- April the 11th, 2021 - The rumored Primorje-Gorski Kotar lockdown has now unfortunately been confirmed. Here are all the details, times and measures to be put into place.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar lockdown will begin this Monday. The Head of the National Civil Protection Directorate and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic signed a decision on the introduction of the necessary epidemiological measures for Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, which actually translates as a lockdown for that county.

The numbers in that county have been high for days now, so the local headquarters decided to introduce a lockdown, and the National Headquarters confirmed that it will happen.

Strict measures are being introduced on Monday and will last until April the 26th.

Here are all of the measures set to be introduced in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County:

- A total ban on holding all public events and gatherings.

- A maximum of 8 people from a maximum of 2 different households can be present at private gatherings and ceremonies.

- A ban on all indoor sports training except for clubs competing in the 1st and 2nd rank of competitions in senior competitions and in the 1st rank of competitions in junior competitions at the national level in team sports.

- A ban on clubs competing in individual sports in senior competitions in team club competitions at the national level in the highest rank in the league system of competition and training and competitions of categorised athletes in individual sports, as well as national level athletes preparing for European and/or world competitions according to the list proposed by the Croatian Olympic Committee, the Croatian Paralympic Committee and the Croatian Association of the Deaf, approved by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.

- The suspension of the work of gyms, fitness centres and sports and recreation centres indoors.

- The suspension of children's playrooms and indoor workshops.

- The suspension of professional artistic performances and programmes, cinema screenings and exhibitions in museums, galleries and other exhibition spaces.

-The suspension of work for shops selling clothes and footwear.

- The limitation of working hours in stores where work continues to be allowed from 06:00 to 19:00.

- Responsible persons in stores where work has not been suspended are obliged to ensure the implementation of supervision of compliance with prescribed epidemiological measures and recommendations such as mask wearing and the maintaining of social distancing.

- The suspension of the work of casinos, slot machine clubs and gambling facilities.

- The suspension of the work of catering and hospitality facilities and the provision of catering services on family farms (OPGs) (this refers to the provision of services on open terraces, or other open service areas).

- A ban on visits to users of homes for the elderly and infirm and to users of other institutions that provide accommodation within the scope of the social welfare system.

- The obligation to wear protective masks outdoors when it isn't possible to maintain a physical distance of two metres from others.

- The recommendation of intensified supervision of the introduced necessary epidemiological measures, and in particular measures related to public gatherings, public transport and the operation of shops/shopping centres and catering and hospitality facilities.

- The recommendation that locker rooms not be used in all sports facilities where competitions and trainings do continue to be allowed.

Exceptions during the Primorje-Gorski Kotar lockdown:

- Catering facilities are allowed to deliver, ie deliver food, beverages and sweets, which they can do in compliance with all anti-epidemic measures in one of the following ways:

- By personal collection in front of the entrance to the catering facility without the person entering it.

- By delivery from the catering facility with a delivery vehicle.

- By delivery from the catering facility on the basis of a business cooperation agreement concluded between the caterer and a third party (legal or natural person), which are registered and entered in the Register of food business entities.

- Those who have the so-called “drive in” mode at their disposal.

As an exception to the anti-epidemic rules, catering facilities from the group "Hotels", "Camps" and the type Pupil or Student dormitory or Akademis from the group "Other catering facilities for accommodation" are allowed to work or serve food/drinks indoors and outdoors only for guests who are using their accommodation services, such as students, reports Index.

As an exception to these anti-epidemic measures, visits to users of homes for the elderly and infirm and to users of other institutions that provide accommodation services within the scope of the social welfare system will be permitted:

- To visitors who present a negative PCR or rapid antigen test for a COVID-19 test not older than 48 hours.
- To visitors who can prove that they have recovered from COVID-19 and the test confirming that (antibody) was performed no longer than 180 days ago. The proof must also be older than 11 days from the date of arrival/presentation.

- To visitors who present a certificate of having recovered from COVID-19 (not older than 180 days) issued by a doctor.

- To visitors who present a vaccination certificate showing that 14 days have elapsed since they received their second dose of coronavirus vaccination or a single dose vaccination in the case of having received a single dose vaccine.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, including border, quarantine and travel rules, as well the locations of testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark this page.

April 11, 2021 - The 10 winners of the innovative Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence (DNiR) competition have been announced. Meet them one by one. Next up Ron Tardiff from the USA, but currently in Budapest.

The DNiR programme, which has been designed by Saltwater Nomads, in partnership with Total Croatia News, the CIty of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board (and financed by the latter two), is an innovative direction for the Pearl of the Adriatic, as it looks to diversify its tourism strategy away from overtourism and in the wake of the pandemic. 

1. You are a DN-i-R winner. Congratulations! How do you feel?

I’m ecstatic and honored to participate in this groundbreaking program! I’m also just really humbled to have the opportunity to work with such an iconic city. 

2. How did you hear about the competition, and why did you decide to apply?

Well, there’s a bit of a back story here. After things fell through trying to get a digital nomad visa to relocate to Portugal (in part because of Covid, in part because of bureaucratic indifference), I ended up stuck in the US with no way to get back to Europe. Having spent most of the last 5 years in Europe, I was pretty desperate to get back. I stumbled upon Total Croatia News and the travel Viber group back in July explaining how Americans could get back into Europe through Croatia. After two weeks in Zadar, I moved on to Budapest where I basically got a digital nomad residency and ended up meeting my girlfriend who will be joining me on this adventure. So, cheers to you, TCN. 

While checking out TCN one day, I read about Jan de Jong’s letter to the government and I’ve been following him on LinkedIn ever since. So, that’s how I found out about the program. Apart from the fairly drab Budapest winter, made more dull by persistent lock-down conditions, I was motivated to apply for a few reasons. 

1. I have been routinely frustrated by antiquated bureaucracy that makes life hard for digital nomads for no reason. I actually have a Master’s degree from Greece, but there’s no practical way for me to stay there and contribute to the economy as a digital nomad. Nonsense. So basically, I’m on board with anything that helps illustrate the value of digital nomads.
2. Having travelled extensively, and usually slowly (for weeks or months in one place at a time) I find the whole notion of short-duration, shallow tourism to be pretty silly. And as a marine ecologist, I understand the myriad environmental problems that stem from this kind of mass tourism. It seems the pandemic has given cities like Dubrovnik and Venice a chance to stop, take a breath, and realize that embracing the future of work could be a better path forward for both locals and travelers. I’m also eager to research and write about how rethinking tourism is frankly essential for meeting key sustainability goals like the EU Blue Growth Strategy.
3. Plus, who could resist a month stay in the city where Game of Thrones was filmed??

3. Which particular skills and ideas will you be bringing to the party?

I’ve been fortunate enough to live, work and study in 10 countries, so I bring a wealth of multi-cultural experience and international perspective. Having dedicated my life to understanding and improving how humans interact with our marine environments, I’m also excited to contribute the sustainability/ecology angle to our co-creation with the city.

4. What are you must looking forward to about DNIR?

I’m most looking forward to exploring this unique model with a really eclectic group of people. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to experience what Croatia has to offer as my new office and sharing that with the world. I hope at the end of this first iteration, that Dubrovnik and other cities around the world will embrace the potential of hosting Digital Nomads-in-Residence and leveraging the highly diverse skillset they often bring.

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that I can’t wait to be exploring the many sights southern Croatia has to offer! Oh, and as I discovered during my first visit to Croatia, the wine there is phenomenal and I’m already anticipating my first glass by the sea.

5. Let's get you involved in the Dubrovnik community. Who or what would you like to connect with?

I’d love to connect with anyone engaged in Croatia's blue economy. That includes those in marine conservation, research, the aquaculture industry, fishing, etc. I also have an interest in innovation and youth engagement in sustainability, so meeting anyone working along those lines would be fantastic!

Here is Ron's application video:

You can learn more about the programme here. 

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Programme

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

For the latest digital nomad news from Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.

The winner announcement video:

April 10, 2021 - The Trokut Center for New Technologies and Entrepreneurship in Šibenik has become a place that brings together young entrepreneurs from Croatia the world. 

Šibenski Portal reports that there are currently six digital nomads there, while there are 33 tenants in the coworking space. A total of 18 companies uses the premises. Trokut is worth 28 million kunas and was built and equipped with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund. The City of Šibenik received 20 million kunas in grants.

The Trokut Center was recently nominated for the Association of Croatian Architects award, Viktor Kovacic, for the most achievement in all architectural creativity areas in 2020.

"The center currently employs three people, as our goal is to encourage students to get involved in the Trokut Center itself. Last week we released a call to students who have free time to help us with our daily work in the center", says Diana Mudrinic, Director of the incubator for new technologies, the Trokut Center. 

Currently, the Trokut Center's capacity is complete, and the free space around 90%. The company is striving to expand the reach currently built on two floors with a total area of ​​more than 2,000 square meters. The center has 28 flexible spaces of workshops, offices, and cabins.

"For now, our customers are mainly in the IT industry. We can offer them a comfortable environment, workplace, desk, and colleagues to help them develop their businesses. I would especially like to point out our entrepreneurial incubator. We released a public call where the goal is for two months, for enterprising beginners to learn absolutely everything they need for business and their products. In the end, judges will choose to award the top 3 ideas, where the first place gets 50, the second 30, and the third 20 thousand kunas", says Mudrinic. 

The Trokut Project, worth almost 28 million kunas, the city of Šibenik received 20 million kunas from the European regional development fund. European investment in Šibenik should also attract users from all over the world and be financially sustainable.

"Digital nomads are one direction in which the Trokut Center is heading towards, and we already have them now. Some of our guests are from Latvia, India, and the Netherlands. The Digital Nomad trend is slowly but surely moving, and our goal is to become one central place for digital nomads where we can help them apply for digital nomad visas. The goal is to be self-sustainable in 3 years, according to the project rule." 

The purpose of the project is to develop innovative entrepreneurial and business infrastructure for the provision of new and better services. The aim is to encourage the growth and development of small and medium enterprises and create new jobs in Šibenik-Knin County.

Ivana Juran Magdic, from the project office in shipbuilding Levant, has her workspace in Murter but still decided to use The Trokut Center's space. "It’s very comfortable. It’s close to everything, and everyone is thrilled, from business partners, clients, and so on. I was afraid of what a coworking area will look like as I've never done that, I've been alone in the office for 12 years, so this is a new experience. It encouraged me to keep the business going", said Magdic. 

Franka Bujas, the F5 graphic design services business owner, found The Trokut Center to be a comfortable place to work in. "At first, I was working from home, looking and thinking of a space like this. However, when the Trokut Center was made, I was unsure, but the decision was made when I came here and saw what everything looks like and what it has to offer. I was thrilled, so I decided to come here. It is fully equipped for all my needs, the meeting room that is important to me looks professional. I think this is ideal for all beginners and, more specifically, larger companies." 

Franka Bujas founder of F5 via Trokut Šibenik - Inkubator za nove tehnologije Facebook

Franka found friends in the Trokut Center who are an additional plus to that space in the space itself and the working conditions. "The working atmosphere is great, and people are young, the atmosphere is motivating. The staff is great, and they are always available for whatever is needed." 

At the opening ceremony, Diana Mudrinic, Director of the incubator for new technologies, the Trokut Center, stated the Trokut Center is the home of new generation entrepreneurs and expressed hope that Šibenik would soon become the central place of the IT community in Croatia.

For more about made in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 10, 2021- The Documenta Centre for Dealing with the Past on Saturday organized a tour of Zagreb locations linked to suffering in WWII, starting outside the building of the USKOK anti-fraud office to prompt USKOK to put up an information plaque on the building from which, it said, "the Holocaust and the NDH started."

On 10 April 1941, Slavko Kvaternik proclaimed the NDH (Independent State of Croatia) in that building which then housed Radio Zagreb.

"The NDH was responsible for the Holocaust against Jews, the genocide against Serbs and Roma. We think it's essential that new generations in particular, as well as all those passing this building, know what happened inside," Documenta head Vesna Teršelič said before this, the second memorial walk.

Documenta expects USKOK to put up the plaque and the City of Zagreb to mark the locations of suffering and resistance so that new generations can learn what a criminal regime the NDH was, that the Nazis and fascists appointed its head Ante Pavelić and that it was a regime of terror, Teršelič said.

"That was a regime of which we are ashamed today, and this shame should be an important part of our identity because the condemnation of those crimes should be the starting point of our thinking and discussions," she said.

It is very important that all generations resolutely condemn the Ustasha crimes and the criminal NDH, which includes banning the "For the homeland ready" salute and Ustasha insignia, she added.

Teršelič said the ruling majority's will was necessary to ban the salute and that the ruling majority should do so this year.

Puhovski: Who is ashamed of our history is a moral idiot

Žarko Puhovski, a political analyst, said Pavelić was one of the most significant Croats in history and that "who doesn't understand that doesn't understand Croatian history, and who isn't ashamed of that is a moral idiot."

Puhovski, whose initiative for USKOK to put up the plaque on its building, said there were still many people who were not ashamed, adding that one could not take from history only what one liked.

He said Croatia's present-day stand on the NDH "is neutral as much as possible and negative when it must be."

A legal ban of the Ustasha salute is pointless as long as "we have the Ustasha kuna," he said, referring to the name of the national currency, the kuna.

The building housing USKOK is linked to another historic day, 8 May 1945, when the Partisan army entered Zagreb and sent its forces to Radio Zagreb to announce that "the glorious units of the Yugoslav army" had entered the capital, Documenta said, adding that the third memorial walk would be held on 8 May.

For more news about Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

April 10, 2021 - The Ministry of Tourism's campaign to promote safe tourism in Croatia is off to a good start with the announcement of more than 350 Zagreb establishments in the tourism sector with the ''Safe stay in Croatia'' label.

As turistickeprice.hr reports, the prominent ''Safe stay in Croatia'' label, which proves the growing number of Zagreb tourist facilities every day, is a guarantee that they are organized and operate according to the current recommendations of the World Travel and Tourism Council and the Croatian Institute of Public Health. It also confirms that tourism workers have put the safety and health of guests first, thus enabling them to enjoy the tourist offer in a safe way.

The campaign was officially announced last February and included a promotional video showing the concept of safe travel to Croatia in times of health crisis. The idea behind the project is to get establishments dedicated to tourism, such as restaurants, accommodation, museums, agencies, transportation, marinas, attractions, and many more, to join the initiative.

Credit: Zagreb Tourist Board

One of the main revolutions that will take place in the sector is the idea that this season tourists will seek accommodation and other places that comply with international epidemiological protocols and standards to fight the pandemic. That is why the Ministry of Tourism launched the project and now seeks to generate greater interest among tourist establishments and catering facilities. So far, the general reception has met the expectations, and the goal is to increase the number of affiliated locations in the coming months and not only in Zagreb but throughout the country.

After the request for the Safe stay in Croatia label has been approved, tourist and other facilities in Zagreb can pick up the label in a physical form at the Visitor Center at Trg bana Josipa Jelačića 11 or at the Tourist Office of the Zagreb Tourist Board and use it for promotional purposes.

Credit: Zagreb Tourist Board

The promotional campaign is the responsibility of the Croatian Tourist Board, which aims to act informatively and educationally around the concept of safe tourism, introducing guests to protocol and epidemiological measures that require the responsibility of tourism workers, and also, of course, imply individual responsibility.

The only condition for obtaining the free ''Safe stay in Croatia'' label is adherence to the prescribed health protocols. Their compliance is monitored and constantly adjusted through the system of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, professional associations in tourism, and from users who can leave their comments and observations via the website.

The list of facilities that acquire the ''Safe Stay in Croatia'' label will be available and constantly updated on the official website. There is also a range of other current information and advice in the same place, and it gives guests the opportunity to share their impressions, which directly helps everyone in the chain to continuously enrich and improve their service in accordance with current international health and tourism protocols.

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 10, 2021 - A wreath-laying ceremony was held in Split on Saturday to commemorate 30 years since the formation of the 9th Croatian Defence Force (HOS) Battalion, with participants using the Ustaša salute "For the Homeland Ready".

The unit's wartime commander, Colonel Marko Skejo, defended the salute in his speech saying that with this rallying cry HOS had fought for the freedom of the Croatian state.

"The antifascist hysteria of red fascists will not and cannot change the fact that in 1991, with the rallying cry 'For the Homeland Ready', HOS fought for the freedom of the Croatian state. That state was destroyed by Tito's Yugoslav People's Army under the criminal red star which is so dear to them," Skejo said.

"To antifascists, the Croatian coat of arms is a fascist symbol, patriotism is fascism, and the criminal Tito is a model to them," he added. He concluded his speech with the salute "God and the Croats!"

Members of the association of the 9th HOS Battalion were wearing patches with "For the Homeland Ready" written on them.

Speaking to the press after his speech, Skejo said that the 9th HOS Battalion was a victorious unit like all other units of the Croatian Army.

Asked to comment on today's statement by the Social Democratic Party's candidate for Mayor of Split, Ante Franić, that the Ustasha salute "For the Homeland Ready" should be banned, Skejo said that this was "a sacred Croatian salute".

"'For the Homeland Ready' is to the Croatian people what 'Praised be Jesus and Mary' is to the Church," he said.

For more news about Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

April 10, 2021 – After a long and, as they consider, unnecessary lawsuit, a lesbian couple in Croatia has finally received an excerpt from the life partnership register.

As Večernji list reports, after a wedding in another European country, two wives originally from Croatia decided to have 'proper papers' in Croatia, too. However, after they were denied an excerpt from the life partnership register, they initiated administrative proceedings to obtain an excerpt they thought they were entitled to. They did this through the permanent legal service of Zagreb Pride and their partner lawyer office, Bandalo & Labavić.

Croatia's High Administrative Court's judgment legally confirmed that they were discriminated against in Croatia because the Zagreb registry office did not want to issue them an excerpt from a life partnership but only registered this fact in the form of a birth certificate.

They state that the Life Partnership Act of 2014 clearly stipulates that life partners "have the same procedural rights and status in all judicial and administrative proceedings as spouses "(Article 37, paragraph 4).

"They asked for a document that would have been automatically issued to them if they had entered into a heterosexual marriage, an ordinary wedding certificate. The path to this 'paper' went through the administrative court, which gave them the right in the first instance and added that the registry office, by refusing to issue them an excerpt, violated many regulations. Those regulations include the Anti-Discrimination Act, the Constitution of Croatia, the European Convention on Human Rights, the Maastricht Treaty, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. But in the first place, the Life Partnership Law is not respected, which incorporates the principle of 'guaranteeing the prohibition of unfavorable treatment' of life partners in relation to spouses.

The court made it clear that same-sex marriage entered abroad is equated in Croatia with a life partnership. Therefore, there is no reason why they should not be entered in the Life Partnership Register, as a foreign heterosexual marriage would be registered in the marriage register and not as a birth certificate. However, the Ministry of Administration appealed against this decision, rejecting their request for entry in the Life Partnership Register, formally referring to the Instruction on keeping that register, i.e., the lowest level regulation, ignoring the Life Partnership Act, the Anti-Discrimination Act, and the Constitution of Croatia.

The High Administrative Court did not accept this appeal either, stating that 'the rejection of the request for registration same-sex marriage entered abroad in the life partnership register in Croatia resulted in discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation'. The court pointed out that a heterosexual marriage would be immediately registered in the Croatian Registry of marriages, and that, therefore, as an equivalent, same-sex marriage should be entered in the Life Partnership Register," the Zagreb Pride said in a statement.

They are happy to "finally prove that they were right from day one and that their same-sex marriage in another country entered in the Croatian Life Partnership Register."

"This case, as well as last year's decision of the Constitutional Court which enabled same-sex families to adopt children, clearly shows how outdated and meaningless the constitutional restriction from 2013 is. Until the Constitution's change, which will equalize all families in all rights and obligations, we will be unnecessarily exhausted in offices and courts. In the end, we would always show that the constitutional provision on the prohibition of same-sex marriage is simply unnatural.

For now, we expect the Ministry of Justice and Administration to urgently amend the disputed part of the Instruction on keeping the life partnership register, in the part that was declared discriminatory in the High Administrative Court," the statement reads.

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

April 10, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 2,535 new coronavirus cases and 34 COVID-19-related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 response team said on Saturday. 

The number of active cases currently stands at 13,666, an increase of 466 from Friday. Among them are 1,796 people who are receiving hospital treatment, including 180 who are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 290,899 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 6,269 have died and 270,964 have recovered, including 2,035 in the last 24 hours. Currently, 29,718 people are in self-isolation.

A total of 1,629,803 people have been tested to date, including 10.140 in the last 24 hours. So far 565,785 vaccine doses have been used and 458,762 people have been vaccinated, of whom 350,053 have received one dose and 107,023 both doses. For 1,868 persons there is no data on how many doses they have received.

For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.