August 14, 2020 - Croatian skiers Filip Zubcic and Istok Rodes have tested positive for the coronavirus. 

HRT reports that Zubcic and Rodes were soon to start preparations with the rest of the Croatia ski team in Switzerland, but are now forced to spend 14 days in self-isolation.

The Croatian skiers felt their first symptoms during fitness training in Delnice. At first, they thought it was a virus, but were tested just in case.

"I felt a little weaker, had a mild fever and headache and I thought it was some kind of summer virus. However, as the coronavirus is current, and we needed to travel with the rest of the national team, I decided to get tested so as not to endanger everyone else," Zubcic said. 

The new World Cup season should start a week before planned, i.e., October 17, with the women's giant slalom in Sölden, Austria. The day after, a giant slalom is scheduled.

The races were moved forward after the Austrian Ski Federation requested and obtained permission from the International Ski Federation (FIS) to ensure the best possible safety conditions for the competitors.

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

August 14, 2020 - Italy's restriction on travelers returning from Croatia has already proven to be a big blow to Croatian tourism. 

Italy yesterday restricted all travelers returning from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain. Namely, travelers need to prove that they have been tested in the last 72 hours and that they are negative for the coronavirus. If they can’t, they have to commit to being tested within 48 hours in Italy. This new measure, of course, is no friend of Croatian tourism. 

Index.hr reports that the news caused concern among Italian tourists who are canceling their trips to Croatia.

"This is a decision made yesterday, so we are already recording the cancellations of the reservations themselves," camp director Massimo Piutti told Nova TV.

"We've been receiving calls all morning from Italian tourists who are upset about this decision. However, they still show interest in Croatia and want to come to Croatia," says Viviana Vukelic, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Italy.

And for those who are already there, the decision of their government is not clear.

Overnight holidays have become more complicated for Italian tourists who are vacationing in Croatia, and there are currently about 46,000 of them.

"I'm surprised because I think we have too many cases in Italy. I don't know now exactly how it is in Croatia, but I think you have had relatively few cases compared to Italy," one Italian woman told Nova TV.

Boris Zgomba, president of the Association of Travel Agencies at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, says he does not understand why Italy implemented such a move.

About 30,000 Italian tourists are currently vacationing in Istria and Kvarner, which is two-thirds of their total number in the country. They are worried about the new information, but they don't know anything yet.

"We don't know anything yet. We don't understand, if we don't get tested, will anything happen to us? Is it my responsibility, will I report to the hospital? At least they should have told us that before, not now that we're here for three days now," one tourist told HRT.

The Chief of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Istria County, Dino Kozlevac, said that the decision was disappointing. 

"I don't think we are so bad in epidemiological terms, especially since they know which regions in Croatia are more vulnerable, which have fewer cases. Istria is a completely safe region for them, both Primorje-Gorski Kotar and most of the entire coast. Therefore, it saddens us because it will complicate the whole situation around tourism and is definitely not good," said Kozlevac for HRT's show Regionalni Dnevnik, adding that there must be some other reasons for that decision.

"I guess it is a tourist decision. Croatia is a hit this season; there is a lot of tourism, we are fighting the virus in parallel, successfully, less successfully, successfully again. Therefore, there will probably be some reason," said Kozlevac.

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August 14, 2020 - In memory of the glorious defense of Sinj from the Ottoman invasion, the battle of Sinj in 1715 and the events that preceded it were staged this year. The play was organized by the Sinj Tourist Board, with the support of the City of Sinj and the Ministry of Culture, and in cooperation with the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, the Alka Knights Society and KU Marko Marulic.

The plot of the "Battle of Sinj in 1715" took place in two acts. The first act began at the Market Square, King Tomislav Square, where the Ottoman conquest of the town of Sinj, the burning of the church and the enslavement of the regiment were staged. A handful of defenders with the image of the Mother of God took refuge in the Sinj Fortress, the easy conquest of which was announced by the arrogant Mustafa-pasha Celic, who triumphantly passed in a carriage with his entourage. This year, the play was enriched by the performance of the Brodosplit City Choir under the direction of maestro Vlado Sunko, and excellent light and sound effects.

In the second act, which took place this year in the original ambiance of the Alkarski dvori, the Defense Council decided to defend its city despite a more numerous and superior enemy. With Our Lady's intercession, the Ottomans were eventually defeated, and the threat of the enemy removed. Led by Fr. Pavle Vučkovic, embodied by Fr. Hrvatin Gabrijel Jurisic, the joyful and grateful faithful have since celebrated their Protector with even greater zeal.

The Battle of Sinj in 1715 is a unique stage spectacle that, with its originality and drama, instantly transports the spectators to the year of the glorious victory that determined the future of the city. The author of the dramatic template was prof. Velimir Borkovic. The play was realized in cooperation with the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj and the Alka Knights Society.

About 100 participants contributed to its successful performance this year. The main actors were Fr. Hrvatin Gabrijel Jurišić, Marko Duvnjak, Bruno Barać, Marijan Grbavac, Damir Žane Alebić, Saša Miletić, Bobo Delonga, Dijana Ivić Kundid, Bože Pavić, Sanja Gojun Vučković, Vedrana Vrgoč, Željko Domjanović, Anđelka Vučković, Marija Mandac, Dino Vukovic, Dubravka Vukovic, Mario Vujevic and Marko Jelincic.

In addition to amateur theater actors, participation was included by members of the historical unit of the Klis Uskoks, the Patriot Veterans' Cooperative, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, the Association of Rera and Gusla from Otok, the Association for the Preservation of the Heritage of the Cetina Region, Sinjski Ferali, and cavalrymen of the Alkar Equestrian Club 1968 and Marko Vuković, horses of the Alkar stud farm, and the carriage was taken care of by Mr. Davor Ivkovic. The director of the play was the prominent theater, television and film actor Robert Kurbaša. The assistant director was Bruno Barać, and the playwright and producer is Luka Perković.

This year's performance was also dedicated to all Croatian veterans, and to all those who helped hold the show, but are no longer with us.

The Sinj Tourist Board truly thanks all employees and members of VAD, the Monastery of Our Lady of Sinj, the Purity of the Cetina Region - Sinj, KUS - Sinj, Kamička dd, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, members of the Veterans Cooperative Patriot, the historical unit of Klis Uskoks, the Association of Rera and Gusla from Otok, Sinj Majorettes, the Association for the Preservation of the Heritage of the Cetina Region, the Association of Sinjski Ferali, the Association SRMA, KGK Alkar 1968, KU Marko Marulić, Ms. Vesna Bader and Branka Marinović for scenography and props, staff and owner of the restaurant Alkarski dvori, and all who selflessly helped the successful realization of this spectacle.

Special thanks go to Mr. Vlado Sunko and GZ Brodosplit who magnified this play with the performance of the cantata to Our Lady of Sinj and thus gave it a new dimension in a unique way, then to media representatives and the audience who, despite pandemic conditions, participated successfully and patiently in implementing all recommended measures by the Civil Protection, as well as the Croatian Institute of Public Health, to preserve health.

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

August 14, 2020 - In August, Split boasts an increasing number of tourists, and since the beginning of the month, almost 160,000 overnight stays have been recorded, which is 51% of the overnight stays achieved in the same period last year.

Dalmacija Danas reports that hotel accommodation recorded 60% of last year's overnight stays, private accommodation 51% of last year's overnight stays, and the most numerous are tourists from Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and domestic tourists.

“The successful and timely response of all important actors in tourism has led to results that are favorable in the context of a global pandemic. According to the announcements of arrivals in August and the airlines' plans for flights to Split by the end of September, it is to be expected that tourist traffic will continue to grow. The continuation of the season will largely depend on the epidemiological situation for this reason through social networks, and through offline communication, we tell tourists to adhere to the prescribed measures and recommendations. In our info centers, we give them free masks. In this way, we send the message that as a destination, we care about preserving their health, but also that cooperation is extremely important to achieve a common goal. We also take care of safety when organizing events, so all events are held outdoors in compliance with epidemiological measures," said Alijana Vuksic, director of the Split Tourist Board.

August in Split continues with numerous events. Up next is the finale of Split Summer, which, in addition to the traditional Judita Award, will be enriched by the concert of Massimo and Mostar Sevdah Reunion at Sustipan. Urban Culture Revival festival - Evo Ruke! this year entertains many domestic and foreign visitors at the unique location of Split's Djardin, the theater under the stars will bring culture, laughter and fun to the Gripe Fortress, and classical music lovers can enjoy the Summer Charms of Classical Music and the seventh edition of the Piano Loop festival. The Split House of Language and Culture, the Kula Gallery, the Art Gallery, the Galic Salon and the Split Photo Club have prepared interesting exhibitions, and the Bacvice Open Air Cinema offers a diverse and exciting program for all film lovers.

This Friday, August 14, at 8 pm, the favorite event 'Roman Life' returns to tourists in an edition adapted to epidemiological measures. Domestic and foreign tourists have the opportunity to experience the ancient history of Split through Diocletian's footsteps. Every Friday, Emperor Diocletian, with a Praetorian Guard, goes out to the front of the Peristyle and takes a walk of our city.

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August 14, 2020 - Director of the Civil Protection Headquarters and Assistant Interior Minister Damir Trut spoke about COVID-19 in Croatia. In an interview on Thursday evening, he explained why the Headquarters decided to tighten measures for cafes, bars, and nightclubs, and revealed just how many foreign tourists were infected in the country.

"The situation prompted us to make that decision. The infection comes from the Adriatic and young people are most affected, so it could be concluded that the most important factor could be nightclubs and cafes," he said as a guest for Dnevnik Nova TV, as reported by Index.hr.

Asked what will be achieved because the corona does not know the time, he replied:

"Yes, the corona does not know what time it is, but we have reduced the working hours by six hours and thus the possibility of infection."

He explained that the inspectors would control all activities and events throughout Croatia, and these are, in addition to clubs and cafes, weddings, and other events where more than 100 people are in one location.

He also said that people usually do not adhere to social distancing, but that they should also not be too harsh in sanctions.

“It’s like that in those locations, with alcohol and music, so people forget about keeping a distance,” he said.

When asked what he recommends, he answered:

"The recommendation is that the epidemic is here and among us, we have relaxed over the summer and we need to become aware of that. We need to be responsible so that it does not spread."

He also revealed that about 50 foreign tourists were infected in Croatia, and some had already returned to their countries.

Recall, Croatia recorded 180 new cases on Thursday, by far the most in the country since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic.

So far, counting Thursday, Croatia has had more than 100 new infections in one day seven times. To date, the record day was July 11, with 140 newly infected, yesterday was the second-highest in terms of the number of newly infected - 130, and on July 15, there were 126.

Croatia first recorded more than 100 new cases on July 10. There were 116 newly infected at the time. The same number was recorded on July 18.

Now, for the seventh time, Croatia recorded over 100 newly infected people in one day - as many as 180 - and Thursday was the worst day since the beginning of the epidemic in Croatia.

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

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As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 13th of August, 2020, after more than ten years in which the business was supposed to ''get serious'' and youthful enthusiasm was supposed to mature into a stable business in which this Croatian product was the main star, Mladen Peharda thought that was it, he'd cracked it, that from now on things would be plain sailing. And then came the global coronavirus pandemic.

His company, Agena Marin, which manufactures tourist vessels along with the provision of business solutions for markets around the world, is a drop in the ocean of companies whose plans have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic this year, with the majority cancelling nearly closed deals and orders. But for Peharda and this Croatian product, this is just a dip that will pass, the only option is to continue doing business, preparing and developing new projects and markets. A visionary and innovator who started his business fifteen years ago, literally in a garage, designing the world's first semi-submarine for tourist trips, has 15 employees in his workshop in Poličnik near Biograd today,

''So far there have been no layoffs or. It just doesn't stop,'' he said.

"No one has managed to escape this crisis, because it has affected the whole world, all of our markets are stuck in tourism, and that needs to be overcome. For a year now, we've been half-dead, we've sold six boats so far, a lot of them have been cancelled, because we make products and do work which is related to the tourist season. We used the help of the state, which was very useful, and in the rest of the year, everything will depend on how the market will recover,'' explained this Croatian entrepreneur.

He addd that they invest a lot of money and time into research and development, which they're now doing intensively.

"We're developing a model for a small solar ship… In the meantime, we're negotiating some new projects and have several potential new customers, so not everything has completely stopped," said Mladen Peharda, whose business switched to exports after the breakthrough of the semi-submarine concept in Croatia. His company generated 10.2 million kuna in revenue last year, 3.5 times more than the year before, with a profit of just over half a million kuna.

Peharda designed and produced the world's first semi-submarine for tourist excursions.

"After we reached our goal in 2016 to sell 30 semi-submarines on the Croatian Adriatic and exhibited at the largest nautical fair in Düsseldorf, we turned to exports. Our message is that we don't sell the product, but the whole business solution. Practically free of charge in the price of the vessel, we give customers all the ‘know-how’, because it's very important to us how our product will be placed and accepted in the market and among its users. It’s not a franchise, but it has a lot of the elements of a franchise. At first, it was not easy to break into markets where they don't know you, but in these four years, we've sold about 50 vessels in the Maldives, the Caribbean, Mexico, Italy, Greece, Montenegro, Seychelles, Spain, and one ship is in Ohrid in Macedonia,'' revealed Peharda.

After the international success of this Croatian product, a semi-submarine which is sold in two sizes, three years ago, the Agena Marina team developed a prototype taxi catamaran, created for local use at a decent speed on relatively short distances such as the Adriatic. The first yellow eco friendly catamaran, Taxi Cat, sailed in 2018 on Korcula, and Italy is the first and currently the only foreign market for this Croatian product. Currently, nine more Taxi Cat boats are being built for the Croatian market, one model is being drawn up for 12-metre diving trips, and there is also a larger "brother" Taxi Cat designed for 80 people.

For more on Croatian innovation, follow Made in Croatia.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 13th of August, 2020, in the area of ​​Lika-Senj County, more precisely in Novalja, the construction of a stand-alone photovoltaic power plant worth a massive 10 million euros will soon begin, and it will produce 25GWh of electricity per year. This is a project being undertaken by the company RP Global, which has already made investments in wind farms Danilo in the hinterland of Sibenik and Rudine in the Dubrovnik littoral, and this is their first project of this type in Croatia.

The investment should bring about 250,000 kuna a year to the local self-government unit in Novalja, so it isn't surprising that the local authorities very quickly met the investor and signed the agreement on financing the amendments to the spatial plan of Lika-Senj County. It improves the conditions for the construction of solar parks, meaning that it increases the percentage of maximum terrain coverage with solar panels from 25 to 50 percent of the building plot area.

"Before every investment decision, an unavoidable step is a meeting with representatives of the local community, and affirmative and active local authorities are the best thing that a serious investor can wish for. This then further motivates us to justify such a welcome and reciprocate it with an open and correct relationship. From the project preparation and the construction to plant management and maintenance, we try to employ local people as much as possible. We're talking about modern technology in which there isn't much employment, but every job is important to us,'' pointed out the director of RP Global and the vice president of the Association of Renewable Energy Sources HGK, Bojan Rescec, adding that in addition to the aforementioned local government revenues, we can definitely expect wider benefits for both Novalja and the island of Pag.

The solar power plant in Novalja is only a part of the very ambitious plans of RP Global in Lika-Senj County. "It's difficult to talk about concrete figures at this moment in time, but we hope that in the years to come we'll be talking about three-digit megawatts and millions of euros of investment," assured Rescec.

According to the HROTE report, 72,016,131 kWh of electricity was produced in the Republic of Croatia last year from photovoltaic power plants, and the total production of electricity from RES increased by 16.1 percent when compared to the previous year. The share of photovoltaic power plants in the total installed capacities (MW) stands at 6 percent.

All installed production capacities of renewable energy sources and cogeneration in 2019 with a total installed capacity of 877.38 MW produced a total of 2,882,229,100 kWh, with a total of 48.5 MW of new plants connected to the Croatian electricity system.

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Alemka Markotic, who has become a real household name since the appearance of the new coronavirus in Croatia, commented on how the health system plans to differentiate between coronavirus and flu in autumn. She also touched on the Russian vaccine and stated that scientists learned through the media that the vaccine had suddenly appeared.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 13th of August, 2020, Croatia recorded its second biggest increase in newly infected persons over the last few days since the beginning of the pandemic. A large number of young people are among the new patients. Due to the new situation, measures for nightclubs are being tightened, and inspections will be intensified.

There will be celebrations of the Assumption throughout the country over the weekend, and when it comes to how the national headquarters plans to keep the situation under control, a reporter from Dnevnik Nova TV asked Dr. Alemka Markotic, the director of the ''Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

"It's good that there are not too many hospitalised people, but it isn't good that the numbers are increasing, because with increasing numbers, more severe forms of the disease can also appear. The tips are the same ones we've been repeating for months now - maintain a distance and keep up your hygiene. "The moment people think the numbers are smaller, they start relaxing," said Alemka Markotic.

She pointed out that there is nothing new in the recommendations for the operation of nightclubs and that everything has already been communicated with the owners of such facilities. Being indoors carries an increased risk and therefore it is better for everyone who can work outdoors to do so, she added.

Alemka Markotic also commented on the Russian vaccine and stated that scientists learned through the media that it had appeared. Expert data on the research behind the vaccine are lacking, she emphasised, especially data on the most important part, the third phase, in which the vaccine should be tested on thousands of people, so that we know that it is effective and we can become acquainted with any possible side effects.

She added that currently six vaccines are in the final stages of clinical research, two are from China and four come from other parts of the world.

Once a vaccine for the new coronavirus becomes available, preference will be given to people who are at the highest risk of serious illness and death if they contract the disease, and to healthcare workers, as well as those who are more exposed to the virus due to the nature of their work.

As for the beginning of the school year, Alemka Markotic said that the plan is for all children to go to school and to monitor how the situation develops as it goes, so that they can react quickly if an infection occurs.

"So far, according to scientific research and studies, it seems that children, especially the younger ones, aren't particularly significant carriers of the COVID-19 disease, so we expect children to go to school regularly," she said, adding that there is a slightly higher risk in high schools, because children of that age have typically already started going out and doing more adult things without the supervision of their parents.

If a child becomes infected, epidemiologists will assess each situation separately, she pointed out, because the possibility that the infection did not occur at school cannot be ruled out.

When asked how Croatia will differentiate coronavirus from the flu and virus in the autumn, when flu usually starts making its rounds, she replied: ''Clinically, it will be difficult to distinguish between the two, but doctors and the health system will do their best to define which disease it is. It will certainly be advised that those with milder respiratory problems stay at home, and that those with more severe symptoms come to the hospital,'' said Dr. Alemka Markotic.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.