April 1, 2020 - Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on TCN, with Tin Bojanic from Argentina our sixth contributor.

Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication. 

But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? In the first of a new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. Having started with an excellent contribution from Romanian Mirela Rus, American/Irishman Jason Berry in Split and Gabriela Lopez Zubiria from Mexico, Steve Gaunt in an English pub in a field in the middle of nowhere near Vinkovci, Barbara Grauning from Munich in Istria - time to go back to Split via Buenos Aires with Tin Bojanic, the popular owner of Marvlvs Library Jazz Bar. 

If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below. Now, over to Tin. 

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels. 

I am like everyone I guess, wishing that this nightmare would finish as soon as possible. I am with my family and we are all good. I own a bar (Marvlvs Library Jazz Bar) in Split’s Old Town, and apart from financial losses, the big issue these days is that the City looks like it does at Christmas or New Year’s, a ghost town, and there are no police around, so crime is enjoying a big party. To protect our businesses, we arranged with other owners, to walk around town checking on our properties and trying to clean the trash a little bit from the previous evening.

Also, there is a park where I live which has people drinking all night long, fighting each other and not allowing us to sleep, and leaving big amounts of trash behind that nobody ever will come to pick up or clean.

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

I do remember the previous flu viruses when I was living in Madrid, so it is not new to me to see people with masks around town. But I realized this one was different in February at Rome airport when I went through security in one minute because it was almost empty. And I started to get worried when politicians started to talk over scientists: nothing scares people more than that.

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

I understand that nobody was prepared for this around the world; this are times where people should understand the importance of choosing good leaders.

I follow the idea that you have to pause this horror movie so you can organize the health system for when you will have to press play again. The virus is not going to disappear, and you will have to deal with that. My main concern is that Dalmatia, in this case, cannot get through without a season, and unfortunately Croatia cannot isolate itself as it does not produce all goods needed for its people (hopefully we learn from this too).  

But I feel cheated when I do my part, staying home, and only going to check on the bar for protection, and then I see all older people - who are at the biggest risk- during daylight sitting on the park in front of my house, and at night, as there are no bars, people drinking on the streets. Why I am paying taxes if bars cannot sell alcohol but stores are good for that? No controls, more trash, and beers being sold without receipts.

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

I am from Argentina -and Croatian as well- and I am in contact with my people and very well informed about what is going on there. The quarantine is stricter there than here, but the army and security forces are doing their job.  Argentina is better in that, if the government is smart enough, it can satisfy all needs and goods for its people as the country produces all, but there are many poor neighborhoods that if this virus gets in will be a total disaster.

On the other hand, in Argentina are talking about very low salaries of politicians and to deal with taxes in a circumstantial way. Here there are no clear rules of what is going to happen regarding that and that was always the main problem for business in Croatia.

It is good that here they understood that running is very important as runners are in low risk to get the virus. In some countries they did not allow it at the beginning and now they make it happen again as they have learned. The world is learning day by day.

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

Up to now all the information that I got was by word of the mouth as on media is very confusing and they contradict themselves. To be honest, TCN was always one of my sources of news, and nowadays it has become a landmark against fake news.

In Argentina politicians are using this mess to position themselves trying to look they have an answer to everything and doing most of things wrong; but here in Croatia I think politicians would love to hide away and not face this situation.

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?

My friends say to me that I should do the self-isolation at the bar where I have everything to survive: music, cinema, alcohol, cheeses and prosciutto…

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

As a journalist I have been in conflict zones so is not the first time that I have to adapt myself to what is going on around. If I can read, I am good.

My concern is that for most people is going to be hard to be all day at home, especially in Dalmatia where people love to be on the streets. But the main thing is going to be - if quarantine is extended-  that who is not going to run the risk of a virus if you are hungry or you need a job? If this goes on you will see few heroic acts and many miserable actions between people.

Not to finish on a depressing note I would like to say that we will make it through and Croatia will proclaim independence once again, this time from a miserable invisible enemy.

ABOUT MYSELF. I am a Croatian citizen and I was borne in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am a writer and journalist and I always had businesses like restaurants, magazines, editorials... and bars.  My grandmother was from Stari Grad Hvar, and years ago I came to Croatia looking for to do something here. I found the House of Marulic destroyed in the Old Town of Split and I decided to refurbished and to take care of the building. Now, to tribute the Father of Croatian Literature, I opened 6 years ago a Library Jaz Bar, where the jazz was my decision as it would not work out with only medieval music. Now Croatia is my home too.

Thanks Tin, stay safe and see you on the other side.  You can follow events at his bar and join him for a drink when all this over via the official Facebook page.

You can find more foreigner corona stories in our dedicated section here.

TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out covid-19 here in croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Corona Foreigner

If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe. 

Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber's new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert's guidelines below 

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE

The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).

There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words

In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).

How to do it with your cell phone? First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.

After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.

One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.

The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.

When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.

The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).

After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mate Rimac is the protagonist of one of Croatia's most inspiring entrepreneurial stories. In a country where it seems that doing business and attracting investment is almost impossible due to draconian laws and ridiculous processes all wrapped up in a tangled mess of red tape, the Rimac Automobili owner has shown it is, still, more than possible to succeed.

Rimac Automobili is not only an example to other Croatian companies when it comes to how things should be done, but its management is a reflection of the views and opinions of its founder - Mate Rimac, born in Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and certainly with no silver spoon in his mouth.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 30th of March, 2020, respected businessman Mate Rimac posted a video on his YouTube channel explaining how his company Rimac Automobili is coping with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in which he stated that while the wellbeing and health of his employees is paramount, there won't be any layoffs for his staff to worry about.

“A lot of people (journalists, entrepreneurs…) have been asking me me how we're handling the crisis, they've been asking for interviews, etc. I decided in this way to share that information so that half of it doesn't end up getting lost along the way. I know a lot of things will be misunderstood even in this way, but it's still better to do it this way... I hope that it will be useful and that we can share more concrete and useful information in the coming weeks/months,'' the Rimac Automobili founder posted on his Facebook profile.

According to him, the health of his employees and their families comes before anything else, which is why everyone has been working from home since March the 16th, and everyone's salaries have been and are being paid properly and on time.

He says there are no cases of contagion among Rimac Automobili employees and that all jobs are being kept, that is, there will be no layoffs for his staff to be concerned with during this tumultuous economic period.

If you understand Croatian, watch the video below:

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for rolling information and updates in English on coronavirus in Croatia.

April 1, 2020 - Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on TCN, with Barbara Glauning from Munich our fifth contributor.

Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication. 

But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? In the first of a new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. Having started with an excellent contribution from Romanian Mirela Rus, American/Irishman Jason Berry in Split and Gabriela Lopez Zubiria from Mexico, Steve Gaunt in an English pub in a field in the middle of nowhere near Vinkovci, how are things with Barbara Grauning from Munich in Istria? And is it better to be here or Germany right now?

If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below. Now, over to Barbara. 

Yes, I feel much safer in my Istrian village Višnjan than in my home town Munich. Although the regulations in Bavaria are stronger than in the rest of Germany the feeling in a village is much safer than in a big town like Munich.

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

Thank you, I am very well. I came here on March 14^th, the first day of closed borders. The border police were surprised to see me. But as I have had a house here for 20 years and could present all papers of my ownership, they let me pass. Of course I followed regulations of the home isolation orders for 14 days. I brought some food so it was easy for my to stay in my house. As I have a small garden, I can be as well outside, as far as the weather is fine. I am alone with my cat, she likes it the most of course! My wonderful neighbor is taking care of me, already for 20 years, so she gets me food from the shop, because she goes there every day to buy for her meals for her family.

My problem was that my Internet didn’t work after the long winter. Luckily I had installed last autumn online banking, but I never did online payments. But with the help of the bank clerk by phone I managed to make my first online payment. It is never too late to learn something new!

As I am dividing my life for many years between Munich and Višnjan anyway - winter in Munich, summer in Istria- March 15^th is my normal time to move. I have a job – actually two - that allow me to work from home. Here and there I have an equipped office, therefore it is no big deal to be here until September. How long the lockdown will take, I can accept it, as long as it is not time to go swimming. I hope that by June we will be able to drive at least to the seaside again.

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

When I heard about the first cases in China and how fast the virus spread in Asia, I watched things carefully. Then the first infected people appeared not far away from Munich, in fact next door. We all, my friends and colleagues started to be very carefully towards each other. No meetings anymore, no hugs and already taking care of physical distancing. The moment when the news spoke for the first time about countries were closing the borders, I packed my stuff into my car, actually 5 days earlier as planned, and left Munich. It was a strange drive down to Croatia through Austria and Slovenia. No controls nowhere, all toll stations on CC payments. The first people I saw after 5 hours were the policemen at the Croatian border.

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

In my eyes Croatia is dealing very well with the crisis. I can follow the daily report of the Health Ministry. My village is locked down. I even cannot drive to Porec -9 km away- for supermarket shopping without official permission by the village authorities. But so far there is no need to leave the village, the 2 shops offer all I need. The security system is very well organized and it is amazing, how people accept and follow the regulations. And the results of the numbers show that the officials do a great job with their restrictions.

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

Of course I follow as well the German situation and how they handle it. I think that for German understanding they do a good job. The government still allows discussions about the measures and the federal system of the individual countries allow different customary actions concerning the isolation or lockdowns.

Better in Germany of course is the fast taken decision about the financial support for smaller entrepreneurs, freelancers, artists, cultural people etc. How much it will influence the German economy will be shown in the future. Concerning Croatia I think that as well the European Union should pay and support the country.

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

As I don’t have TV here in my house, I read online news in Croatian and English on different sites. I read as well Austrian newspapers online, because they are very well covering Slovenia, Croatia and other Balkan countries. I am well informed and my Croatian vocabulary increased a lot!

A pity that countries of the EU and their media always look to Asia, US or UK, but pay less or no attention to the smaller member countries like Slovenia or Croatia. It would be important for Europe to read and see, how e.g. Croatia is dealing with the virus.

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?

A whole box of oranges by Crowd Farming from Spain. I have to find out if they can as well deliver to Croatia.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

I am very well organized, even under the ‘pressure’ of isolation. I can be on my own very well. Of course I miss meeting with friends here, or going out for a coffee with them, but in times of social media there are possibilities to exchange ideas, meanings, feelings. I am in contact with other house owners around Višnjan to keep them updated. Normally they all had planned to spend Easter here. I write more, I speak more on the phone and all my friends as well are much more communicating. My advantage is that I am used to be a ‘one-woman-show’ even in Munich, therefore I am the wrong person to ask about difficulties others may have in times of the isolation and lockdown.

Thanks Barbara, stay safe and see you on the other side.  

You can find more foreigner corona stories in our dedicated section here.

TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out covid-19 here in croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Corona Foreigner

If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe. 

Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber's new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert's guidelines below 

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE

The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).

There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words

In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).

How to do it with your cell phone? First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.

After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.

One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.

The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.

When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.

The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).

After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

April 1, 2020 - The second package of Government measures is very similar to the list of 10 demands the Initiative GLAS PODUZETNIKA sent ten days ago. 

REACTION TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SECOND PACKAGE OF GOVERNMENT MEASURES

“Glas Poduzetnika has, in less than two weeks, gathered around 100,000 micro, small and medium businesses, artisans and their employees. Looks like our voice was heard after all. We believe that the announced measure package will be confirmed by the Government and presented tomorrow. Two main points necessary for the survival of small and medium businesses from our demands are following, writing off and not just postponing of income tax and contribution charges and stopping the payment of rent to the government and local jurisdictions, utility and parafiscal charges. This will, together with subsidizing a minimal salary of 3,250 kuna, help our members who have been prevented from doing business to survive this period of no income with minimal expenses, and ensure the job loss would be as small as possible.”, stated Hrvoje Bujas, one of the initiators of the initiative. “We believe that the Government will find a common language with the banks as well to extend the loan and leasing postponement to 12 months form current 3, and that after the crisis our economy can finally breathe a little. In any case, we are sure that the Government agrees that this is only the beginning of structural changes that will help our economy exit this crisis with minimal losses. We hope we can ensure a sustainable budget deficit, we will address this together with the Government through cooperation in the Economy council whose members we have proposed last week.”

The Government has shown empathy for small and middle businesses problems and they were ready to listen to propositions coming from the private sector, HUP (Croatian Employer Association), Glas Poduzetnika, economy experts and entrepreneurs themselves. Enactment of the second measure package is in fact the real start of the fight against the economic crisis, Glas Poduzetnika notes. Quality enforcement of the measures that must be ensured with unambiguous enforcement of directions is key. A lot of our members in the field asked about operational problems and vagueness of the first measure package. The same problems were predicted and warned about by our legal and bookkeeping advisors. We are of opinion that the state needs to change the stance towards entrepreneurs and to simplify the approval process, with minimal restrictions and rigorous misuse penalties.

Many local jurisdictions have already made measures that write off businesses' rent and utility charges for the duration of the crisis, and we hope that soon the others will do the same. It is necessary that local jurisdictions come to an agreement around a unified and singular common approach, so that all can have similar conditions.

A good part of private sector employers impatiently awaits new measures form the Government. But in a crisis of these proportions, these are not their only problems. Of course, expectations from their local representatives are bigger and constantly being checked. Their survival will depend on their buyers, clients and business partners, not just the government. A lot of questions are being asked about real-estate loans the companies are using.

Our question - What if the rent write off is not agreed upon, was met with the answer that, at this moment, only 10% of companies will try to get a loan with which to pay for that kind of obligations. Furthermore, 23% of them are planning to close the company (and lay off all employees). 16% are planning to reduce the number of employees and see how things develop.

Around 51% plans to minimize expenses in different ways and try to survive the crisis! That data should be considered in the context of a previous poll that shows that over 90% of companies can, with minimized expenses, survive 3 months at most.

This is more data that suggest that a holistic solution is necessary and that partial measures, that can be good in and of itself, will not be enough for the survival of a large part of the private sector and its jobs. Today, 39% of entrepreneurs are ready to pull drastic measures, and we can see that the number grows week to week.

GLAS PODUZETNIKA has, to this day, gathered almost 100,000 companies, self-employed, artisans and their employees. With the support of businesses, small and large, that made more than 22 billion kunas of profit in 2019, it’s main goal is to ensure the existence of as many employees and entrepreneurs as possible, and save Croatian economy from a potential long-lasting recession. You can follow Glas Poduzetnika on Facebook.

As Vedran Marjanovic/Novac writes on the 1st of April, 2020, although not as directly threatened by the spread of coronavirus as the tourism, hospitality and trade sectors are, the Croatian IT sector is already slowly feeling the effects of the coronavirus impact on the economy, with widespread concern about how long the crisis will last and what its consequences will be.

''Due to the significant percentage of drop in orders and cancellations of already ordered jobs, there's a challenge with the workforce, and the number of cancelled projects is worrying because the inflow of new revenues can no longer be predicted and existing receivables are more difficult to pay off due to a kind of panic in the market,'' stated Ivan Ante Nikolic, a member of the executive board of the Association of Information and Communication Activities of the Croatian Employers' Association and the president of the board of Blink.

For understanding the position of the Croatian IT sector on the overall market, warned Nikolic, it is important that IT companies cooperate with different sectors of the economy, which has made and will continue to make them less exposed to disruption in certain parts of the economy.

''The impact on companies in the Croatian IT sector depends on the decline in activities in the sectors our clients work in. As expected, the biggest concern is with companies whose clients are in the tourism and hospitality, transportation, logistics, construction and other sectors which are more exposed to the effects of coronavirus,'' he noted.

On the other hand, companies in the Croatian IT sector which operate with banks, telecommunications or pharmaceutical companies, show less concern about the current situation, but, as Nikolic pointed out, everyone is fully aware of the uncertainty that the epidemic is bringing to their long-term business plans and the damage it might ultimately cause.

Commenting on the government's 63 measures to help the economy overcome the effects of the coronavirus, Nikolic proceeded to urge the Croatian Government not to forget about the Croatian IT sector, while it isn't exposed to the coronavirus crisis like other sectors are, the government must not forget to identify further ways of helping out businesses in the field.

''Emergency loans to preserve liquidity should be defended by all forces in these situations so as not to create side effects. We hope that these loans will not be much more generous than the HAMAG BICRO loan in the amount of 25 thousand euros,'' Nikolic said.

Companies in the Croatian IT sector assembled at the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) to support a general request to exempt businesses from needing to pay income tax, contributions and surtax for a minimum of three months, as well as to abolish corporate tax advance payments and provide a moratorium on repayment loans and leases for twelve months.

They also want to hear the government's ideas for what will happen in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. For them, as they pointed out, the direction is clear and requires an unprecedented investment boom that would launch investments and alleviate the negative effects in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.

''Investments must and can be initiated through multiple courses of action. The government must establish a faster and more efficient system for EU funds so that the real sector can reach investment funds more quickly,'' Nikolic said, noting that private investment funds will also be needed to put the Croatian economy back on its feet after the coronavirus pandemic passes.

Make sure to follow our business page for more. For rolling information and updates in English on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 30th of March, 2020, with the start of the summer flight schedule, which is valid from Sunday the 29th of March, 2020, Croatia Airlines' entire flight volume has been reduced to direct flights from Zagreb to just four major European cities - Frankfurt (Germany), Brussels (Belgium), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and London Heathrow (United Kingdom).

The national carrier's schedule has been reduced down to flights from Zagreb to Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam and London due to the coronavirus pandemic, a statement from the domestic airline read.

Namely, following the decision of the Civil Protection Staff to ban people from leaving their place of permanent residence unless they have a valid reason and a pass (propusnica), Croatia Airlines suspended all internal flights within Croatia from the 25th of March to the 19th of April, 2020.

Croatia Airlines says that these flights are being operated to continue to ensure Croatia's connection with the rest of Europe and the rest of the world, while at the same time facilitating the return of Croatian citizens and foreign citizens with legal residence to Croatia and the departure of foreign nationals without residence in Croatia back to their home countries.

In this way, the national air carrier, it is said, is providing valuable additional support for the protection of the entire public health system in the Republic of Croatia.

Croatia Airlines also announced the possibility of additional ad hoc changes to the already significantly reduced flight plan, depending on the development of the epidemiological situation in Croatia and abroad, and the recommendations of the Croatian and world public health authorities.

The company's website will regularly publish scheduled flight information as well as any other important passenger information, and each passenger and each airline ticket will be processed in accordance with custom rules issued by the air company due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.

Travellers should contact Croatia Airlines sales outlets before the date of their planned trip, which is a basic prerequisite for arranging travel arrangements in the aftermath of the epidemic.

"Due to extensive and constant changes in our timetable, notice to passengers of any cancellations may be delayed and, in rare cases, they might not be notified at all. Croatia Airlines therefore invites passengers to follow the information provided on the company website to keep themselves informed about the status of their flight immediately prior to the trip,'' the statement concluded.

Make sure to follow our travel page for more. Keep up to date with our dedicated section for rolling information and updates on coronavirus in Croatia.

April 1, 2020 - Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on TCN, with Gabriela Lopez Zubiria from Mexico our fourth contributor.

Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication. 

But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? In the first of a new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. Having started with an excellent contribution from Romanian Mirela Rus and American/Irishman Jason Berry in Split, Steve Gaunt in an English pub in a field in the middle of nowhere near Vinkovci, how are things with Gabriela Lopez Zubiria from Mexico? And is it better to be here or Mexico right now?

If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below. Now, over to Gaby. 

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

I think the question of how I am depends on the day. However in general I feel good, I am alone in a small studio where I feel quite comfortable and being alone is something that I enjoy, but without a doubt I really miss being able to go running, to the beach, going out with friends and the simple fact of interacting with people, I also have emotions stuck with a work project that was going to start in April and well I keep hoping that it can be done as soon as possible. I'm doing yoga daily and things that keep me calm. It is frustrating sometimes but I try to think as I think many people think that everything will pass and in the meantime it is only sometimes difficult not being able to go outdoors and not knowing what’s going to happen next.

Mornings alone trying to keep the mind together self-isolating.

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

In the hostel where I was, there was a girl who was going to go to Italy just a week before I went to volunteer in Montenegro, and that week (which was my last in Croatia) was when many Italian borders were closed and she did not make it to Italy, that's when I started to see that the situation was so serious as to close certain borders, I even thought twice about going to Montenegro. However, I went and, well, on my second day in Montenegro, the owner of the place where I was doing my volunteering, mentioned that he wanted to close the place since it was believed that there was a case of coronavirus in Montenegro, so I thought about where I preferred to stay in case the idea of quarantine became a reality and well, I returned to Croatia since I have certain projects and knew more people with whom I felt more secure.

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Honestly, I am very impressed how fast they acted and the measures they have taken since I think they were quite early compared to many other countries, Croatia has all my respect and I feel grateful to be able to be in this country., I feel really safe.

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

This is a  complicated question since honestly in everything Croatia is doing things much better. In Mexico, the situation is quite bad since there is absolutely nothing, and although certain authorities took measures about people staying at home, they did it when they were in the 3rd phase which was already a health emergency alarm, and even then, large events continue to take place in certain small towns.  Even the fact that there are people who cannot afford to stop working since in Mexico there are people whose daily food depends on the money earned that same day. 

If you have some symptoms they don’t test you because they don’t have the test so they send you home saying that you have the flu, and the hospitals are not prepared with anything because they don’t have the equipment, so without a doubt Croatia has done everything better. 

I am also very impressed by how the government seeks to help people who have difficult situations regarding their jobs and the economic situation.

This is a picture of the subway on Mexico City at 7.30 am. This was the people that needed to go to work when the schools were already online and people that could work from home. And there are stories about the situation of many people without water on their houses, without a home and the need to go to sell stuff to have money to eat.

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

In Mexico, the big problem with the information that was given is that nobody has the same information. From the start, the president seems to be totally out of the subject since he did not mention anything relevant until the third phase of the health emergency where it was already advised not to leave home. 

The governors of each state said different things depending on the region in Mexico where you were, and those in charge of the epidemiology center did not have clear information either, so the information was quite confusing from the government. 

However private companies such as banks and schools were those that anticipated events two weeks before the official government statement and helped spread the message for people to stay home.

People are saying how in Mexico City there are no controls at all, but in other cities they were checking if people had fever.

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?

My best friend.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

This is a good question ... one thing I have learned from me is accepting and letting go... and more now, because in many places there are so many things that stimulate you about starting a project with yourself, working out with an objective, and that is fine. However, I think that it can stimulate you too much to the point of forcing you to be well and maybe ignore what you really feel in that moment witch for me was anger, and I think that’s my most valuable learning - to accept the emotions that this situation naturally leaves, but after that acceptance came the real feeling of being able to enjoy and be creative with this new way of living this reality. 

I also remembered how fun it is to dance cumbias alone at home (: and one thing that I have learned from others is that we all need each other, as a psychologist it is clearer to me than ever that the human being is a social being, and well I think that if we can observe something in this situation, it is that we are all really vulnerable and in the end the only important thing is the moments where you laugh with all your heart among friends or family, how much it gives to us the way of expressing love with the touch, and those real moments are the only things that matter in this life.

Thanks Gaby, stay safe and see you on the other side.  

You can find more foreigner corona stories in our dedicated section here.

TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out covid-19 here in croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Corona Foreigner

If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe. 

Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber's new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert's guidelines below 

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE

The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).

There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words

In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).

How to do it with your cell phone?First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.

After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.

One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.

The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.

When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.

The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).

After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

April 1, 2020 — From dog grooming to neglected gardens, many Croatians responded to “stay at home” with a, “Yeah, but…” 

The government is responding with measures meant to streamline the system of “passes” designed to track movement, while also increasing the number of exceptions to the “stay at home” mantra.

Ivan Malenica, Administration Minister, unveiled an “e-Pass” service to streamline the until-now Byzantine “pass” system which allows citizens to travel within the country. It should be available by the end of the day.

The app, within the Shared Services Center, links with the Ministry of the Interior, the Tax Administration, the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO), the health system and the Civil Protection Headquarters.

“It's not about the app, it's about the shared services center,” Malenica told N1. “The e-pass system is intended for citizens under the civil protection system and, if necessary, towards employers.”

The e-Pass system creates a single point to access and monitor issued passes, said Malenica. Citizens can access passes through Croatia’s “e-Citizen” system, an online repository of government services and information available to anyone with an official identification card.

Citizens granted a pass can print them out or keep them on their mobile device. Each pass features a QR code which police officers can scan.

Previously issued passes will be accessible through the system.

“The goal is to speed up and digitize the whole process,” he said.

Those who do not have access to the “e-Citizen” service can use the current means of request via email and doctors. Employers, doctors and the Civil Protection Directorate can still give out passes.

The passes were introduced after the March 22 earthquake hit Zagreb. The government banned citizens from moving within the country, demanding they remain in their declared legal residence.

Closing loopholes

The previous system of giving out passes created many lapses, and was proving hard to maintain.

Over 50 residents of Brodsko Posavske County tried to leave the area after the measures were introduced, Mijo Kršić of the county’s police department told Jutranji List.

The requests for passes started trickling in — some justified, others silly.

“Individuals were asking us to issue passes to go get their dog groomed,” said county leader Danijel Marušić. “There were other similar requests that are not necessary and not relevant at the moment.”

This system plans to close such loopholes by overlapping various information at the national and local level, while also giving the Civil Protection Directorate a better handle on movement.

“There was abuse of the whole system because employers were able to issue passes to non-employed persons,” Malenica said, adding that the goal was to digitize and make it easier for citizens and employers to get passes, according to Dnevnik.hr.

Loosening restrictions on islands

The Civil Protection Directorate’s “stay in place” orders scuttled plans to spend the pandemic in weekend homes well away from urban centers, in less-inhabited coastal towns and islands.

The government has, for now, loosened up those restrictions slightly, allowing local agencies to decide the urgency and necessity for someone to go to an island.

Some local authorities have already promised to pull back restraints on visiting islands. Zadar, for example, will now allow citizens to visit islands if they own agricultural land in need of attention — regardless of whether or not they reside there. The measure is not limited to companies or family agricultural businesses, but private citizens with agricultural land — pending confirmation they have land to tend.

Business owners and their workers must also show an urgent need to go to an island to get a pass to islands or remote areas.

One group not getting passes: those ordered into self-isolation.