Croatian Tennis Federation President Talks Corona Outbreak at Adria Tour, No Self-Iso for Plenkovic
June 24, 2020 - The president of the Croatian Tennis Federation, Nikolina Babic, spoke about the coronavirus outbreak at the Adria Tour in Zadar.
Index.hr reports that Nikolina Babic is a member of political party HDZ, and at one time, she was in parliament for 13 days as Darko Horvat's deputy. Babic called in on Skype because she was self-isolating
Babic told Index that, despite following all the recommendations of keeping a two-meter distance indoors and contact that did not last longer than 15 minutes, she went into self-isolation.
"This was a big organization and there was a great desire to organize a tournament in Zadar and Croatia, and to present it with popular players. We did everything in good faith, but what happened, happened," she said.
She also answered the question of why they didn't ensure that matches were monitored according to the regulations?
"We sold tickets according to the recommendation, in all our speeches, we asked the spectators to adhere to the regulations and distances. I don’t know exactly how many tickets were sold, I think about a third. The players themselves were not in contact with other actors, and I'm talking about 15 minutes, the players stopped, took photos, went on, the most threats were among themselves," she said.
She added that there were security guards on the Tour who kept order and disinfectants and that they adhered to the measures.
"There were more than 100 of them, and there were disinfectants everywhere, we adhered to the measures. The virus is among us and will be among us. Life will not stop, and first of all, we must protect ourselves and everything around us. This was all outdoors and there was certainly less risk to it. In other parts of Croatia, there are many more infected without such an event," she added.
She also said the measures did not require tennis players to be tested earlier.
"The measures that were in Croatia did not require it, as foreigners who come to Croatia are not obliged to be tested. If it weren't for Dimitrov, a tennis player, a star, there wouldn't be such tension and a story about this tournament. Of course, it happened that a famous player was infected. Zadar was 'alive', everyone thanked us, the caterers, bookings were full, a nice presentation was given, but unfortunately, what happened happened," she added.
She also commented on Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who is not in self-isolation.
“Okay, I mean, we know what close contact is, longer than 15 minutes indoors at less than two meters. I was with the Prime Minister from when he arrived to when he left. He really wasn't in any close contact with the tennis players, that is, with Djokovic, except for the picture with Djokovic circulating where he patted him on the shoulder for 30 seconds.
I'm sorry, if it weren't for the elections, Zadar wouldn't have the connotation it has ... Political targets for political purposes… it's certainly not good and I'm extremely sorry. From the very beginning, the Prime Minister adhered to regulations and measures and guards and watches. Certainly, and considering his function, he cannot be in self-isolation, as he is really very exclusive in that," she said. The journalist interrupted Babic, saying that he did not agree.
Babic added that she was in self-isolation because she had been in Zadar all week and that she was doing it preventively, and that she herself would not have been in self-isolation if she had been in contact with the tennis player for five or ten minutes.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Plenkovic: Elections Won't Be Postponed, Situation Is Good
ZAGREB, June 24, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic reiterated on Wednesday that postponing the parliamentary election was not an option even if the coronavirus situation deteriorated, stressing that Croatia was in a better situation than other countries facing elections.
"Our government defeated COVID-19 in the first wave. If you look at the figures, we are among the top three EU countries with the lowest number of new cases and the lowest number of active cases," Plenkovic said while responding to questions from the press during a visit to the northern city of Cakovec.
By way of illustration, he cited France which is holding the second round of local elections while recording over 500 new cases daily.
Asked if it wasn't hypocritical of the government to call on the public to be responsible while he himself refused to self-isolate after meeting the infected Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, Plenkovic said he had explained their contact on Tuesday.
"If our contact had been such to qualify as close contact, I certainly would have followed the recommendations from epidemiologists rather than those from quack doctors from the opposition who have a political interest to raise such issues. That's a big difference," he said.
Plenkovic said that he was willing to do another test if necessary but that he did not see any need for it. He said he believed this would not harm his HDZ party in the forthcoming election because "people are serious and they see well who is doing what."
Asked if this situation was damaging to Croatia given that foreign media were also writing about his refusal to self-isolate, the prime minister said that it was not because "this information is not true." He referred the press to statements from the Public Health Institute rather than "copying statements by opposition politicians."
Zadar: 74 Samples Tested for COVID-19 Return Negative
ZAGREB, June 24, 2020 - Following the emergence of coronavirus at a tennis tournament in Zadar at the weekend, another 74 samples were tested on Tuesday and all returned negative, the local coronavirus crisis response team said on Tuesday evening.
A total of 186 people have been tested since Sunday, and 123 are under "active observation," the response team said.
The epidemiological situation in the Zadar area is good, and the crisis response team asked the public to continue to adhere to the measures in place to maintain the present situation.
Four people attending the Zadar leg of the Adria Tour tournament have tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted the organisers to cancel the competition. The first case was detected on Sunday after Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov did a test in Monaco after returning from Zadar and reported that he had been infected. Croatian tennis player Borna Coric, the coaches for the world's no. 1 tennis player, Serbian Novak Djokovic, and Grigor Dimitrov, and a five-year-old child have also tested positive.
Djokovic later confirmed that he, too, was positive after doing a test in Belgrade. He said he was feeling good and had no symptoms.
As Spain Prepares to Re-Open Doors, What Next for Croatian Tourism?
Of the total number of overnight stays this weekend, domestic tourists accounted for 23 percent, and the rest were foreigners, mostly Germans. In this incredibly difficult period for Croatian tourism, it's hard to predict what might come next in the country that was handling the coronavirus pandemic so well until the recent Adria Tour debacle in Zadar.
As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of June, 2020, the Republic of Croatia has been experiencing the strongest demand on the Mediterranean thanks to its favourable epidemiological picture, but with Greece and Spain planning to start returning to the tourist map at the beginning of July, for which there is interest from the market that Croatia is counting on, it's hard to say what the situation will be over the next two, crucial tourist months.
In addition to all of the above, the question we now have to ask is what this past long weekend would have been like if it hadn't been preceded by the aforementioned tennis tournament in Zadar, which brought enormously bad publicity to the country and the Croatian tourism strategy due to the spread of the infection following a couple of weeks or so of peace from the virus. It also shouldn't be overlooked that Spain still has more than 68,000 active cases of coronavirus infection, and is counting on opening up tourism in spite of that.
As reported by the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) on Tuesday, according to the first results of the eVisitor system, 185,389 arrivals and 842,659 overnight stays were realised in Croatia from the 19th to the 22nd of June, and an average of around 210,000 tourists stayed in Croatia daily.
They mostly stayed in commercial accommodation, ''weekenders'' were responsible for about 11,000 arrivals and about 163,000 overnight stays. Additionally, during the weekend from June the 16th to the 21st, toll fees of 23.37 million kuna were collected on the motorways under the jurisdiction of the Croatian Motorways (HAC) and the Rijeka-Zagreb Motorway, which is 32 percent less than in the comparable weekend last year, as reported b HAC.
There were 486,614 vehicles on the aforementioned motorways, marking a 22 percent decrease when compared to last year. To illustrate that, back in 2018 during the long weekend from June the 21st to the 25th, 2.9 million tourist overnight stays and 621,000 tourist arrivals were realised.
"We've entered the main part of the tourist year, Croatia is among the few Mediterranean countries in which tourist traffic is currently being realised and we should be proud of that fact. The defense system against the coronavirus throughout the country has been set at a high level. We respect the efforts and recommendations of the competent professionals. The conditions have been provided for a safe tourist summer, and day by day we're going to record an increasing influx of guests, and it's up to all of us, residents and tourists, to act responsibly and adhere to all of the prescribed epidemiological measures,'' said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic, adding that promotional activities aimed at the domestic market will begin in just a few days.
842.6 thousand overnight stays in Croatia were realised from the 19th to the 22nd of June. There were 2.9 million of them at that time last year.
Of the total number of overnight stays recorded this past weekend, domestic tourists realised 23 percent, and the rest were foreigners, of which most overnight stays were realised by tourists from Germany (holding a 24 percent share in total overnight stays), along with Slovenes, Austrians and Czechs.
The highest number of overnight stays was recorded in Istria County (31 percent), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (24 percent) and Zadar County (17 percent), while looking at destinations, most overnight stays were recorded in Rovinj, Vir, Medulin, Mali Losinj and Porec.
Most overnight stays were realised in private accommodation, making up almost a third of them all, camps enjoyed slightly more than a quarter of the traffic, and the smallest share in overnight stays, of a mere thirteen percent, was realised by hotels. As stated, Greece and Spain are preparing to receive tourists in July, and the German TUI has already taken the first groups of German tourists to Mallorca, their favourite destination, as part of a pilot project to start a hotel business.
Ivor Vucelic, the head of TUI's hotel segment for the Central and Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, told Jutarnji list that TUI is in a phase where there are more booking delays for next summer, and Croatia is not exempt from this trend. Of the new bookings, which are still extremely minimal, most are still for stays in Greece and Spain. What this means for Croatian tourism is yet to unfold.
Although the British Government still doesn't recommend its citizens to travel abroad except in case of emergency, the British TUI announced these days that it is ready to launch flights from the United Kingdom, to Greece, the Balearics and the Canary Islands, from the 11th of July. If sentiments change in the Government, and they expect them to, they're ready to fly to a small number of resorts by the end of July, and increase that number in August and September.
For more on Croatian tourism in the coronavirus era, follow our travel page.
Ivan Mestrovic No Longer President of NK Osijek
June 24, 2020 - A big change as the club fights for a spot in the Champions League playoffs, NK Osijek has relieved Ivan Mestrovic of his duties as club president.
Gol.hr reports that one of the best Croatian football clubs, NK Osijek, confirmed on Tuesday what many have speculated in the last few days. Ivan Mestrovic is no longer the president of the club.
"Football Club Osijek continues on the planned path with the same team. However, in slightly changed roles. President Ivan Mestrovic, at his own request and with the understanding of the President of the Supervisory Board and majority owner Lorinac Meszaros, will not continue to operate in the Club for the next four years as president of NK Osijek. However, as the president of the Association of the Football School of our first league, he will exclusively dedicate himself to the completion of the construction of a new football stadium and camp on Pampas," reads the statement from City Garden, which went on to announce Mestrovic's successor.
"The new club president will be the current vice president Ferenc Sakalj, a longtime friend and associate of both Meszaros and Mestrovic. The rest of the club's management remains unchanged and maximally focused on the best possible sports result in the uncertain fight for the top of the HNL championship.
Therefore, in the end, it can be concluded that the co-owners of the Club laughed at the media speculations about conflict, and was determined to continue to jointly fulfill everything that is set in the club's projects and ambitions," reads the announcement of NK Osijek.
Osijek is currently the third-placed team in the First HNL with only one point less than the second-placed Lokomotiva, and the holy second place that leads to the Champions League next season.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Flights to Croatia: Windrose and SAS to Pula, Iberia Delays Zagreb Service to Winter
June 24, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb and Pula.
Croatian Aviation reports that Windrose and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have announced the launch of direct international flights to Pula Airport.
Namely, Windrose and SAS will launch direct flights to Pula at the very beginning of July. More specifically, on Saturday, July 4, the A320neo will operate on Scandinavian Airlines and the A321 on Windrose Airlines.
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From July 4, Scandinavian Airlines will introduce the Copenhagen - Pula route, once a week (every Saturday), though the route will probably be intensified with more weekly flights in the coming period. SAS announced the A320neo aircraft on this route.
Recall, yesterday, we announced that SAS released a modified flight schedule for July, in which the number of weekly flights to Split has increased significantly.
The company has decided to increase the number of weekly flights and add a route from Stockholm to Split, so SAS will connect Split with Scandinavia according to the following schedule:
Copenhagen - Split, from June 29, daily (so far twice a week)
Oslo - Split, from June 29, six times a week, except Thursdays (so far once a week).
SAS will also introduce Stockholm - Split, from July 1, which will operate daily.
From the same date, Jule 4, Windrose Airlines plans to launch the Kyiv-Pula route, also once a week (Saturday), with the A321 aircraft, but the second weekly flight (Tuesday) is also on sale, from July 21.
Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Spanish airline Iberia will not resume the Madrid - Zagreb service until the start of the 2020/2021 winter season.
Namely, Iberia will resume the route on October 23 with three flights per week, on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
In 2019, Iberia carried 47,703 passengers between Madrid and Zagreb. Iberia will resume seasonal flights to Dubrovnik on July 17, though services to Split and Zadar have not yet been scheduled.
Zagreb Esplanade Hotel Offers Guests Ability to Download Menu and News
The popular Esplanade Hotel in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb is experiencing a massive drop in bookings, but has taken it upon itself to offer its guests the ability to download its menus and newspapers via their smartphones, safely and in a contactless way.
Croatian tourism has taken a very heavy blow thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has reared its ugly head once again following a couple of weeks of peace after the questionable holding of a tennis event in Zadar. As such, Croatian hotels have little choice but to try to ride the storm during which the waves keep getting higher.
As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of June, 2020, Zagreb's Esplanade Hotel currently has an occupancy rate of just 20 percent, which, although low, is much better than it was back in May, but the situation is unpredictable because reservations are being made from today to tomorrow.
The above was revealed by the hotel's director, Ivica Max Krizmanic, on the occasion of the presentation of the hotel's new promotional film.
''Last year, we had more than 3000 overnight stays in this period, and this year we've only a little more than 400 of them. In the last month, most of our guests came from Croatia (28%) and neighbouring countries, Serbia (12%), Germany (10%), the US (5%) and the UK (4%), and those who came were here mainly for business.
The rest of them are tourists, individuals, and there are currently no groups, there probably won’t even be any soon, either,'' Krizmanic pointed out.
The Esplanade Hotel has offered guests the contactless ability to download the hotel's menus and daily newspapers via their smartphones, and the hotel’s own mobile app allows for possible room service orders.
The Health Club and limousine service are running but continue to take very strict precautions in their operations, and the rooms are thoroughly cleaned, ventilated and placed in 48-hour isolation.
"In these uncertain times, we shot a promotional video in which we're trying to bring potential guests closer to what we offer, and that's a combination of a sense of security, luxury and the Esplanade Hotel's special charm," said Krizmanic.
For more, follow our lifestyle section.
Construction of Largest Croatian Solar Power Plant Underway
As Novac writes on the 23rd of June, 2020, the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butkovic, the Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli and the President of the Management Board of Hrvatska elektroprivreda, Frane Barbaric, laid the foundation stone for the construction of the largest Croatian solar power plant, located on the island of Cres, worth 41 million kuna.
It is the largest solar power plant under construction in Croatia, and it stretches over seventeen hectares. Located just two kilometres north of Orlec, with a capacity of 6.5 MW, this Croatian power plant will, as they say, contribute to the strengthening of the security of the electricity supply and increase the overall level of energy self-sufficiency of the islands of Cres and Losinj, especially during the tourist season when electricity consumption increases quite dramatically.
Despite the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, HEP has continued without hesitation to implement its impressive investment plan for the year 2020, which was set at the highest amount in the company's entire history - almost five billion kuna.
''We're doing this because we're aware that the continuation of our investment cycle and investments in which the Croatian component is strongly represented, are extremely important for the development and stability of the Croatian economy. The largest part of the investment relates to the realisation of the renewable development scenario of HEP until the year 2030, within which we'll construct 1,500 MW of production capacity. Half of these capacities, which correspond in strength to the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant, will be in solar and wind power plants,'' Barbaric pointed out.
In the future, SE Cres will produce about 8.5 million kWh of electricity per year, which is enough to supply about 2,500 households. In thirteen segments of individual power of 500 kW, a total of 20,330 panels made by the Croatian company Solvis will be installed, and this new Croatian solar power plant should start operating fully by the end of this year.
''This commendable investment will contribute to the energy independence and development of the island of Cres. The synergy of investments in energy and transport are of crucial importance for keeping the population on our islands, but also for the stability of the Croatian economy in the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic,'' Butkovic emphasised.
HEP plans to install two more solar power plants on the beautiful island of Cres, SE Cres 2 of 4.14 MW and SE Ustrine near Osor, with a capacity of 9.99 MW. In addition to them, the company is considering the construction of another Croatian solar power plant on the island of Unije, as well as several power plants across the region of Istria and Kvarner, while in the Istrian city of Porec, they're starting with the second phase of the development of the Kastelir solar power plant.
''The development of such infrastructure, which follows the ecological dimension and acceptability, is extremely important for tourism because without quality infrastructure, it's impossible to develop the type of quality tourism that we want within the direction of sustainable development,'' said Cappelli.
All this is part of HEP's project by which the company wants to create a green energy transition, primarily on the islands located in Kvarner. Namely, this year alone, as much as 74 million kuna has been invested in the construction of solar power plants and electromobility in the general area.
In order for these power plants not to be the only form of improving the living standards of the inhabitants of Croatia's islands, HEP is also moving to further expand the network of ELEN electric charging stations. There are currently 19 ELEN filling stations in the Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties, and an additional 35 are being set up, including filling stations on the islands of Krk and Rab.
For more, follow our lifestyle section.
Coronavirus: Austrian Media Claiming Croatia is "Dangerous" for Holiday
The situation with the Austrian view on Croatia is changing rapidly as the coronavirus pandemic rears its ugly head yet again in Croatia following an extremely poorly thought out tennis event in the popular Dalmatian city of Zadar.
From not wanting their citizens to travel freely to Croatia to seeing Austrian citizens replace their traditional favourite of Italy as a tourist destination with Croatia, to the Austrian media now claiming it is "dangerous" to holiday in Croatia - it's difficult to try to follow. Another issue is now the apparent question of the Slovene authorities on the potential closing of the Slovenian-Croatian border.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of June, 2020, under the headline "Croatia - Vacation in Danger - Slovenia Considers Closing Border with Croatia" and subtitled "Rising Coronavirus Infections Concern Government", the Austrian dailies Kleine Zeitung and Kurier, as well as some others, quoted Slovenian Health Minister Tomaz Gantar as saying on Wednesday: "As soon as the number of infections in Slovenia increases and it is determined that they were introduced from Croatia or the daily number of newly infected rises to a higher level, that country will be declared a red zone and quarantine will be introduced for all those coming from Croatia."
They add that the Slovenian minister has made sure to warn his fellow Slovenian citizens who are now travelling to Croatia that it could happen that they have to be quarantined upon their return home to Slovenia: "Given that Croatia is in a dangerous area, that danger is real."
Austrian media have also written that "the dream of a vacation on the Croatian Adriatic could be short-lived", because Slovenia is considering closing its borders to that neighbouring country, after "several imported cases of the new coronavirus infection" appeared in Croatia, reports Vecernji list.
To further point out the seriousness of the coronavirus-induced situation, the Austrian media say that during a bilateral visit by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg to Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital on Monday, his Slovenian counterpart Anze Logar showed "determination to promptly tighten the border regime if necessary".
For more on coronavirus, follow our dedicated section.
Homeland Movement: Why Isn't Plenkovic in Self-Isolation?
ZAGREB, June 23, 2020 - Homeland Movement candidates in the 9th constituency on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic why he was not in self-isolation after attending the Adria Tour tennis tournament in Zadar which was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"Will he (Plenkovic) sacrifice and jeopardise Croatian citizens with his irresponsible behaviour or will he, as a conscious citizen regardless of currently testing negative, go into 14 days of self-isolation?," Hrvoje Zekanovic told a press conference in Zadar.
Zekanovic noted that people who were in close contact with an infected person but avoided the prescribed measure of self-isolation were until recently referred to as terrorists.
Bozinovic and Beros should leave the national crisis management team
Zekanovic also said that Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic and Health Minister Vili Beros "should immediately leave the national coronavirus crisis management team because they both head Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party slates for the coming election.
It is unacceptable that they should have dual roles during the campaign because it is in violation of all electioneering rules. We insist that they immediately leave their respective positions on the national crisis management team, said Zekanovic.
He also said that "Andrej Plenkovic imposed measures against the coronavirus when it went in his favour and now that the internal party election in the HDZ is over, he immediately lifted the restrictions when he considered he would achieve the best election result at the parliamentary election." "And that is unacceptable," Zekanovic added.
