ZAGREB, 29 Dec 2021 - Croatia has registered 5,768 new coronavirus cases and 41 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 22,350. Among them are 1,868 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 237 who are on ventilators, and 15,607 persons are self-isolating.

A total of 3,729,325 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to date, including 13,929 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 703,720 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 12,466 have died and 668,904 have recovered, including 1,718 in the last 24 hours.

As of 28 December, 4,684,781 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.57 per cent of the total population, or 66.22 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,255,115 people have received at least one dose and 2,130,760 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 62.72 per cent of the adult population.

ZAGREB, 29 Dec 2021 - President Zoran Milanović began his tour of the areas of Sisak-Moslavina County devastated in an earthquake that hit the region exactly a year ago on Wednesday by visiting Sisak, where he met with earthquake victims staying in container homes.

Accompanied by Sisak Mayor Kristina Ikić Baniček and her aides, Milanović spoke to people who were made homeless by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck on 29 December 2020. Seven people were killed in the disaster and another person died several months later from severe injuries. The earthquake was preceded by a magnitude 5.0 tremor the previous day and was followed by aftershocks throughout the year.

The earthquake victims expressed fears that they would have to stay in temporary accommodation for a long time to come because even a year after the disaster they still had no information about  plans for the reconstruction of their buildings.

"I am glad that President Milanović's visit has achieved a desired effect because two days ago, when we announced the president's visit, the Ministry of Construction and State Assets notified the residents that a construction engineer would assess the damage on their buildings within the next 60 days," Mayor Ikić Baniček told reporters after the conversation with the earthquake victims.

"It was a constructive conversation during which the residents told the president they felt forgotten. At the same time, the HEP energy company is still charging them for heating even though they are not living in their damaged flats," she noted.

After visiting Sisak, Milanović went to Petrinja, where he talked to earthquake victims staying in container homes, and visited the Norković family in Novo Selo Glinsko. He is also scheduled to visit Majske Poljane, where he is due to meet with the Bjelajac family, and Glina, where he will meet with volunteers from the Chefs Club Croatia, independent volunteers from Zagreb, Istria and Banovina, and civil society activists.

December 29, 2021 - In an effort to improve the conditions and quality of service in the catering industry, the city of Pula bans the sale of beverages at kiosks. The measure will enter into force as of January 1, 2022.

At the session of the Pula City Council, the Decision on Communal Order was adopted, which prohibits the sale of drinks in kiosks, Glas Istre reports. 

Namely, the Decision came into force on November 23, however, it is still possible to buy drinks in kiosks. The City points out that the owners have a deadline for adjustment since new decisions will be issued on January 1, 2022, which will be in line with the new measure.

When determining the ban on the sale of beverages and coffee within the locations of kiosks, the City of Pula took into account that the said sale in kiosks should not jeopardize the work in catering facilities in buildings, or business premises where catering activities are performed. They added:

''The intention of the City was to move the catering activity to a higher level, within properly equipped business premises, the functioning of which includes investing significant funds in the appropriate offer and paying the prescribed fees (monument rent, etc.). In adopting the above provisions, the City primarily guided the need to ensure the preconditions for achieving adequate quality of the catering offer and the protection of business entities in fixed facilities."

The City added that it was "a decision adopted by the City Council, for which a public consultation lasting 30 days was previously held, during which no objections were received to express dissatisfaction or disagreement with the proposed conditions." According to them, the decision applies to all facilities, not only in the city center.

Source: HrTurizam.hr

For more information and travel tips on the Istrian region, be sure to visit our newly launched Total Croatia portal. Now in your language!

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

December 29, 2021 - A plastic bag ban in Croatia will take effect from January 1, 2021, with bags between 15-50 microns thick the first to go. 

The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić stated that plastic bags with a thickness of 15 to 50 microns will no longer be in use from January 1, 2022, and that other types of plastic bags will be phased out in the next period, reports Index.hr.

This includes most of the bags used in everyday shopping.

Asked by reporters about the implementation of the law on waste management related to the use of plastic bags from January 1 next year, Ćorić said that this is a law whose implementation will be delayed to allow producers and distributors to adjust.

"Bags with a thickness of 15 to 50 microns are coming out of circulation, and it is primarily a matter of respecting the directive from 2015, which went in the direction of reducing the use of bags," said Ćorić.

He emphasized that reusable, i.e., canvas and paper bags, is being promoted. However, that nylon, i.e., plastic, has unfortunately become a Croatian reality in nature, and that this should be abolished.

"In the next period, as time goes on, other types of bags will slowly recede. However, that is not the case yet; this is the first step," he said.

Ćorić stated that there was criticism from the public after the decision to withdraw some plastic bags. Still, everyone producing these bags for two years knew that they would ultimately be abolished, i.e., it was communicated two years ago that so-called medium bags would slowly go out of function.

When asked when other plastic bags will be out of use, he said that they are working to make this measure come to life first and then move towards a solution for both ultra-light and reusable bags.

“There are more and more reusable bags in stores, and that is the right direction,” he said.

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

December 29, 2021 - Split NYE 2022 will be celebrated at four Advent locations, from Zvončac to Mertojak!

The New Year is around the corner, and if you still have no idea where you'll welcome 2022, Split Advent's four festive outdoor locations are offering vibrant programs on December 31. 

Good weather news has been announced by meteorologists who confirmed that no precipitation or any significant wind is expected that evening. The temperatures should be quite high for this time of the year, with daily temperatures up to 18 degrees Celsius and around 10 degrees Celsius in the evening.

Perivoj

Fans of Croatian and foreign hits will enjoy the concert of Peco and Silvija Dvornik. Tickets are 50 kuna, though guests can also book a table and enjoy a three-course New Year's menu at the restaurant, including a welcome aperitif and a glass of champagne at midnight. More information at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Covid confirmation is required. 

Cornaro

XXS Band will entertain those gathered at the Cornaro from 21:00. Tickets are 50 kuna, and can be purchased here.

Entry is only possible with Covid confirmation or test not older than 48 hours. The name and surname on the ticket must be identical to the identity document and the Covid confirmation at the entrance. Entrance is allowed to adults only. The number of tickets is limited.

Zvončac

Perhaps the biggest event of NYE is TBF and Thrill Band at Zvončac Advent. 

Thrill Band will play from 20 to 22h, after which TBF will take the stage to ring in 2022. Tickets are available at Entrio and at Dancing Bear on Dioklecijanova 6 or at Ghetaldus at City Center Split.

COVID testing is also included in the ticket price.

Mertojak

And if you want to enter the new year with a touch of nostalgia and the rhythms of older times, Mertojak Advent will host a cassette party and DJ playing the greatest hits of the '80s and '90s. Admission is free.

In addition to these concerts and parties, Advent zones are preparing a rich gastronomic program. And if you feel like celebrating at a bar instead? The Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters announced that the NYE working hours have been extended by two hours, so everything will be open until 2 am! 

More details about all the events can be found on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the bands and on the Advent in Split website.

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

December the 29th, 2021 - The saga surrounding the would-be-could-be Sljeme cable car has been going on since before former Mayor Milan Bandic prematurely passed away. With permits and complaints galore, will the money-gobbling Sljeme cable car which would take Zagreb's citizens and visitors alike up the mountain which towers over the capital ever see the light of day? Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic has revealed more.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomasevic of Mozemo! (We can!) has stated that given the new legal framework, a change in the construction permit and a new noise measurement at points to be defined by the State Inspectorate are set to come.

''The Sanitary Inspection, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of the Interior are starting with all of that and I think it is realistic to expect that the Sljeme cable car will receive all of the necessary permits it needs to be put into function and be open by the end of January or the beginning of February,'' announced the Mayor of Zagreb, and to some that will sound like a very ambitious plan indeed, given the story around the future cable car which has been overwhelmingly negative so far.

He added that this is one of the big problems faced by the City of Zagreb at this moment in time, and that it could not get a permit because cable cars are not defined as transport infrastructure.

"It simply came to our notice then. It could have been done earlier, but I'm glad that it has been resolved and that we can move on from it all now. We will not stop at making sure we're reducing the noise, we've also talked to the equipment manufacturer about how we might reduce noise at the starting station, but also in relation to other parts of the structure,'' concluded the mayor.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

December the 29th, 2021 - Croatian Omicron rules have been put in place and clarified as the new variant of the novel coronavirus sweeps Europe. Although it appears that the Omicron variant causes a far less severe clinical picture and there are only a few confirmed cases in Croatia, measures must still remain in place for now as the situation unfolds.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Institute of Public Health has published new Croatian Omicron rules which regard quarantine and self-isolation.

The revised rules of the CNIPH for the treatment of patients, those who have been in close contact with a lab confirmed positive case and the termination of self-isolation and quarantine bring several important changes to Croatian Omicron rules.

People who have been vaccinated, have contracted and then recovered from the disease in the past three months, or have been vaccinated after recovering should not be quarantined/put into self-isolation, the new Croatian Omicron rules state.

If the source of infection is confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant or there is an epidemiological suspicion that it is the Omicron variant in question, all of that individual's contacts (except the exceptions below) are subject to a fourteen-day quarantine period and should be tested with a PCR test at the beginning of their quarantine and on the last day of quarantine.

If the suspected Omicron variant is excluded by sequencing, the fourteen-day quarantine period can be terminated and their contacts will be further treated as they would be in the case of their exposure to domesticated coronavirus variants.

The following people don't need to go into self-isolation/quarantine:

Immunocompetent individuals who have received their primary vaccination (one dose of the Janssen vaccine or two doses of a vaccine (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna etc) received in two doses) and subsequently vaccinated with a booster dose.

People who have contracted and recovered from the novel coronavirus and received their primary vaccination after recovery (one dose of Janssen or two doses of vaccine given in two doses)

People who have had coronavirus within the last 90 days before their close contact with a possible or confirmed Omicron case, regardless of their vaccination status.

People who are exempted from quarantine should intensify any measures to prevent droplet infections within fourteen days of contact with increased hand washing etc, and it is recommended that they be tested by rapid antigen test as soon as possible after their close contact and every third day for two weeks after their exposure. A positive rapid antigen test result should then be confirmed by a PCR test.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

December the 29th, 2021 - Ryanair's arrival at Zagreb Airport was absolutely fantastic for the vast majority of people who had become sick of relying on Croatia Airlines and their notoriously expensive ticket prices for the most basic of economy flights. With the arrival of this much loved Irish low cost airline, cities across Europe have been opened up for very little money for those of us living in the Croatian capital. It wasn't all roses and bells for some, however, and an investigation into whether Ryanair was given a ''privileged position'' at Zagreb Airport was launched.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, the agreement between Zagreb International Airport (MZLZ) and the low-cost airline Ryanair did not come about from any form of distortion of what would be the normal process around such tenders, the Competition Agency announced recently. Their investigation into the case was prompted by media reports and claims that more favourable conditions caused damage to the national carrier Croatia Airlines. Many would claim that their ticket prices did more harm to them than much else, but I digress.

It is an incentive programme from what's known as Zagreb Airport's ''price list'' which includes eight different models, and one of them is the incentive model for traffic growth, which tried to reduce the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic that hit air transport terribly.

The CCA conducted a survey, which included both Croatia Airlines and the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (HACZ), and found that the aforementioned model had passed the standard adoption procedure, which included the approvals of the Franjo Tudjman Airport User Council and HACZ.

It came into force back in December 2020, and all airlines operating on the new routes could apply for the incentive until June the 30th this year. The call was publicly available on Zagreb Airport's own website, and the only one interested was Ryanair.

“The determined discount system in this model, as in other models of incentive programmes, has a standardised threshold that applies equally to all interested airlines and such a discount system in practice doesn't result in the unequal position of airlines, as the discount scheme isn't flexible and there is no individual determination of the discount in relation to each airline,'' they explained from AZTN, whose report shows that the incentive is not calculated after signing the contract, but only after the deadline and determining compliance with the contract.

For more, check out our business section.