Sunday, 27 December 2020

Emmanuel Couder of FIS Gives Green Light to Snow Queen Trophy on Sljeme

December 27, 2020 - The famous 'Red Slope' (Crveni spust) on Sljeme officially received the green light for the Audi FIS Ski World Cup "Snow Queen Trophy" 2021.

HRT reports that this was confirmed today by Emmanuel Couder, director of the FIS World Cup for technical disciplines for men, who checked the quality of the Sljeme slalom track, mandatory for all organizers of FIS World Cup races.

Thanks to the efforts of the organizers and employees of the Sljeme ski resort in charge of preparing the track, the Red Slope this year was ready for FIS control at the beginning of December, or the earliest in the Snow Queen's history.

Emmanuel Couder's go-ahead to the races beginning on January 3, 2021, was therefore just a formality, and the control served to agree on the final details around track preparation.

"There is enough snow on the Red Slope for official confirmation of the races. For the next two days, additional amounts of snow will be worked above the start, along the track, and below the finish line to have spare amounts of snow in case of need. A decision on the final preparation of the track, as well as water injection, will be made in the next few days depending on the weather forecast," Couder said.

There are currently 50-80 centimeters of compacted snow cover on the Red Slope, which is enough to withstand the eventual south wind. Also, if the temperatures are in the minus long enough, there is a possibility that the Green Descent can serve as a warm-up track.

"The COVID-19 pandemic and strict epidemiological measures have made the organization of this season's Snow Queen races more logistically demanding than in previous years, but the weather has really served us and made the preparation of the track easier. The Red Slope is in excellent condition, and the Croatia national team is training and preparing on it again, both for the upcoming races in Semmering and for the Snow Queen. We are only sorry that this year when everything was ready at the beginning of the month, the citizens could not enjoy skiing on Sljeme due to epidemiological restrictions. We believe and hope that soon, they will also get the opportunity to ski at the local ski resort above the city," said the director of the Organizing Committee of slalom races Vedran Pavlek.

Given the current epidemiological situation, the races will be held without spectators and with the strictest protocols for protecting the health and safety of all participants.

The women's slalom is scheduled for Sunday, January 3, with the first run at 12.30 and the second at 16.00, while the men's slalom race will take place on Wednesday, January 6, with the first run at 12.15 and the second at 15.30.

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

Sunday, 27 December 2020

Rijeka and Galway to Extend European Capital of Culture Titles until end of April 2021

December 27, 2020 - Rijeka and Galway were European Capitals of Culture in 2020, but the spread of COVID-19 hampered the implementation of their planned programs.

Fortunately, the European Parliament and the Council decided to amend Decision no. 445/2014/EU on establishing a Union initiative for European Capitals of Culture from 2020 to 2033.

This Decision enables the cities of Rijeka and Galway to extend the Capital of Culture title until the end of April 2021, while the upcoming Capitals of Culture will take over their confirmed titles from 2022.

This decision is of great importance for the current and future capitals of culture because the planned events due to the pandemic had to be canceled or postponed, and the organizers could not capitalize on the preparations made. With this extension, the capitals are being offered another chance to achieve their goals in a way that will be both health-safe and culturally enriching.

HRT reports that this is the first time in history that the ECOC project lasts longer than one calendar year, and the next ECOC titleholders will have to postpone their projects for a year.

Rijeka 2020 believes that the title extension certainly has a symbolic meaning, but even before the decision was made, they warned that it brings with it problems:

"First of all, there are problems with time because the extension is proposed until the end of April next year, and we know that the most interesting season for us starts from Easter. On the other hand, of course, this extension of the title does not come with additional funding," says Irena Kregar Šegota, director of Rijeka 2020.

Before the decision, Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek believed that Rijeka would not benefit greatly from the extension:

"In these circumstances, we kept a level of funding that was possible, of course not in full because the program was radically reduced, as well as the number of employees, but I think we managed to provide the funds needed for implementation," said Minister Obuljen Koržinek.

Director Kregar Šegota announced that she would prepare the program with what they have at their disposal:

"We will finish and conclude the program directions that we have implemented this year, we are thinking about some additional programs, and we must definitely prepare a program that will conclude the year, a kind of closing program," said Kregar Šegota.

Two excellent exhibitions can still be seen in Rijeka - the Balthazargrad exhibition at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Fiume Fantastica exhibition at Export Drvo.

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

Sunday, 27 December 2020

Barilo Brewery: Croatian Beer Tells Stories of Pirates and More

December the 27th, 2020 - The coronavirus-dominated year has seen many businesses struggle, with some even completely going under. The Barilo Brewery, however, which is a small family brewery in Dugi Rat and was founded three years ago by Tomislav Raos, is doing well.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes, according to Raos, after working abroad, studying and tasting different types of beer across Europe, he decided to study the literature behind it all and brew his own beer here in Croatia. After his products were well received by both friends and acquaintances, he decided to open up his own brewery.

He procured machines for what was to become the Barilo Brewery from the Sibenik Brewery, which was then procuring new ones and expanding its own production, and with that, he waded into what are often challenging entrepreneurial waters. As he says, his goal was to create a brewery that would be truly local and for that very reason he uses local motives in building the Barilo Brewery brand.

“When we started brewing beer, we started with two types. Light beer, Mila, in the style of golden ale named after Mila Gojsalic, a mythical figure from Croatian history and a dark beer called Malduk which is done in the style of Irish red ale and is named after the most famous leader of the Omis pirates, Kacic from the thirteenth century.

A year later, we released our third Apach beer which is done in the style of American pale ale. The name Apach is an abbreviation of American Pale Ale Cetina Croatia and is a reminder of the time when the film Winnetou was shot in the Cetina canyon.

Our craft beer is produced in our own plant which has a monthly maximum capacity of 5000 litres, and the annual production last year was close to 30,000 litres. We procure our raw materials for production mostly abroad from producers who have been producing very high quality products for a long time, but we also cooperate with Croatian producers and companies,'' says Raos.

Historical characters, more precisely the heroes of the wider Cetina region, are drawn on the Barilo Brewery's beer labels, and if you ''read'' the QR code on the label with your smartphone, you will also get a complete story about Barilo, their beers and the heroes from the labels.

Since their goal from the very beginning was to build a local brand and a brewery, they sell the most there. Barilo Brewery beers can be purchased at several locations in the vicinity of Dugi Rat, smaller shops, petrol stations and in Split at several points of sale.

"On top of that, the vast majority of cafes, pubs and restaurants in our area offer our beers, and they can be purchased in specialised craft beer shops in Split, Dubrovnik and Zagreb, as well as on several Dalmatian islands. We have the greatest cooperation with restaurants and cafes in the City of Omis, which is a very popular tourist destination in the summer season,'' noted Raos.

Just like everyone else in this industry, during lockdown they felt a significant drop in sales revenue because all the catering and hospitality establishments they work with were forced to close, and they are now again, for the second time. Although sales were significantly reduced at that time and everything was reduced to home deliveries, the year was still more than successful for this craft brewery.

"This year, we've made a lot of new contacts with future customers and there are very good indications for next season. That's why we're optimistic about expanding our capacitoes. We're currently in the phase of moving to a much larger space and upgrading and our increasing production capacity, and our intention is to launch more new beers and thus increase our offer,'' revealed Raos.

In addition to success in the domestic and especially their local market, the Barilo Brewery has already had several inquiries for the export of beer from European Union (EU) countries.

"After several months of negotiations, we also agreed to export to Italy, and in November the first quantities went to the surroundings of the city of Ancona, which we're extremely pleased with and proud of. Our plans are primarily to maintain the quality of our beer, cooperate with reliable partners and hire several more workers,'' concluded Tomislav Raos.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Sunday, 27 December 2020

Ekipa: Mario Likar Returns from Australia, Starts Kombucha Business

December the 27th, 2020 - All too often we listen to stories of Croats leaving the country in search of greener grass, with some returning having realised that grass is more or less the same colour all over the world and is the healthiest where you water it. It's no lie that Croatia has some tremendous economic and political issues that it must at some point learn to face, but in many ways, life here is good. Mario Likar is just one person who returned from the other side of the world to here in Zagreb to start a business.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ivan Tominac writes, travelling around the world, seeing it in reality and then returning to Croatia is no longer that much of a new or surprising story. The grass isn't always greener elsewhere, it's just a matter of how you maintain your lawn. They say that behind every good job done there is a good team, and that is exactly what the story with Ekipa (Team) is like. Ekipa, beginning with a capital letter, is the name of a Croatian company that revives old habits, but in a different, more modern way.

The team from Poljicka 6 here in Zagreb is engaged in the production of no less than kombucha. Kombucha has long since been known in this region as mushroom tea, and Mario Likar came up with this idea upon his return from Australia.

The realisation that the first association is a mushroom isn't surprising because kombucha is otherwise a mushroom native to Asia. It is used to make the fermented drink of the same name from green and black tea, active and good bacteria, fungi and sugar.

"It wasn't clear to us what they were talking about. It turns out that kombucha has been widespread in this area as early as the time of our great-grandmothers under the name ''mushroom tea'', and it was used as a folk remedy to help deal with problems like indigestion. It has been domesticated since the 19th century, and it almost completely disappeared from use during World War II due to the lack of basic raw materials - tea and sugar,'' said Ekipa's co-founder and marketing expert, Mario Likar.

Their mission, as they say from Ekipa, is to bring this drink closer to the wider population and give it a modern twist that would bring into the current age and as such, closer to current consumer habits. Kombucha is, in short, a refreshing fermented tea, and as you can guess, the process of making this non-alcoholic drink begins with simply making tea.

''Black tea, green tea, or a mixture can be used. Sugar is then added to the tea to serve as food for the kombucha culture, which is made up of a colony of “good” bacteria and yeast. When the culture is added, a fermentation process begins that lasts from five to seven days, depending on the flavour nuance you want to achieve. The longer the fermentation lasts, the more acidic the kombucha becomes,'' Mario Likar explained.

Consumers in distant Australia love kombucha. There, it is used as a popular alternative to sweetened soft drinks and is often consumed in the same casual way drinks such as lemonade might be.

Likar thought about reviving kombucha here on the Croatian market for a long time, and the moment his friends came to Australia and were delighted with the drink, the desire to return to Croatia only grew. Today, they make up Ekipa's team members.

"We've determined that there is a gap in the market of soft drinks with low sugar produced here in Croatia. In our country, kombucha is still drunk only by people who make it in their own kitchens, and our wish is that, as is the case in the rest of the western and eastern world, it becomes available to everyone who wants to drink something healthy and tasty while hanging out with friends, walking around the city, after working out, or with a meal,'' added Likar.

Although they're currently in a state of market uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Ekipa isn't just wasting time twiddling their thumbs. Instead, they are using these moments to perfect techniques that can increase the efficiency of kombucha production itself. At the same time, they managed to move to real, commercial production.

''The second lockdown prevented us from introducing our products to cafes and restaurants. Fortunately, we were able to connect with other activities in the service sector, which are already familiar with kombucha and are ready to include it in their offer. We're especially glad that our value has been recognised by health food stores, which have become our main allies and advocates,'' said Likar.

At the moment, due to this highly specific and unprecedented situation, Ekipa are focused on retail, but they already know what their plans are when this situation begins to calm down. Their goal is to develop HoReCa channels when the situation normalises, and they also believe they'll manage to achieve sales growth and an increase in production capacity.

"We believe in our product, so we see this crisis as an opportunity, especially because people have become more willing to do more for their health. When things return to normal, hopefully soon, we're optimistic that things will get better. As newcomers to the world of entrepreneurship, who launched an unknown product during a global pandemic, that would bring us the greatest satisfaction and happiness,'' concluded Ekipa's Mario Likar.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Sunday, 27 December 2020

Podravka Makes Yet Another Donation to Koprivnica General Hospital

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has seen businesses, even those who are themselves struggling, step forward and selflessly help out those who are working tirelessly on the front lines of the battle against the spread of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Podravka, a well known and much loved Croatian company, has made a generous donation to the Koprivnica General Hospital to help them in their fight against the new pathogen.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as part of its socially responsible business and continuous support to those in need across the community, and especially due to the pressures caused by the pandemic, Podravka handed over valuable donations to the Koprivnica General Hospital, for which it set aside an impressive 635,000 kuna in total.

The last in a series is the donation of respirators and five devices for high oxygen flow therapy used to treat the most severe clinical pictures among COVID-19 patients, all of which was presented to the director of the Koprivnica General Hospital, Dr. med. Mato Devcic.

It's worth noting that recently, Podravka also donated funds to the same hospital for the purchase of incubators, examination beds and cabinets for the needs of the pediatrics department, as well as other much needed and highly appreciated equipment.

Part of the pediatrics department of the Koprivnica General Hospital is now decorated with playful wall coverings from which some favourite characters of Croatian kids smile, and the equipment is adapted to children of different ages. Additionally, the newly renovated common area of ​​the department is now equipped with various fun and educational toys, board games and picture books.

"Feeling for the needs of the community is an indispensable part of the way we do business, especially when it comes to the needs of healthcare institutions that care for the sick and which, due to the current health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, carry the greatest burden of all. In this way, we want to contribute to their daily exceptional efforts in treating those who are sick. We're especially sensitive to the needs of the youngest in our society and we're glad that in these challenging times, with our donation to the pediatrics department of the Koprivnica General Hospital, we can help to procure all of the necessary equipment and provide children with a space that encourages them to get through their difficult days in hospital,'' stated Marin Pucar, President of the Management Board of Podravka.

''The Koprivnica General Hospital is grateful to Podravka for the multiple valuable donations it has provided that will greatly help us in treating coronavirus patients, but also improve the quality of children's stay in the pediatric ward of our hospital. This is an example of how, with a good idea, the quality of the healthcare system can be influenced by the economic segment,'' said Mato Devcic, MD, the director of the Koprivnica General Hospital.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Sunday, 27 December 2020

Pfizer Vaccine Arrives in Croatia! Vaccination Beginning Today

December the 27th, 2020 - The much talked about Pfizer vaccine has arrived in the Republic of Croatia, and vaccination against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is finally set to begin today after the year from hell.

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works for absolutely everything imaginable this year. This unprecedented public health crisis, the likes of which not seen since the tragic Spanish Flu pandemic over 100 years ago, took the entire world by storm and showed us just how much we remain at the mercy of nature, regardless of our advancements and achievements as a species. Man's arrogant belief that it is above everything else has once again been embarrassingly unravelled, and by something that we can't even see. 

The Pfizer vaccine has finally found its way to Croatia, marking a much desired light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel for many. Krunoslav Capak, the director of the Croatian Institute for Public Health, who has become somewhat of a household name since the new virus penetrated Croatia's first line of defence, spoke about the Pfizer vaccine's arrival.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak said the country received the first 9,750 doses of the new coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech on Boxing Day at 06:00. The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at a temperature of -70 degrees and as of December the 27th, distribution among Croatian counties will begin.

Vaccination starts in Croatia today, and the first to be vaccinated will be those at the Tresnjevka Home for the Elderly in Zagreb. According to Krunoslav Capak, this is the most important event since the beginning of the pandemic.

"For now, this is a symbolic amount of vaccine that is being delivered to all EU member states, which marks the start of the European Vaccination Days on December the 27th, 28th and 29th, 2020. After that, new doses will arrive every week, which we expect in accordance with the vaccination plan. We'd like to invite all citizens to respond the start of vaccination in accordance with our slogan Think of others - get vaccinated,'' said the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, doc. Krunoslav Capak, and as was stated in the press release of the CNIPH.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

Finnish Embassy in Zagreb Shares Santa's Message to Croatia

December 23, 2020 - The Finnish Embassy in Zagreb has been in touch - Santa Claus sends a message to Croatia

Good news from Croatia has reached the Arctic Circle. The Ambassador of Christmas has heard that Croatia is breaking records in the # AIChallenge, a sustainable gift from Finnish friends. In just one month, over 13,000 people have signed up for a free online education www.elementsofai.com/ hr that explains the basics of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Croatian language. There is a lot of talk about AI but there is not enough knowledge about it. This course aims to change that.

In his video greeting to Croatia, Santa says the world is constantly changing and it is important to keep up with this change. Santa believes that new technology, for example, is nothing to be afraid of. “It is not our future, it is already here.” At the end of the video greeting, Santa wishes everyone a Merry Christmas from his office in Rovaniemi, Finland.

“In the age of digital transformation, we all need new skills. Together, countries like Finland and Croatia can be at the forefront of change if we continue to educate ourselves”, says Ambassador of Finland to Croatia, Risto Piipponen. A year ago, at the end of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Finnish Government gave a sustainable Christmas gift to all European citizens – the Elements of AI, a free online course in artificial intelligence designed by the University of Helsinki and Reaktor, a Finnish technology company. The aim is to encourage everyone, regardless of age or educational background, to learn the basics of AI and strengthen the digital competence of EU citizens.

The Croatian language version was launched a month ago and today, over 13,000 Croatian citizens have already signed up. ”The Embassy of Finland in Zagreb wants to thank the dynamic and future-driven partners that contributed to this project's success: CroAI, University of Zagreb, 404 agency – and Croatian public for accepting the gift with such enthusiasm, interest and joy”, said Ambassador Piipponen.

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

Bozinovic: 41,100 Applications for Passes Received, 36,000 Rejected

ZAGREB, Dec 23, 2020 - Interior Minister and head of the National Civil Protection Authority, Davor Bozinovic, said on Wednesday that nearly 97,000 applications for e-passes for travel between counties had been received by 10 a.m. and that 41,500 had been approved while slightly fewer than 36,000 had been rejected.

About 20,000 more are waiting to be processed, Bozinovic added at a government session.

Since the last government session,Civil Protection Directorate, State Inspectorate and police inspectors have conducted 19,476 inspections of businesses and public gatherings and issued 318 verbal warnings, with 210 irregularities being removed on the spot, while further action will be taken based on 61 reports concerning violations of measures, Bozinovic said.

Police established, he added, 13 such violations of measures and one criminal offence for violation of measures.

Based on reports from citizens and through regular police work, 204 violations against self-isolation measures have been established, which will result in misdemeanour warrants, and five criminal offences for spreading an infectious disease have been recorded.

Operational services continued setting up containers and tents and they issued 893,600 items of protective equipment (about 100 tonnes) to medical facilities, social welfare institutions and Red Cross Croatia societies. The equipment, Bozinovic said, is being promptly renewed, so there are 710 tonnes of protective equipment in the logistics centre and regional warehouses.

Since the last government session, the national COVID-19 crisis management team has made five decisions, three at the national and two at the county level.

Measures restricting gathering have been extended, and additional necessary measures have been introduced that will be in place until 10 January, so public gatherings are limited to 25 people, while private gatherings are limited to 10 people from two households.

It is also recommended that Masses be broadcast on radio and television, while and on 24 and 25 December they can place in accordance with special recommendations by the Croatian Public Health Institute, Bozinovic recalled.

The restriction on movement between counties will be in force until 8 January 2021.

About 800 police officers will be monitoring the implementation of the measures at about 200 checkpoints, Bozinovic said.

The national COVID-19 crisis management team has also made a decision whereby public transport service providers are required to organise transport until 10 January allowing a maximum of 40% of their capacities to be occupied, and passengers without a protective mask must not be allowed to enter any public vehicle.

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

Butkovic: Peljesac Bridge Expected to be Finished in November 2021

ZAGREB, Dec 23, 2020 - The bridge connecting the southern Peljesac peninsula to the mainland should be completed in November 2021, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure  Oleg Butkovic announced on Tuesday evening.

Despite the coronavirus outbreak, not all large infrastructure projects have been slowed down or paused. The construction of the Peljesac bridge, which includes the construction of 30 kilometres of access roads, is going very well. The bridge should be finished sometime in November 2021, Butkovic said in an interview with the HTV public television service.

Speaking of access roads, Butkovic said that a 2.5-km-long tunnel had been drilled last week, 74 days before schedule, adding that the whole project, including the access roads, should be completed before the 2022 tourist season.

Commenting on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the transport sector, Butkovic said that following the discovery of a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom, the temporary suspension of flights to that country had been prolonged until December 31.

He said that 160 Croatian citizens would be flown to Croatia by Croatia Airlines on Wednesday. They would all have to present a negative PCR test, otherwise they would have to self-isolate and get tested.

Speaking of the national carrier Croatia Airlines, Butkovic said that the pandemic had had a disastrous impact on the  aviation industry globally.

In the year to September, all Croatian airports recorded 19% of their results in 2019. Croatia Airlines reported year-on-year declines of 90% in April and May, of 80% in June and of 70% in July and August during the summer tourist season, he said.  

The minister confirmed that the national carrier wasn't doing great regardless of the pandemic and the government had launched a search for a strategic partner, which has been suspended.

"Who will buy Croatia Airlines when everything has come to a standstill?" Butkovic said, adding that with the consent of the European Commission an arrangement had been made to help Croatia Airlines back on its feet. He expressed hope that the industry would recover over the next three years and announced that the search for a strategic partner would continue.

Butkovic also announced an additional HRK 400 million in aid to the transport sector to help it weather the crisis.

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

COVID-19 Vaccinations in Croatia to Start on Sunday, December 27, Announces PM

December 23, 2020 - The Croatian Government has announced that COVID-19 vaccinations in Croatia will begin on Sunday.

As Index.hr reports, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said today at the press conference in the National and University Library that the vaccination will begin on Sunday, December 27, 2020.

"Safety is based on controlled clinical trials. Vaccinations will start on December 27, and it will take place over the next few months. We want as many of our fellow citizens to be vaccinated, and preferably everyone. That is why we have a clear debate that as many people as possible decide to get vaccinated. We aim for 70 percent of our fellow citizens to be vaccinated," Plenković said, reports Večernji list.

People in nursing homes will first get vaccinated

The vaccination will be free and voluntary. The first to be vaccinated will be those at risk because of their age or illness and their type of work.

"The priority groups are health professionals who are in contact with COVID-19 patients and users of social care homes. In the second phase, the elderly and those with chronic diseases will be vaccinated. The vaccine is coming on Saturday, it will be distributed to counties on Sunday, and mostly those in nursing homes will be vaccinated," said Krunoslav Capak, director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

Only the documentation content has changed, so now pregnant women and those who are planning to become pregnant can be vaccinated. There is no evidence that the vaccine acts on the fetus and pregnancy.

"We entered the negotiations on vaccine procurement with a timely response from the Government. We are a small market for large companies, and we often have problems with regular supply. We have secured maximum quantities of vaccines. When everyone gets the vaccine, we will get it too. That will happen on Saturday," Capak said.

Campaign 'Think of others, get vaccinated'

The Croatian Government has so far ordered 5,905,000 doses of the vaccine, of which one million from Pfizer, over two million from AstraZeneca, one million from Moderna, 900,000 from Johnson&Johnson, and 300,000 from CureVac.

Prime Minister Plenković said the vaccination plan's success depends on how many people will want to be vaccinated. He called on all media outlets to join the campaign under the slogan, "Think of others, get vaccinated."

"The Croatian Institute of Public Health has launched a campaign to promote vaccination. This is a key message. The arrival of the vaccine is an encouraging message, a message that gives hope for the normalization of life, social, and economic activities," Plenković explained. "This is an unprecedented crisis that has changed the world," he added.

Plenković said there is a loud but small group of people who oppose vaccination, but that there are many more people who want to be vaccinated than the vaccines that will come in the first tranche. Capak added that there would be enough vaccines for everyone.

"The arrival of the vaccine is a hope for the future. This is the moment when we come to the situation that by the end of March, we have about 270,000 doses of vaccine," Plenković said.

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

Search