think I was the only one with an eye on the wine which awaited after Nikolina's 10-minute presentation. I decided to stay and listen out of politeness. 

I am very glad I did. Apart from being the funniest speaker of the day, Nikolina made the announcement of the first day - that Glavic Clinic would offer all medical services for free for a year for digital nomads in Dubrovnik. 

My first inkling was that this was just a marketing stunt from the clinic, and I followed up with Nikolina over that glass (ok, three) of wine after the conference. She kindly agreed to an email interview about Glavic Clinic and digital nomads, which you can read here. 

During that interview and my subsequent research, I learned that, far from being a publicity stunt, Glavic Clinic has arguably the strongest humanitarian medical treatment programme in the region, and it regularly takes on patients for free. Impressive stuff. 

And then last night, a LinkedIn post from Dutch entrepreneur and poster child of the Croatian digital nomad visa, Jan de Jong, caught my eye. When not planning to turn Croatia into a net food exporter once more, initially with his tomato project in northern Croatia, Jan has been instrumental in pushing the digital nomad visa forward. A bundle of Dutch positivity trying to Make Croatia Great Again. 

His efforts have earned him much well-deserved praise, thanks and media attention, but perhaps nothing quite like the response from Glavic Clinic, as his LinkedIn update explained:

A few weeks ago, something completely unexpected & extraordinary happened - so amazing that I felt my eyes starting to get wet. A few weeks ago, something completely unexpected & extraordinary happened - so amazing that I felt my eyes starting to get wet. 

I was invited to visit Glavic Clinic in Zagreb, where I met the owner Josko Glavic. It was amazing to see how his clinic is using robots to help patients recover from terrible injuries.

After Joško showed me his clinic he said:

Jan, you have been doing so much to help Croatia ?? move forward...we from Glavic Clinic would like to do something in return for somebody from the country where you were born - the Netherlands.

He continues...

You can choose somebody from the Netherlands who we will give a complete rehabilitation treatment for free as part of our charity program.

This was the moment I had to bite my lip and pretend I had something in my eye. ?

Right after the meeting, I called my mom. She right away told me about a young women from my home town, Bodegraven, who had suffered brain injury as a result of a horrific accident.

Her name is Shannen Bulk and she will come to Zagreb on 14.12. to receive 8 full weeks of rehabilitation treatment from Glavic Clinic - 100% free of charge. 

Give this post a ❤ to show some love to Josko Glavic and his team.

Follow Glavic Clinic on #LinkedIn.

#Croatia#charity#livingthecroatiandream

Fabulous stuff. We will continue to follow this story and Shannen's progress during her time in Croatia. 

You can learn more about Glavic Clinic on the official website.

For the latest news on the digital nomad visa, follow the dedicated TCN nomad section. 

November 22, 2020 - At midnight, new COVID-19 measures in Croatia came into force. A list of what's changed starting today. 

The National Civil Protection Headquarters adopted new measures against the coronavirus on Friday after the previous measures did not reduce the number of infected. All measures are applied from the beginning of November 22 (midnight) to December 15, announced the head of the National Headquarters and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic a few days ago.

Restrictive measures for weddings and private gatherings

The measures relate to limiting public events and gatherings to 25 people instead of 50, as has been the case so far, limiting wedding ceremonies to 15 instead of 30 people, while a maximum of 25 people instead of 30 can be present at funerals, and condolences must not be expressed in close contact. 

Private festivities are limited to 10 people instead of 15, and sports competitions are to be held without spectators and with adherence to measures as before.

Catering facilities can be open until 10 pm

Nightclubs, casinos, and slot machine clubs cannot work, and other catering facilities can be open until 10 pm, with a prominent notice regarding the largest number of guests that can be in the facility following the recommendations of the CNIPH.

The notice must be displayed by stores and shops, and it is mandatory that all stores and shopping centers take additional measures when more customers are expected, such as during discounts and pre-holiday shopping.

Additional restrictions have been introduced for gatherings that are not limited to 25 people, such as professional art programs, cinema screenings, religious ceremonies, and sessions of representative bodies. The number of persons present is limited to the size of the space, and four square meters of space must be provided for each person in compliance with the measures.

Ban on selling alcohol after 10 pm

A ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages from 10 pm to 6 am is also being introduced. The implementation of the measures will be controlled by members of the Civil Protection Directorate, police officers, and the State Inspectorate.

Thus, the necessary epidemiological measures imposed on the whole of Croatia are:

- ban on holding all public events and gatherings attended by more than 25 people in one place;
- a maximum of 15 people may be present at wedding ceremonies;
- a maximum of 25 people may be present at funerals, final farewells, and placing urns, and condolences must not be expressed through close contact;
- a maximum of 10 people may be present at other private ceremonies;
- it is mandatory that all stores and shops clearly display at the entrance the highest capacity of customers that can be in the store at the same time following the recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health and strictly adhere to the permitted number of customers;

- it is mandatory for all stores, shops, and shopping centers to take additional measures during the expected arrival of more customers (discounts, rebates, pre-holiday purchases, etc.) so that more customers do not stay on their premises at the same time; they must ensure compliance with epidemiological measures;
- suspension of catering facilities such as night clubs, night bars, and disco clubs;
- suspension of casinos and slot machine clubs;
- it is mandatory for all catering facilities that have not been suspended to clearly display at the entrance a notice of the largest number of guests who can be inside the catering facility at the same time following the recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health; they must strictly adhere to the limit;
- sports competitions can be held only without spectators and with strict adherence to all prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, and the organizers are obliged to ensure that all competitors and necessary technical staff adhere to prescribed epidemiological measures;
- public events and gatherings and ceremonies of all kinds can last until 22:00;
- ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages between 22:00 and 6:00;
- mandatory use of face masks or medical masks outdoors when it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 1.5 meters.

Anti-epidemic measures do not apply to:

- professional artistic performances and programs;
- cinema screenings;
- religious rites;
- exhibitions in museum, gallery and other exhibition spaces;
- sessions of representative bodies.

In places that include gatherings that are not subject to a strict number of measures, some other restrictions apply.

At such gatherings and ceremonies, the number of persons present is limited due to the size of the space, so that at least 4 square meters of distance must be provided for each person, in strict compliance with all prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health. It is mandatory to have a clear notice at the entrance to the facility where the gathering or ceremony is held regarding the largest possible number of people that can be present in the facility at the same time.

Organizers are obliged to ensure that the premises where the gatherings are held are regularly ventilated, that no more than the allowed number are present at the gathering or ceremony, and that all present adhere to all prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

The decision on shortening working hours for catering facilities

A special decision was made for the operation of catering facilities, which can now operate until 10 pm, except for nightclubs and bars, which are banned, and catering facilities in Varaždin County, which are also not allowed to work.

Catering facilities that have not been suspended by a decision of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia may operate from 6:00 to 22:00.

The stated working hours also apply to providers of catering services in the household and family farms, except for accommodation services.

The stated working hours do not refer to catering facilities from the groups "Hotels", "Camps" and "Other catering facilities for accommodation", except for catering facilities of other groups that work in their composition.

At the proposal of the County Headquarters, the working hours of catering facilities and other providers of catering services may be additionally limited for the area of an individual unit of local and regional self-government.

The control of the implementation of this Decision will be carried out by inspectors of the Directorate of Civil Protection, inspectors of the State Inspectorate, police officers, and members of civil protection.

Source: Index.hr

To read more about coronavirus in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 22, 2020 - Croatian heavyweight boxer Alen Babic defeated Briton Tom Little on Saturday. The Croatian recorded his sixth victory in his sixth professional appearance by knocking out an opponent in the 3rd round.

Babic reached the third round for the first time in his career after he knocked out all previous rivals in the second at the latest. Little was his biggest exam so far in his career.

Babic started aggressively from the beginning and demanded a close clash with the British boxer. Little ran around the ring at the start to avoid Babic, but when his legs slowed down in the second, especially the third round, he became an easy target.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alen "The Savage" Babić (@alenthesavagebabic)

Babic sent Little to the floor on two occasions after a minute of fighting in the third round and the referee stopped the fight.

Although he promised a knockout in the first round, Babic should be satisfied with the victory. 

"As I said. I keep repeating myself. My 'Savage' army, I never lied to you. If I said I would do something then I will do it. Yes, I said he would fall in the first, it was supposed to be the first, but he was well prepared and could take a hit. He’s a good fighter, but not close to my level."

The best Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic also knocked out Little, but Babic was quicker, needing one round less.

"I had fuel for 20 rounds like this. This was not difficult for me. Hrgovic bet against me and I am glad he lost his money. He's my compatriot, and he's betting on Tom Little. It shows you that you have no idea about boxing. He doesn’t know the history of boxing, he’s very good technically, but with me in the ring that’s not enough. The ring is life, and I risk my life for you in the ring. He won’t do it because he’s selfish. I want him as soon as the fans come back."

Babic, whose professional ratio is a perfect 6-0, called Hrgovic again.

"Give me a strong kicker, a knockout, then you will see 'sweet science'. I have an Olympic coach and two Olympians in the gym. We spar every day, and it's technical. But people want to see this. Give me something and I will prove myself. I’m small, I don’t look like Joshua, but I know how to hit, I’m hard and I have a firm head. I want to fight Hrgovic in front of the fans. I want everyone to see him fall because I think he’s a fake. He fights with buckets, with 50-year-olds. But everything is fine. I love Filip Hrgovic," Babic concluded.

Source: HRT

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 22, 2020 - Pula and Medulin have launched an offseason campaign to tempt travelers in the winter months. 

Goran Rihelj of HRTurizam writes that the Adriatic's inviting weather nearly 10 months out of the year should be enough incentive to extend the tourist season. Arena Hospitality Group made the first move and opened its campsites, the Arena Stoja camp and the Arena Grand Kažela camp, which are now open all year round, next to the already open Park Plaza Histria hotel in Pula.

But is decent weather enough? The real answer, says Rihelj, is quality content and a complete tourist product.

We must first be aware of two facts: That the motive for arrivals is the destination, not accommodation, and the second is that out of season, the motive for arrivals is not the sun and the sea, or swimming. So, the logical sequence is to ask is: Why should someone come to our destination out of season, if there is no swimming? What will they do? Are all facilities open after October 1?

According to the tourist lifestyle portal Turističke priče (Tourist Stories), the destinations Pula and Medulin have joined forces through the campaign "Warm Winter in Pula and Medulin".

The campaign presents the destination of the city of Pula and Medulin Riviera with all its accommodation facilities, but also natural and cultural riches, as ideal and safe places to spend a winter vacation.

Sports and recreation are ideal in this area due to the climate, but also sports infrastructure: 6 FIFA football fields in Medulin, 5,900-square-meter Pula city pool, two Pula stadiums with athletic tracks, tennis courts, trim tracks, and other sports facilities, announces the campaign, as well as various natural and cultural riches, bicycle and hiking trails and the unavoidable gastronomic offer.

However, it is necessary to complete the entire tourist, because the motive for coming is not accommodation. Thus, through a digital platform, a range of experiences and answers to the question "what can we do here?", segmented by interests, will be listed. It is also great to combine various events, congresses, and other events, but this is currently not possible due to the coronavirus epidemic. 

Rihelj adds that the support of the city through various subsidies is needed and that as many entrepreneurs as possible should get involved in the action, to have as many different activities in the destination as possible. Since everyone makes up the destination, and the synergy of all partners is crucial.

We should certainly praise the beginning of the campaign because the narrative and positioning that the destination is "alive" and still attractive for tourists in the winter months is extremely important.

Did you know that southern Istria has more than 2,300 hours of sunshine a year? 

Bravo to Pula and Medulin!

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