Buying and Refunding Jadrolinija Tickets Online: Should You Do It?
August 1, 2020 - In a year full of news, breaking news, twists, and turns, one thing has gone almost unnoticed in Croatia: it seems that we can finally purchase Jadrolinija tickets through a mobile application!
It's been a while since Jadrolinija has had their mobile application, which was supposed to make it possible to purchase the tickets online and use them on your phone, without printing or waiting in lines. I say it was supposed to, because if you'd ever tried using it, you probably left it frustrated, angry, and still walking to their booth in the hope you'd still be able to purchase the Jadrolinija tickets in person. Ever since it was introduced, it was unpredictable (at best) or completely unusable (at its worst). I have downloaded it two years ago, tried using it, failed miserably, and just gave up on it, just like many other potential users. I've heard other first-hand experiences of people trying to purchase tickets over the app as late as June 15 this year and not succeeding - this is the story the famed Croatian photographer Jadran Lazić told me!
So, when I read in mid-July that they've issued a new version of the application, with numerous improvements, AND I needed to travel to an island and buy two ferry tickets for my trip, I decided to give it a try. I figured: it's not really much of a tourist season, I was going to travel on a "light" day, what was the worst thing that could happen? I could end up spending days arguing with them to get a refund, but nothing worse than that. I installed it, and while I don't remember what the old one looked like, this new one is (this is a personal opinion of a very demanding user who is not really interested in the appearance, but usability) - good. It's clean. It's easy to understand. The process is straightforward.
One of the things I appreciate is that it's really easy to get an invoice for your company direct from the application (although I didn't need it this time, I hate it when they make it complicated, and Jadrolinija has made it as simple as possible). You get transferred to the paywall, one of the most frequently-used ones in Croatia, enter your credit card details (if I really wanted to nit-pick, I could say that they might allow payment through PayPal as well, but let's not go there) and voilà, you get your tickets in minutes. You receive a .pdf file in your e-mail inbox, and you can access your purchased tickets through the app itself. Perfect.
However, since this is 2020 and nothing goes as planned, even if you've purchased the tickets for tomorrow's trip, I had to cancel. I couldn't go, and I didn't want my Jadrolinija tickets to go to waste. After some time spent with my best friend, Google, I had all the answers: to get refunded for the tickets you purchased but won't be able to use, you need to contact the company at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., at least 6 hours before the scheduled time on the ticket, and you will be given a refund. Not a full refund, mind you, they keep 10% of the price of your ticket, but you still get 90% back.
And that's what I did, I sent the .pdfs for my tickets to the e-mail address, received the reply from Jadrolinija office within hours that the funds will be refunded to the credit card I used for the purchase. And refunded they were, although it took them a few days to do that. It should be a big deal, waiting for a couple of days, if you know everything will be OK in the end.
While I have not tried this myself, it should also be possible to get the refund using the same route even if you purchased the Jadrolinija tickets in person, if you do it 6 hours before the scheduled departure. If you've tried that and it has or hasn't worked, please let us know so we can update this article with additional experiences.
If you want to give the new app a go, you can download it from the AppStore or Google Play.
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Hvar's Laganini Restaurant Incorrectly Reported Closed
August 1, 2020 - Some weird news from one of Croatia's most beloved restaurants, Hvar's beloved Laganini, as some reports surfaced of it being closed down by the State Inspectorate - and then it turned out the reports weren't true.
As plavakamenica writes on the 1st of August, 2020, Dalmatinski portal announced on Thursday that the State Inspection closed down the famous and much loved Hvar restaurant Laganini, due to a violation of what has been classified as maritime domain. The state inspection claims that the owner of Laganini constructed five wooden canopies intended for the serving of food and drinks and that he concreted a part of the shore in order to enable the installation of hospitality and catering equipment, and that he did all that without a proper concession. Therefore, the Inspectorate closed and fenced off the island's beloved Laganini, while the appropriate charges were filed against the owner of the facility.
For years, Laganini has been known as the best restaurant on the beautiful island of Hvar and one of the best Croatian restaurants in general. Chef Hrvoje Zirojević from Laganini promotes modern yet very sophisticated styles of Dalmatian cuisine. The wine list is among the most competent in all of Croatia, while the service is almost as good as in that in Zagreb's stunning Esplanade Hotel.
Laganini, which is otherwise located on St. Clement, is a real money factory. Therefore, it's difficult to say whether it is wise to close it down in the middle of the worst tourist season Hvar has seen since the war. It is quite clear that the misuse of maritime domain is indeed inadmissible, and is something that should be immediately punished and prevented from occurring again.
If the owner of Laganini really committed that offense, it seems that it would be wiser to severely punish him financially and close down those five disputed canopies, removing their function, than to close the most important and most popular gastronomic attraction on the entire island of Hvar in the middle of summer, and amid the coronavirus pandemic which has already dealt an extremely heavy blow to Croatian tourism as a whole.
However, in an (not quite) unexpected twist, the restaurant itself has commented on the situation late last night/early this morning, in a Facebook post, as index.hr reports:
Translated to English, the post states that they wanted to stop the publication of incorrect articles on some websites, to confirm that they are OPEN and that everything is laganini (which is the name of the restaurant and at the same time, the apt description of a way of life on Dalmatian islands).
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Croatia Stays on UK Green List, 14-Day Cases Fall, Transit Airport Update (August 9)
For the newest information regarding the UK green list, please follow our article written on August 17, which will be updated regularly: Dubrovnik, Istria Cases Low as Croatia Passes 7-Day UK Threshold
Updated on August 9, 2020 - After much speculation, and at the peak of the season, Croatia remains on the UK green list - as it gets updated on August 7. An overview of the current travel situation to Croatia.
A round-up of the latest developments regarding travel to Croatia, as things are constantly changing (if you want to get the latest answers to your questions about the current travel situation, check out our new chatbot on the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community (you will need to download the app).
Big news for Croatian tourism, especially those destinations further south which are much more dependent on flights - Croatia has remained on the UK green list after much speculation that it would join Spain in a UK requirement to self-isolate for 14 days on return to the UK. Croatia remains on the green list on August 7, as well, as the travelers arriving to the UK from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra will have to quarantine for 14 days.
The importance of this green light to destinations such as Dubrovnik cannot be understated. Mayor Frankovic told me in a meeting last week that the city is 80% dependent on tourism, with the UK and USA their prime sources of income. Tourism traffic was just 12% of last year for the first 6 months of 2020.
According to the official Koronavirus map of active cases, above, Dubrovnik region (which is totally cut off from the rest of the country by the Neum Corridor in Bosnia and Hercegovina) has just 8 active cases at the moment. Since the first case was recorded in the city in late March, there have been a total of 184 cases and 8 deaths in Dubrovnik County.
This balance of tourism and fighting corona is an impossible balance to get right, and Mayor Frankovic explains to ABC News above the rationale and the precautions being taken.
In more good news, the 14-day number of cases per 100,000 came even further down in the last week, according to the ECDC website, and is at 18,4 on August 8th. Above you can see Croatia's position on the list of the European countries, ordered by the number of cases per 100,000 people. Tourists from Luxembourg, which continues to have around 10 times more cases per capita a day than Croatia, can currently enter Croatia without any checks or requirements other than a valid passport, while Americans can only enter with a negative PCR test no more than 48 hours old on arrival, or face 14-days self-isolation. The same is true of all EU countries, including Romania, which currently has more than four times the per capita daily cases than Croatia.
Croatia currently has eight people on ventilators. Only four countries have a higher death rate than 1 per 100,000 in the last 14 days - Romania, Luxembourg, UK and Bulgaria. Croatia's number is 0.7.
Croatia is currently welcoming all tourists from EU/EEA/UK without restriction, although four countries have placed self-isolation requirements on people returning to their country from Croatia - Slovenia, Belgium, Holland, and Lithuania.
The Croatia Covid-19 website gives a daily update on the hotspots by region. It should be noted that the majority of recent cases have occurred far away from the coast - in Zagreb and eastern Croatia, while a large number traced back to weddings and nightclubs. There have been very few cases so far of tourists bringing the infection with them, or getting infected while in Croatia.
That could all change very quickly, of course, but my general impression talking to tourists is that they are quite shocked at how lax things are here in Croatia, and how the rules are not strictly enforced on ferries for example.
The health vs. tourism debate is one which enflames passions both sides, and both sides have valid arguments. The best way to stamp out the virus would be to have a prolonged Wuhan-style lockdown. Our Western love of democracy and rights makes that a non-starter for almost all.
PCR Tests in Transit Airports
There has been a LOT of confusion about this. The current state of affairs is as follows:
International passengers not from countries on the EU Safe List CAN transit through Schengen airports (Frankfurt, Amsterdam etc), but only ONE Schengen transit is allowed per journey. You may NOT enter the terminal for a hotel, as that would be entering the Schengen area.
Currently, you can do a PCR test in transit (and get the email results in 2 hours) in Amsterdam and Istanbul. Several of our Viber community have praised Istanbul's the quick, 24-hour, and very affordable service (US$16). Read more about those, and other, international testing options in our more detailed article.
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Dubrovnik Mayor: 'Tourist Results are Catastrophic, We Need One Thing in August'
August 1, 2020 - 154 planes landed in Dubrovnik on July 31, 2019 - and on Thursday, there were only 55, said the Dubrovnik mayor of the catastrophic tourist results in the Adriatic pearl.
With the heat, Croatia and Europe are preparing for another summer weekend and a new shift of tourists. They come and go, but not to southern Croatia, reports Jutarnji List.
Mato Frankovic, the mayor of Dubrovnik, the city most affected by the corona crisis, told Dnevnik Nova TV on Friday evening that 8,800 guests were in the city at the end of July.
"That is 32 percent compared to last year. In order to show the drama of the situation - 154 planes landed in Dubrovnik last year, and today, only 55. Last year, 16,500 guests came on this day, and this year, only 2,400. Dubrovnik is recording catastrophic tourist results," Frankovic revealed.
When asked what it would mean if August is as bad as July, the mayor said that August could be good.
"We need airlines to stay and if it stays that way, if we are not introduced into the quarantine system by our priority markets, Dubrovnik will survive this year," he said.
He added that the Adriatic pearl is preparing for the worst-case scenario.
"We are in the process of obtaining a loan in the amount of 100 million kuna to help all those who are greatly suffering, and that is the Dubrovnik economy," he told Dnevnik Nova TV.
Frankovic concluded that Dubrovnik "must never again be a monocultural city that depends exclusively on tourism".
Recall, after British media announced that a two-week quarantine could be introduced for tourists returning from Croatia, Frankovic wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking him to look at Croatia by region, and not as a whole, when making a decision.
"I know that you are well acquainted with this part of Croatia, and that is one of the reasons why I am addressing you personally.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases from the area of the city of Dubrovnik is three, and currently, over eight thousand tourists are in our city.
We are making every effort at all levels to maintain a favorable epidemiological picture and provide all our guests with a pleasant and safe stay," reads Frankovic's letter to Johnson.
Frankovic pointed out that Dubrovnik is one of the safest European destinations for travel with detailed protocols in all situations, including procedures if the number of infected people starts to grow.
"Taking all the above into account and respecting the fact that Dubrovnik tourism depends on the United Kingdom market, I ask you to look at Croatia and its regions when making decisions, and not just as a whole," concluded Frankovic.
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305th Sinjska Alka to Allow Maximum 1,000 Spectators
August 1, 2020 - This year's 305th Sinjska Alka, which will take place on August 9, will be limited to a maximum of 1,000 spectators, and tickets will not be on sale, says the Alka Knights Society.
Slobodna Dalmacija reports that this news was decided by the Board of Directors of the Alka Knights Society. The Alka administration concluded that, due to prescribed and recommended epidemiological measures caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, it will organize this year's Alka much different than before, which includes a significant reduction in the number of seats in the stands.
The number of spectators will be limited to all three final performances, the Bara, Coja and Alka itself. How the tickets will be distributed and for how many spectators, the Alka administration will decide later, all in agreement with epidemiologists.
Representatives of the Alka Knights and the Civil Protection Headquarters of Sinj spoke about the organization of this year's Alka with the leadership of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, i.e., with the Director of the Headquarters and Deputy Prime Minister Davor Bozinovic and his associates.
Due to the escalation of new coronavirus cases in the Sinj area, epidemiologists believed that this year's Alka should be held without an audience.
In the Alka ranks, it was estimated that at best, every second or third seat could be used in the stands. Epidemiologists are by no means inclined to do so, so they accepted that there should be a maximum of a thousand spectators in the Alka stands, properly distributed.
Keeping the distance will also be reflected in the composition of the ceremonial Alka Lodge. There will certainly be places for the main guests: President Zoran Milanovic, who is also the patron of the 305th Alka, President of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandrokovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and the most prominent representative of the military and church authorities, as well as hosts Stipe Jukic, President of Alkar Knights Society, and Kristina Krizanac, Mayor of Sinj.
These seven persons, who should have a place in the first row, will occupy only a small part of the spacious ceremonial lodge, as there will certainly be other dignitaries, but in much smaller numbers than in previous years.
The Board of Directors of the Alka Knights Society calls on the citizens of Sinj and the Alka region, as well as the arriving guests, to implement the recommended epidemiological measures with full responsibility so that the 305th Alka festivities are held in a festive, albeit specific atmosphere, and so that due to the irresponsible behavior of individuals, they would not become the focus of the spread of the virus.
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Valamar Hotels and Camps Currently Accommodating More Than 30,000 Guests
August 1, 2020 - During June and July, Valamar gradually opened 21 hotels and resorts and all 15 campsites in eight Adriatic destinations, which currently house more than 30,000 guests.
HRTurizam reports that in the first six months of this year, Valamar generated total revenues of HRK 134 million, or 81% less than in the same period last year, as a result of the closure of tourist facilities from March to the end of May and significant disruptions to tourist flows caused by the global pandemic that continued to negatively affect business volumes in June as well.
However, in the first half of this year, Valamar actively managed the crisis and launched action plans to stabilize the business in time, Valamar Riviera points out, adding that the business was successfully "paused" on March 15, all jobs were preserved, and they were ready to welcome the season-opening in June.
"The necessary liquidity is provided until 2021 through plans for operational savings, investment savings, deferred payments and agreements with investors. Operating costs were reduced by 61% compared to the same period last year, and the measures of the Government of the Republic of Croatia helped to preserve all jobs during the closure of facilities. Despite the crisis, Valamar Riviera confirmed the status of the best employer in tourism this year as well and took a high 6th place on the list of the best employers in Croatia," the company emphasized.
As of April 1, with the support of the social partners, they implemented the Pause, Restart program, under which all employees who do not work are provided with a salary compensation for waiting for a job in the amount of at least 60% of their regular salary, but not less than HRK 4,250 net.
From March to June, over 90% of Valamar's employees were on Pause, for which the costs were jointly borne by the shareholders and the state, which subsidizes the compensation for waiting for a job. After the successful opening of most facilities and the start of the season, today, Valamar has more than 4,000 employees, while 1% of employees are still on Pause. They will continue the Pause, Restart program during the autumn and winter in order to preserve jobs until the spring of 2021 when business normalization is expected.
In addition to preserving jobs, the company's priority was to ensure sufficient liquidity to amortize the crisis and continue development in 2021. "In March, the decision on the payment of dividends for 2019 was revoked, the members of the Supervisory Board waived their fees, and the management's salary was reduced by up to 30%. Also, policies and mechanisms of agreed payment deferral for 6 to 12 months to other stakeholders, including sales partners, suppliers, contractors, banks and others, have been introduced, with the aim of a balanced approach to crisis management and achieving business sustainability in times of crisis. In agreement with the banks, Valamar has postponed the repayment of loans in 2020, and the finalization of a new medium-term liquidity plan is expected these days. Achieved financial stability and ownership-operational management model will enable full business start-up and continued development in 2021."
The initially planned investment cycle for 2020 amounted to over HRK 800 million, but was reduced by HRK 125 million by the end of June.
Valamar also temporarily slowed down the construction of the Pinea Collection Resort in Porec, the largest single investment in Croatian tourism worth a total of HRK 790 million, and postponed the completion of this investment. "The investment in raising the quality and capacity of the Valamar Parentino Hotel in Porec has been successfully realized, and the new family hotel received its first guests in the second half of July. The Supervisory Board of Imperial Riviera has given its prior consent for the continuation of investments in 2021 in the amount of HRK 36 million, which will complete the previous investments in Valamar Meteor hotels in Makarska and Valamar Parentino hotel in Porec in the fall," they added.
During June and July, Valamar gradually opened 21 hotels and resorts and all 15 campsites in eight Adriatic destinations, which currently house more than 30,000 guests.
"Croatia has a unique opportunity, given the high level of security, geographical and political position in Europe, to impose itself as the most desirable destination in the Mediterranean and achieve strong growth already in 2021. It is, therefore, necessary to preserve jobs in tourism and support business systems that have the ability and responsibility to start a business quickly. With the support of all stakeholders, Valamar actively managed the crisis, launched the 2020 tourist season, and ensured a quality position for a successful return to the development phase of business during 2021," concludes Valamar.
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ACI Ensures Stability, Generates Revenue in Excess of 70 Million Kuna
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 31st of July, 2020, in addition to preserving jobs and employee health, the main goals for the second part of 2020 are to maintain a stable financial position of ACI and adjust operations to new market conditions, according to Kristijan Pavic, President of the Management Board of ACI d.d.
According to unaudited business results, Adriatic Croatia International Club for marinas d.d. (ACI) generated an impressive 72.9 million kuna in revenue in the first six months of 2020, while the EBITDA for the same period amounted to 21.4 million kuna. The published data shows that the operation of the largest marina system in the entire Mediterranean, in spite of the global COVID-19 pandemic that affected the economy and the entire nautical and tourist season, has remained remarkably financially stable. The fact that the past period was relatively successful for ACI is evidenced by the data on investments following investments that were previously committed to, in the total amount of 28.5 million kuna.
The first half of business during a tumultuous 2020 was marked by business being done in adapted conditions due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The operation of ACI's marinas continues to be carried out under a special regime, in compliance with all of the recommendations and measures at both the local and national level. In line with operating in these new, changed conditions, ACI provided more favourable conditions for boaters in all 22 marinas across the Adriatic during the month of June.
This resulted in revenues of 51.8 million kuna for annual berth services, which is almost at the level of revenue generated in the period from January to June 2019, which amounted to 51.9 million kuna. Also aware of the fact that nautical tourism is much more than just boats and berths in marinas, ACI has directly helped its business partners in the past through the abolition of charter fees, the abolition of the need to pay rent during the ban on most services, as well as the possibility of using free daily berths during the month of June, thus ensuring long-term business continuity and maintaining a high quality of service across all ACI marinas.
"Taking into account all the objective circumstances in which ACI's business took place, aware of the significant impact of events in business 2020 on the economy and tourism industry, we can say that we're satisfied with the results achieved in the first half of 2020, according to which we've recorded revenue of over 70 million kuna. In addition to preserving jobs and employee health, the main goals for the second part of 2020 are to maintain the stable financial position of the company and to adjust operations to new market conditions,'' said Kristijan Pavic of ACI.
As a leading nautical company, ACI d.d. is responsible for the development of nautical tourism across Croatia. ACI operates 22 marinas with over 5,800 berths.
The operation of ACI marinas is significantly affected by concession agreements, which (in most marinas) last until 2030 because the extension of the concession period is a prerequisite for the further realisation of long-term investments of the company, but also for expanding the range of services offered, raising their quality and achieving significantly better business results.
"Bearing in mind the importance of the nautical segment for Croatian tourism, ACI and its partners insist on a high quality and meaningful nautical offer and the further development and adaptation of services for all domestic and foreign sailors who choose the Croatian coast for their vacation," concluded Pavic.
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Croatian Tourism: Croatia Has Chance to Brand Itself as Health Destination
As Novac writes on the 31st of July, 2020, according to all strategies for the development of Croatian tourism's offer, health tourism has a priority role, but this segment has also suffered a heavy blow due to the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, The appearance of the new coronavirus has forced us to become much more aware of the importance of health on a global scale, which could be a great advantage in the development of Croatia as a leading destination for health tourism in the future.
Marcel Medak, president of the Health Tourism Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and director of Sunčane toplice, agrees. He believes that in the future, the demand of patients for certain services, such as for the rehabilitation of chronic diseases, will fall, but he also sees this as a great chance for institutions that are ready to turn more strongly towards the health tourism market.
"I'd especially like to emphasise thallasotherapy, it uses marine natural healing factors that have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system, which is especially important in these pandemic times. This is an opportunity to use all our of potential and put a lot of hotels along the coast into the function of health tourism, which would significantly extend the existing tourist season. However, one of the key preconditions for that is the privatisation of special hospitals and health resorts, which is stated in the Action Plan for the Development of Health Tourism in the Republic of Croatia prepared by the Institute for Tourism,'' Medak points out, adding that it is crucial to connect all stakeholders, and that the HGK's Health Tourism Community should play a key role.
Terme Tuhelj Management Board Advisor Ivana Kolar believes that the Law which enables the registration of economic activity in health tourism brings great benefits with it, primarily for special hospitals and health centres that have not operated as companies and were as such not in the VAT system.
"Private entities operating on the open market and financing their business exclusively from sales activities depend on the quality of their services, communication with the market and their innovation, which motivates them to go forward with vcontinuous development and is the only long-term sustainable business model. It's necessary to soften the borders between special hospitals, rehabilitation and wellness centres in order to get closer to European standards of health tourism and provide guests with a richer service,'' said Kolar, and Medak agrees that such regulations bring about much more transparent business, simpler tax policies and a simpler employee recruitment procedure.
Krešimir Škof, deputy director of the Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation Stubičke Toplice, which is also registered for health tourism, emphasises that the new legislative framework is good because there is no need to establish a subsidiary, but everything is done "under the same hat". However, he says that the registration of the activity itself means nothing if it isn't accompanied by an adequate offer.
"If the facilities are old and of poor quality, if the service doesn't meet the criteria of a demanding market and if there's no evidence of quality, then there can be no progress in the market. We've invested in our workers, services and facilities for years - over 80 million kuna has been invested in the last ten years,'' said Škof.
Another great strength of health tourism for Croatian tourism is that most of the facilities are located in the interior of Croatia and provide great potential for the development of continental tourism, and good examples of such development can be seen in Croatia's neighbouring countries. Strengthening continental tourism capacities would bring about more balanced economic development and reduce seasonality, but the precondition for all this is a quality and well-educated workforce. All our interlocutors agree with this, so they're paying special attention to their employees and their education.
In addition to the existing educational institutions, the Regional Centre of Competence in Tourism and Hospitality in Zabok will soon be established. The centre should contribute to the education of future staff needed in this sector, adult education and the monitoring of new technologies and trends across the rest of Europe and the world, and this is especially welcomed in the already popular Terme Tuhelj.
"Terme Tuhelj has always actively cooperated with the hospitality school in Zabok, which is the foundation of the development of the competence centre, and we'll be very happy to involve all those who actively participate in the development of tourism in its work and activities. It's difficult when it comes to staff working in tourism in the whole of Croatia, and Zagorje is no exception, so Terme has developed internal protocols for training, education and the further development of its employees, from the point of their employment to their entire career. There have been cases of hiring foreign staff, but in small numbers, so for now the team is managing to fill up with staff from Croatia, mostly from Zagorje and the surrounding areas,'' said Horvat, and Medak thinks similarly, pointing out that in Sunčane toplice they had no problems finding workers, as well as other employers in health tourism.
"The biggest staffing problem is the chronic shortage of specialist doctors that we had in Sunčane toplice, so we imported two doctors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia," explaind Medak, concluding that currently, the biggest challenge is the promotion of health tourism, especially through the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), for which it is necessary to significantly increase funds.
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Food, Hygiene Supply Prices No Longer Under Croatian Government Magnifying Glass
The coronavirus pandemic saw the Croatian Government place strict controls on the prices of certain items, and while some remain in place, others have now been lifted...
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 30th of July, 2020, about fifteen basic food products and hygienic and cosmetic products intended for everyday use (such as detergents, soap, baby diapers) are no longer under the measures of intensified control ordered by the Croatian Government, but control will continue to be in place for medicines, disinfectants and protective masks and equipment.
As stated, when the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic in Croatia began, the Croatian Government, among other things, passed a decision in March on exceptional price control measures for certain products. After supplementing that same decision with the then established list of 28 products back in April, which involved limiting the prices of face masks, at today's session, a number of products were removed from the list of products whose prices are under the government's radar.
Namely, about fifteen basic food products and hygienic and cosmetic products which are generally considered under the ''everyday use'' label (detergents, soap, baby diapers) are no longer under the measures of intensified control.
In the explanation of the change of the decision from the Croatian Government, they point out that today, the supplies of the population through retail chains is regular and there are no shortages of such products on the market anymore. They also noted that the purpose of the decision from March (as well as the subsequent April amendment) was to protect consumers and "prevent the negative effects of changes in certain product prices, and thus the possibility of the monopolistic pricing of products in the circumstances caused by the coronavirus epidemic."
The loosening of the Croatian Government's decision and the return to the normal and full functioning of the market were also demanded by numerous economic associations, primarily those working closely with and in the trade and food industry associations.
As the threat did not cease, it was justified to conclude that the decision on special control measures should continue to be applied to ten product categories, from medicines, medical products and protective masks to protective clothing and equipment, as well as the much sought-after disinfectants.
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Krunoslav Capak: Croatia Will Be Among First to Receive Coronavirus Vaccine
Not everyone in the world will be able to be vaccinated at the same time, and as Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 30th of July, 2020, Krunoslav Capak commented on Wednesday night on the news that Croatia has booked a million and a half doses of the coronavirus vaccine so far.
"Croatia will definitely buy that vaccine and pay the price in the end. This is very similar to procuring a pandemic flu vaccine. In the event of a pandemic, Croatia pays a reservation. Then, when the virus is isolated and the vaccine is produced, we'll quickly get our turn because we're paying for the reservation. Those who don't pay for the reservation will come later and will not be able to vaccinate their population in time,'' explained Krunoslav Capak for Nova TV.
"The European Union is doing it, we're not doing it. We only report to the EU on the quantity we're interested in having, and they conduct a public tender, agree on the price and agree on the order,'' he said when asked which company the vaccine was reserved for.
When asked who the 1.5 million doses are intended for, he explained that these are intended for risk groups: ''These are people over the age of 50 and are people with chronic diseases. It's also important that healthcare workers get vaccinated,'' announced Krunoslav Capak.
"I think there will certainly be an interest, but it won't be mandatory," he announced, adding that the vaccine would certainly not be developed this year because a large number of people had to be tested and then registered. Only then does production follow.
"Not even six months will be long enough produce enough doses for the whole world, but it will take about a year or a year and a half. Not everyone in the world will be able to be vaccinated at the same time. But given that we have this mechanism of joint procurement with the European Union and EU countries, I think we'll be among the first,'' said Capak.
He recommended that citizens download the application for monitoring coronavirus, saying that he doesn't believe that it will be obligatory, but also that it is harmless and that it does not violate anyone's rights. He told lawmakers who refuse to wear masks that it is recommended to put them on because although it doesn't protect them at the level of 100 percent, it does reduce the risk of contracting the infection.
"Of course, it's impossible to fill the [Zagreb] Arena for 5,000 people in these conditions. I'll remind you that the last such concert was held at the beginning of the epidemic and that it was a concert held by Nina Badrić.
Under these conditions, it's simply impossible to do that and it would be very bad to do so. We gave the musicians the opportunity to organize concerts under the new normal conditions. However, there is a possibility of expanding that number. We have limited [gatherings of people] to 1000. But it's possible to submit a request to the [national civil protection] headquarters to increase the number,'' replied the head of the CNIPH to the complaints of the entertainment industry that their work was denied.
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