August 17, 2020 - The official Croatian Government Koronavirus.hr website has published a list of COVID-19 testing centers with prices. 

Total Croatia News keeps an updated list of testing facilities, where foreigners can get tested in Croatia. Now, the koronavirus.hr website also put together a list of all of the COVID-19 testing centers that offer testing capacities. Prices can change, and their list will be updated accordingly. 

* It is possible to test at your own expense and with a referral; the price is expressed for testing at your own expense
** Type of testing

This resource will be updated here.

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ZAGREB, Aug 17, 2020 - The authorities of Vienna have made it possible for all Austrians who returned from holidays in Croatia on August 7-16 to get tested for the coronavirus free of charge until August 21.

There are several free test options.

All persons who returned from Croatia in the said period, regardless of whether they exhibit symptoms of the infection or not, can dial a free phone line, 1450, after which a mobile medical team will visit them at home and take a test sample.

Also as of Sunday, August 16, Austrian nationals who have returned from abroad and do not have any symptoms of the coronavirus disease can get tested free of charge and without prior appointment at the Ernst Happel stadium, where there are drive-in testing stations. It is also possible to come on foot and get tested.

For all those who arrive from Croatia in Austria after August 17th, a new regulation will be in force, under which they must show a negative PCR test (not older than 72 hours) when entering the country, or get tested within 48 hours from arrival.

ZAGREB, Aug 17, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours there have been 85 new cases of the coronavirus infection in Croatia, and there are 1,236 active cases, the national COVID-19 management team said on Monday.

Since February 25, when the first case of the infection in the country was confirmed, 6,656 people have contracted the disease, the press release said.

Of the total number of active cases 126 people are now hospitalised, including 11 who are on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, 990 people have been tested for the virus. To date, a total of 138,647 people have been tested for the infection. To date 5,254 have recovered, and 166 have died.

ZAGREB, Aug 17, 2020 - National Civil Protection Authority head Davor Bozinovic said on Monday that the authority was considering possible measures against the coronavirus for the autumn, however, for now it had not adopted any conclusions about the obligation to wear masks in the open.

"We are thinking about measures for the autumn, however, there are no concrete conclusions, everything depends on the epidemiological situation," Bozinovic told reporters.

He underscored that the school year is a challenge in itself and that a Science and Education Ministry task force will have the main role in communicating and recommending measures regarding schools. He announced that the task force was set to meet tomorrow.

"It is ungrateful to forecast what will be today or tomorrow regarding the number of infections, however, trends are important. We will certainly make sure trends lead towards a decrease in the number of infections," he said.

"We have always adopted decisions that were an optimal solution at a particular moment," he added.

Situation for tourists from Austria favourable

As regards recommendations by the Austrian government for its citizens vacationing in Croatia to return home, Bozinovic said that he was in constant contact with Austria's authorities.

"We have been communicating intensively that the situation with the number of people infected is not the same in all parts of Croatia. It differs and in counties where the most tourists from Austria are staying it is particularly favourable. Austria's authorities are aware of that, but whether they will take that fact into account as far as their citizens are concerned, I cannot sa. That is a sovereign decision," added Bozinovic.

From the very start of the tourist season Croatia has been faced with opposed interests by countries from where tourists are coming. Those interests are not the same and everyone is trying to discourage their citizens with various measures from spending their money abroad, he said.

"Naturally, our interest is different and I think that this summer we have managed to achieve a balance, with Croatia having taken in a lot of tourists ... much more than anyone else, including us, had expected," said Bozinovic.

August 17, 2020 -Two shocking incidents, one in Darda, one in Mece, happened at around 10am this morning. Police have arrested a man.

Two children were this morning stabbed in the areas of Darda and Mece, just north of Osijek. The incidents happened at around 10am. The injured children were taken to the Clinical Hospital Centre in Osijek for treatment.

Police took a 49-year-old man into custody at approximately 10.40am. He is described as being a Croatian national. Further details about the man, such as his name and ethnicity, have not yet been revealed. It is understood police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the crime.

Local portal SiB.hr are reporting that the 49-year-old first stabbed a boy with a screwdriver at the NTL store in Darda, then returned to Mece by bicycle where he knocked down a girl on a hoverboard before stabbing her repeatedly.

Investigations into the incidents are taking place simultaneously in Darda and Mece, lead by the Deputy County State's Attorney from Osijek in cooperation with Osijek-Baranja Police. After being examined, one of the children was released from hospital and sent home with minor injuries. The other has been kept in for treatment. Police expect to release more information in the next 24 hours.

August 17, 2020 - The coach of the Croatia national team, Zlatko Dalic, has published a list of 23 players he is counting on for the upcoming Croatia matches against Portugal and France.

HNS announced that after a break of almost 10 months caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Croatia national football team would gather in Zagreb again on August 31, with two appearances at the opening of the new edition of the Nations League in September.

The 2018 World Cup runners-up will play in Porto on September 5, where the European champions Portugal await them, and three days later in Paris (St. Denis), at the Stade de France, they will once again face France in the rematch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup final.

Dalic invited 23 players for this international round, with six reserves and two new names on the list - goalkeeper Ivo Grbic and defender Marin Pongracic.

"Although the circumstances are not great given the coronavirus epidemic, it is certain that we are all very much looking forward to reuniting after such a long break. The term is not ideal because many players will practically come from their breaks to reunite, but we are all in the same situation on that issue. It is important for the players to rest as well as possible, because they have a tough competition season ahead of them, at the end of which the EURO is waiting for us, and that is our primary goal," said coach Dalic.

"Our opponents can't be harder - suffice it to say that in three days we will play away against European and world champions. We respect Portugal and France to the maximum, but we have a lot of trump cards and we will certainly try to break the negative tradition we have against both teams. We will see in what condition the players will come to the gathering and we will act accordingly, because although the result in the Nations League is important to us, our priority is the health of players and preparation for World Cup qualifiers and then EURO 2020," concludes coach Dalic.

You can see the full list of players below.

?⬇️ The Croatia squad list for the September UNL matches is out now

Just 2️⃣ weeks left until the Vatreni are finally back in action and we are EXCITED ??? pic.twitter.com/ymnlNaRlao

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) August 17, 2020

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

August 17, 2020 - The Umi Teppanyaki experience at Rixos Dubrovnik, where gourmet art and entertainment combine to the backdrop of unforgettable Dalmatian sunsets. 

A perfect dining experience is an individual thing. For some it is about the food, for others the presentation and service, the ambiance or the entertainment. It is rare to capture all of these in one experience, especially when combined with beautiful sunsets from your open-air table view. 

The Umi Teppanyaki menu at Rixos Premium Dubrovnik is one such experience - a truly spectacular, and very filling, tour of Asian cuisine on a menu compiled by resident Nepalese chef, Pratap Koirola, who not only prepared the dishes before our very eyes, but engaged in conversation throughout the evening with his guests.  

Pratap entertains his guests with two sittings around his grill, which he commands with gentle authority and a warm smile. The 7pm sitting was completely sold out, as you can see above, and the lovely view out to the Adriatic and up to Mount Srdj provided a most romantic setting. 

As we chilled over a cocktail in the adjacent bar waiting for the 9pm sitting to come, the constant laughter, sharp intake of breath, and enthusiastic applause indicated that something special awaited.  

And so it proved. A sign of the magic to come came in Pratap's introductory one-man culinary music show, as he expertly displayed his command of his utensils. 

Pratap first started cooking at the age of 17 years in his native Nepal.  He continued his passion for cooking in Dubai where he built something of a name for himself, before finding himself on his first visit to Europe, head chef at Umi Teppanyaki at Rixos Dubrovnik. Not a bad place to start your European career!

And so to the menu, which Pratap put together himself. 

A nice gentle starter - Vietnamese-style spring roll, with vegetables, lettuce and sweet chilli sauce. 

From Vietnam to China for the second dish - duck gyoza dumplings, in a soya vinegar sauce.  

It was a pleasure watching Pratap put together dish number 3 - scallops in a soya butter sauce, as he expertly moved his ingredients around his grill - which he kept immaculately clean all evening as he went along - before placing them on the shells on which the scallops were served. 

Over to Japan for a truly memorable tofu miso soup.  

And then the dish of the night - seabass fillet, with beurre blanc and blitva (Swiss chard). I have a well-documented aversion to blitva in general, much to the chagrin of my Dalmatian father-in-law. I am still trying to build up the confidence to tell him that I finally tasted it in a way I really enjoyed - prepared by a chef from Nepal.  

A few days before arriving at Rixos, I was having breakfast at another hotel, and each morning I visited their Egg Station, where eggs were prepared for you by the chef in the way you desired. As I watched the very friendly chef preparing scrambled eggs for two - hardly the biggest culinary challenge of her career - I asked her what the most exciting thing she had ever done when preparing eggs. 

I wish I could send her the video above, for Pratap gave a masterclass not only in how to separate the egg white from the yolk, but also how to bring frying eggs a romantic experience. Truly brilliant. 

 And the romance continued, as Pratap expanded his heart them to produce the first heart-shaped rice I have come across. 

The rice heart was soon broken, however, and shattered into several rice bowls to accompany the final main dish - dry-aged beef tenderloin in teriyaki sauce, accompanied by garlic fried rice soya. Gorgeous.  

Two hours earlier, we had been strangers, but we left sated as friends. The constant conversation, joking and visual display made it easily one of the gourmet highlights of the summer. A supremely nice young man, who pays great attention to his guests.  

And just when we thought we were finished, dessert... 

Paul Bradbury was a guest of Rixos Premium Dubrovnik in August 2020. You can read more in Luxury Dubrovnik Tourism in the Corona Era: The View from Rixos Premium 

(With thanks to Taliah Bradbury for photos and videos)

ZAGREB, Aug 17, 2020 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) parliamentarian, Pedja Grbin, who has recently announced his aspirations to become the next party president, on Monday presented his document with guidelines for SDP's recovery after its defeat in the Croatian parliamentary elections.

Grbin, who posted the document on social media networks, says that "unfortunately, little has changed for the better in the last four years."

"The document I have posted contains my ideas, guidelines, and suggestions for the recovery of the SDP," he said on his Facebook profile.

The SDP will hold internal elections on 26 September. As of this Monday, candidates will have 15 days to submit their candidacies for the party's president, the presidency and main committee. Those running for the president will need to collect at least 500 signatures from SDP members in support of their bid.

Grbin, who has explicitly stated his intention to take the helm of the party, says that #newSDP must put an emphasis on creating contents, policies and programmes.

He advocates changes in the organisation of this Opposition party, calling for making the party's bodies smaller and easy to operate.

The promotion within the party must be based on the results and achievements in elections and not on interpersonal likes and preferences within the party, Grbin says.

He says that he supports the one member- one vote method, however, warns against manipulation of OMOV when the membership fee is set at a mere one kune for many party members who are then reduced to the role of voting for somebody.

Grbin is therefore in favour of checking the register of party members and the revision and updating of the membership roster.