Croatia Prepares for Mandatory Masks Indoors: How Will It Look Inside Restaurants and Cafes?
October 5, 2020 - As Croatia prepares for mandatory masks indoors, many wonder how this will work inside restaurants, bars, and cafes. A closer look.
After mandatory masks were announced in public transport, shopping malls, bakeries, and shops, masks will be introduced in all other activities that operate indoors. What people are most interested in is how this will work in restaurants and cafes.
Namely, Index.hr reports that the Croatian National Institue of Public Health director, Krunoslav Capak, announced that an indoor mandatory mask measure is being prepared.
"We are certainly preparing a measure making it mandatory to wear masks indoors. We will discuss other measures with individual sectors of the economy and adopt them in agreement with them," he said. Waiters have had to wear masks for a long time, but now so should guests.
Marin Medak, head of the National Caterers Association, told Index that they had agreed with the Civil Protection Headquarters to jointly make all decisions regarding the implementation of measures in catering facilities, and a new one should be introduced in the next month.
"In a conversation with members of the Headquarters, we were told that Croatia could expect to replicate the German model in terms of wearing masks in restaurants, including cafes and pastry shops. The guest will need to wear a mask to the table and when they get up and leave to go to the toilet or leave the restaurant. While the guest is sitting at the table, they should not wear a mask, but can normally sit and consume food and drink. We asked the Headquarters when it should be in force, and they told us that it would be introduced in the next month," Medak told Index.
He states that so far they have not mentioned any other measures that would be introduced, and adds that, in addition to Germany, this model of wearing masks in restaurants has been applied by Spain and that it is being introduced by Italy and France.
He believes that this measure should not deter guests from visiting restaurants and cafes, but it could even encourage those who are afraid of indoor spaces to feel safer in catering facilities.
"I believe it will be good because the guests will feel safer. And part of the traffic may drop, but for loyal guests, this security measure would certainly be an even bigger argument to visit the bar," Medak said.
As the rainier days began, Index asked if the traffic had dropped for caterers, given that many do not want to sit on the terrace when it is colder and rainier.
"It is difficult to do analytics until we get data from the Tax Office, and they publish a report for the previous week at the end of this week. I know some locals who said that their turnover did not drop, I know some who lost 40 percent, but only Tax data can show the real situation," Medak said.
He also said that the Headquarters mentioned another measure, but it will not be introduced for the time being.
"One of the measures is that guests would have to leave information when entering the facility, but that would complicate everything for us. We don’t have enough people to do that yet, and we can’t raise prices to offset the cost of hiring a person to run it. If it is in the state's interest and the citizens to increase the security of everyone in that way, then the state should compensate us for that. I don’t know how that would be feasible in practice, say if a person works in a cafe in a shift, she can’t serve and make coffee and keep a list. Few restaurants have a reception," Medak said.
He states that it will not be a problem for caterers to keep lists, but they must be paid by the person who would keep them.
"Whatever the state prescribes, we will do it, but on the condition that the state covers that part of the cost. The Headquarters initially copied all German and Austrian measures, so they copied the provision for reducing working hours, which proved to be a failure. We will see how things will go on," Medak said.
Veljko Ostojic, director of the Croatian Tourism Association, which brings together leading hoteliers, told Index that he would not like to comment on anything until an official decision is made.
"We were at a meeting with the Headquarters last week and nothing concrete was announced. But I think that masks in catering facilities should not be brought for everyone, but depending on the epidemiological situation in each region. We expect proposals this afternoon, and we will react," Ostojic said to Index.
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Sinkovic Brothers Will Fight for their Third Consecutive European Gold
October 5, 2020 - The Sinkovic Brothers will fight for their third consecutive European gold medal this weekend in Poznan.
HRT reports that the current world and European champions in the coxless pair, the celebrated Croatian rowers Martin and Valent Sinkovic, will try to win the third consecutive European title in this discipline this weekend in Poznan.
The day before leaving for Poznan, the Sinkovic brothers said that they expected to fight for gold, although this year they did not have any competition due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"This year there was no competition through which we check and improve our form, but it seems that we are fast and that the boat is good. Our coach followed our times, they are similar to last year before the World Cup, so we hope that the result will be good. We worked on ourselves, we will give our maximum, row the best we can and I believe we will be in the fight for gold," said Martin Sinkovic.
"I believe that the Italians will be our biggest competition. The Romanians, French, and Spaniards are always tough; you never know how they will row, but they are always close. Racing will be physically harder because you can’t be at the top of your form if you haven’t performed in any competition. But we are all in the same position and I don’t expect others to have an advantage over us. I think we have enough experience in our career," added Valent Sinkovic.
In addition to the Sinkovic brothers, Croatia will be represented in Poznan by Damir Martin in singles, Marko Ukropina, Anton and Patrik Loncaric and Ivan Piton in the coxless four, as well as Ivan and Josipa Jurkovic in the women's coxless pair.
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NAIC Part 3 (IGS): Future of AI Investments and Their Consequences?
October 5, 2020 - Part 3 of Aco Momcilovic's National AI Capital Global Survey.
Difference between where the money is invested and where it should be
The expectation is that most of the AI development will come from the Corporations, and the least from the Governments of different countries, according to the //medium.com/@acomomcilovic/naic-part-2-of-initial-global-survey-will-uneven-development-of-ai-a-cause-even-bigger-chasm-916afdfcc265">second NAIC Report. We discussed the dangers of the development of AI projects by only one stakeholder, and this report we will consider those potential consequences even deeper.
In this third part of NAIC IGS, we will answer the questions about areas of AI that are getting most of the investments currently, and about desires and estimates in which areas we should invest in the future, and to do it as fast as possible.
In general, it is clear that investments in AI are growing almost exponentially on the world level. Data is very clear in the leading countries responsible for AI development, as we can see in the example of the USA. And that exponential growth will continue in the next years.
The first question in this segment was — Where will countries invest the most of their resources, and in the shortest period of time?
We got the following answers: Top areas predicted to get investments are — Healthcare, Security, and Finance. The least invested segment is in the area of Education.
This observation was made on observed facts from experts in different countries. The list of area could be longer or structured differently, but this gets a general notion.
Many of those investments are in the Start-ups, who are also getting more and more funding. Many of them are created — based on the information about investment areas that are popular.
The second question was about where SHOULD countries invest, and in their opinion what are the strategic areas that should be taken care of.
And results are the following: Healthcare is still the first, followed by Education and Security. Marketing is in the last position.
If we consider the investments on the dimension that has Impact on Society on one side and Generation Profit on the other side, it sounds reasonable that countries should be at least a bit on the Impacting Society side. So far, it is obvious that most investments are made in the areas that could generate profit fastest. Even healthcare as an industry that is privatized in many countries could be estimated to have a central position on the mentioned axis. Finance, Business Intelligence, Customer Experience, and Marketing are all mostly profit-driven areas. Security also, depending on the country, could be a strategic area close to Impact the Society, but can be also very close to the Generation Profit side, depending on the number of private contractors.
It is interesting to compare segments of Education and Marketing. According to other researches, Education is at the moment underfunded. Is it because it needs a longer period to show results, or some other factors are influencing it, is the question. Also, the area of Marketing is considered to be the last one that countries should invest in.
It is compared in this table:
Education obviously is one very important segment of AI development, that can create an enormous amount of added value, as I wrote in my article about //medium.com/@acomomcilovic/ai-education-system-what-can-we-expect-and-hope-for-in-croatia-e8491aa6716e">AI Education Systems.
The education segment has also some other issues — like low adoption at the moment — sharing 10th place with Healthcare.
But even more important question for all working in the AI field, and those who will reap the consequences of AI development, is who will invest in the future, and based on what priorities, values, and criteria. At the moment, corporations are leading the game, and start-ups are trying to join the race. Governments and State level actors are still a bit sleeping in this extremely important area. And that could have significant long-term consequences.
A new company that has supported the NAIC Global Survey is Blackchain.
In this part, we discussed differences between where the money is invested today, and where should it be in the future. In the next part we will discuss the details of the NAIC definition and methodology.
COOPERATION: For the second phase we will enlarge the number of
academic institutions,
AI/tech associations,
companies that are willing to sponsor/participate and contribute
media who will become partners will get new data and articles first
If you are interested in collaboration, in any of those segments — contact me on
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Donations
If you want to support further this project and share your enthusiasm, be free to donate symbolic amounts of Ethereum (ETH) to this address: 0x29e574B5A65e1d7De2B177b53996A26A6729514F
To read more from Aco and the rest in this series, click here.
New SDP Leader Says Will Borrow his Predecessors' Best Traits
ZAGREB, October 5, 2020 - SDP leader Pedja Grbin has said that he will borrow what he considers the best traits of his predecessors - Ivica Racan's calmness, Zoran Milanovic's directness and Davor Bernardic's perseverance but that he will not repeat their mistakes regarding lack of communication with party colleagues.
In an interview with national broadcasters on Sunday, the newly-elected leader of the Social Democratic Party said that it was his predecessors' character qualities and communication with party members that he planned to build the new SDP on, which would then be able to deal with problems bothering Croatian citizens.
Grbin noted that the public in Croatia discussed trivial topics instead of policies and what was going on in the country.
He said in an interview with RTL that the government had not envisaged a new distraint law for next year, that a national development strategy, the main document for the absorption of money from EU funds, was not being worked on, and in that context he said that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic should start doing his job.
I haven't seen Milanovic's message of congratulation
Asked if he had spoken with President Zoran Milanovic and if Milanovic had congratulated him on his election as the SDP leader, Grbin said that he had not noticed Milanovic's message, adding that Milanovic had the right to criticism but that unnecessary conflicts were another thing.
Grbin said he did not expect the SDP parliamentary group to oppose him despite the fact that there would be some changes in its work.
The SDP parliamentary group should be led by the party president while other personnel matters related to the group will be discussed by the party presidency first, said Grbin.
In an interview with the HTV public broadcaster, Grbin said that the priority for the coming elections in Zagreb would be to gather the entire civic and left camp, negotiate and agree on how to run in local elections, set for next year.
He said that residents of Zagreb were at the moment less interested in the name of the left camp's candidate for Zagreb mayor than in fighting corruption in the capital.
Commenting on the JANAF corruption scandal, Grbin said in his interview with RTL that there was suspicion that staff at the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor were involved in the case, noting that there were constant information leaks.
"If this society does not start to change, the situation won't get better," he said, noting that the ruling HDZ party lacked the will to initiate changes.
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Dalmatia Readies for 'Vacation-Worthy Week' Campaign in October
October 5, 2020 - Designed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Croatian Tourist Board, the Vacation-Worthy Week campaign encourages domestic tourists to travel around Croatia for half the price, from October 16 to 25, 2020.
If you were always hesitant to take a relaxing weekend at a hotel or a nice apartment because it was too expensive for your budget, this October might be the right time for you.
Slobodna Dalmacija writes that from October 16 to 25, domestic guests can enjoy the perks of tourism half-off thanks to the Vacation-Worthy Week campaign designed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Croatian Tourist Board.
Across these 10 days, domestic guests can treat themselves to a trip, extended weekend, or week around Croatia where they will enjoy tourist products at half the price, from the accommodation, transport, and sights to catering services and various experiences.
Although there are only a few weeks left until the campaign begins, everyone who wants to offer their services to domestic guests at a discount can sign up until October 15.
The action already includes numerous hotel houses, private renters, restaurants, nature parks, national parks, museums, galleries, adrenaline tourism, outdoor activities, boat renters, and health and spa tourism facilities.
According to the Ministry of Tourism's propositions, the minimum discount amount is 50 percent, but it can also be higher. The exception is the transport category, in which a discount of less than 50 percent is allowed. As things stand now, there are interested parties on both sides - companies, and individuals who will offer their services at lower prices, but also guests who would like to end this stressful year by taking a beautiful wellness or nature holiday.
"We planned to work all October in the hotel, and we joined the action with lower prices for domestic guests. We calculated that the prices would be half of what they usually are in September, so it is quite affordable. The hotel facility is in operation, and we would like local guests to come at the end of the season and discover some new beauties during a short vacation at affordable prices. In terms of earnings, this year is lost in that sense, so why not give the locals a chance to rest a bit?" says the director of one Dalmatian island hotel.
As large hotel facilities prepare for closure, smaller accommodations and family homes will certainly work much longer. They could have more guests because they offer specific services and can dedicate themselves to the guests.
"We are very ready to participate in this action because every day we can work is important to us this year. With us, guests will be able to have half-board in a four-star hotel for 30-40 euro a day and numerous excursions, sightseeing, and activities that are available to them because we are close to nature parks. All of that would be twice as expensive on some other October days. And in nature, the prices will be half the price for tickets and tours, so when everything is added up, the family can enjoy a lot for much less," says the owner of a small family hotel in Zadar.
On the other hand, family renters will find it easiest to prepare for domestic guests because they are practically always ready to offer them accommodation.
However, as they halved their prices in September, it is not expected that they will continue to lower them, so an apartment for four people can be rented for 30 euros a day. Other renters do not see any profit in that, and have chosen not to participate.
"It doesn't pay to clean the apartment, change the bed linen, and disinfect everything for 30 euro a day. I spend so much on electricity, water, labor, and detergents. My lowest price can be 50 euro a day, and I don't make any money with it either. But for less than that, I will not work. I would like to have guests in October, I will sign up for this action, so we will see if there will be interest from local guests," says one landlady from Split.
As planned, October should be marked by domestic tourists if they decide to enjoy cheaper tourist offers. How important domestic guests are for the overall tourist result is best shown by the eVisitor data. Last year, domestic tourists recorded 2.4 million tourist arrivals and 13.8 million overnight stays, or about 12 percent of total arrivals.
In the current part of the 2020 tourist year, this result has almost doubled. Domestic tourists have achieved 1.3 million arrivals and 9.6 million overnight stays, which is about 20 percent of total tourist arrivals and overnight stays in 2020.
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PM Andrej Plenkovic Issues Message for World Teachers Day
ZAGREB, October 5, 2020 - On the occasion of World Teachers Day, October 5, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday issued a message expressing gratitude to teachers and other members of teaching staff as well as nursery assistants for their commitment, noting that education is a guarantee of social and economic development.
"Dear teachers, nursery assistants and other members of teaching staff, World Teachers Day provides an opportunity to once again thank you for your commitment and raise public awareness of the importance of education and the profession you have chosen," Plenkovic said on Twitter.
An education that actively encourages children's integral development, familiarises them with everyday life and prepares them for modern life, the world of labour, employment and/or continuation of education, is a guarantee of a country's social and economic development and readiness for global challenges, the PM said in his message.
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Croatia's Coronavirus Update: 138 New and 1,466 Active Cases
ZAGREB, October 5, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours, there have been 138 new cases of the coronavirus infection and two fatalities in Croatia , and the number of active cases stands at 1,466, the national COVID-19 management team said on Monday.
There are 326 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, including 24 who are on ventilators.
Since February 25, when the first case was registered in Croatia, 17,797 people have contracted the coronavirus infection, of whom 300 have died, while 16,031 have recovered, including 182 who have recovered in the last 24 hours.
Currently, 8,923 people are self-isolating.
To date, 328,392 people have been tested for coronavirus, of whom 2,233 over the past 24 hours.
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Pope Francis Quoted Important Document from Croatian Bishops in 1995
October 5, 2020 – As Fratellanza umana reports, in his third encyclical "Fratelli tutti", published on October 4, 2020, Pope Francis quotes the most important and unfortunately forgotten document of the Croatian Bishops' Conference.
In an issue number 253 of his new encyclical named "Fratelli tutti" on fraternity and social friendship, Bishop Francis of Rome quotes the Letter of the Croatian Bishops' Conference on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, signed on May 1, 1995.
In addition to this document, Pope Francis quotes several other bishops' conferences elsewhere, which is not a novelty of this encyclical, but it is a novelty of his pontificate.
In any case, this is the first time that a bishop of Rome has quoted a Croatian Bishops' Conference's document in an encyclical. And he did not choose this 25-year-old document by chance, since the bishops in it ask very important moral questions for the believers and the entire Croatian society:
"It is not the main weightiness of the question in how to mourn the victims of one’s community and how to recognize the guilt of another community. Croats and Serbs, Catholics and Orthodox, Muslims and others are faced with a more difficult moral question: How to mourn the victims of another community, how to admit guilt in one's community? And then: How to atone for guilt, how to obtain the forgiveness of God and human, peace of conscience and reconciliation between people and nations? How to start a new age based on righteousness and truth?" reads the Letter of the Croatian Bishops' Conference on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, on May 1, 1995.
In this new encyclical "Fratelli tutti", Pope Francis cites an excerpt from the CBC's letter which precedes this one, and is also related to the attitude towards the victims of the "other side". Thus the 253rd issue of the Pope's encyclical reads:
"When there have been injustices on both sides, it must be recognized that they may not have been of equal weight or they are not comparable. Violence perpetrated by the state structures and powers is not on the same level as violence by individual groups. In any case, it cannot be expected that only the unjust sufferings of only one of the parties will be mentioned. As the bishops of Croatia have taught, 'we owe equal respect to every innocent victim. There can be no ethnic, confessional, religious, national, or political differences'.“
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Flights to Croatia: Lufthansa Stops Several Routes to Croatia in October
October 5, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Lufthansa stops several routes to Croatia in October.
Croatian Aviation reports that German airline Lufthansa will drastically reduce the number of operations at Croatian airports by the end of October.
Lufthansa, a Star Alliance member, has not operated on its two seasonal lines since October: from Munich to Pula and Zadar. Although the lines operated in October, the company stopped operations earlier this year due to the impact of the global pandemic or reduced demand.
In October, Lufthansa will have 7 active routes to Croatian airports, two less than in the previous month. Although the number of routes did not decrease significantly, there was a large reduction in the number of weekly flights to Croatian destinations.
A look at the flight schedule that is in effect until the end of this month.
Frankfurt - Dubrovnik will operate once a week, on Saturdays, until October 17. Lufthansa operated 3 times a week on this line in August and twice a week in September.
Munich - Dubrovnik will operate four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, until October 24.
Frankfurt - Split will operate once a week, on Saturdays, until October 17. The company operated on this line 4 times a week in August, and 3 in September.
Munich - Split will operate four times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, until October 24.
Frankfurt - Zadar will operate once a week, on Saturdays, until October 24. This is one flight less per week compared to September, and two compared to August.
Frankfurt - Pula will operate until October 17, once a week, on Saturdays. This, too, is one flight less per week than in September, and two less than in August.
Munich - Zagreb will operate 5 times a week until October 17; on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. From October 18, there will be only three flights a week on this line, on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Lufthansa will stop traffic to Adriatic airports earlier than in previous years, and there will be a reduction in the number of weekly flights on the Munich - Zagreb route.
It is still unknown whether Croatia Airlines will operate on Dubrovnik - Frankfurt, Split - Frankfurt, and Split - Munich in the winter flight schedule this year.
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HNL Round 7 Recap: Gorica Topped Hajduk, Osijek Moved into 3rd
October 5, 2020 - The 7th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 2 to 4, 2020. In this round, Gorica topped Hajduk, while Osijek's win against Sibenik pushed them into 3rd place.
Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (0:0)
Lokomotiva and Istra opened the 7th round in Zagreb on Friday, October 2, 2020.
While the game went without goals, it did see four yellow cards for Lokomotiva.
Lokomotiva is currently in 8th place with 5 points, while Istra is in 7th with 5 points.
Sibenik v. Osijek (0:2)
Sibenik and Osijek played their 7th round match in Sibenik on Saturday, October 3, 2020, in front of 1,173 spectators.
While the first half went without goals, Mierez scored for the Osijek lead in the 67th minute. A penalty awarded to Osijek less than 10 minutes later saw Mierez score again for the final score of 0:2.
Sibenik is currently in the last place with 4 points, while Osijek is in 3rd with 13.
Gorica v. Hajduk (2:1)
Gorica and Hajduk met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, October 3, 2020, in front of 1,523 spectators.
A penalty for Hajduk in the 45th minute saw Caktas score for 0:1 at the half. Lovric equalized for Gorica in the 62nd minute, after which Colina received a double-yellow for Hajduk, forcing them to play with a man down from the 70th minute.
Hamad scored for the Gorica lead eight minutes later, while Jairo missed the chance to equalize from a penalty in the 10th minute of added time. The match ended at 2:1.
Gorica is currently in 2nd place with 16 points, while Hajduk is in 4th place with 10.
Varazdin v. Dinamo (1:2)
Varazdin and Dinamo met on Sunday, October 4, 2020, at NK Varteks Stadium.
Varazdin's Drozdek scored a penalty in the 8th minute to put the home team in the lead. However, Orsic scored just before the half to make it 1:1.
Another goal for Orsic in the 54th minute gave Dinamo the lead, and a goal taken back by VAR kept the score at 1:2.
Varazdin is currently in 6th place with 7 points, while Dinamo is in first with 16.
Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)
Rijeka and Slaven Belupo closed out the 7th round on Sunday, October 4, 2020, at Rujevica Stadium.
While the first half went without goals, Andrijasevic scored in the 69th minute for 1:0 Rijeka. Kulenovic scored a penalty in the second minute of added time for the final result of 2:0.
Rijeka is currently in 5th place with 9 points, while Belupo is in 9th place with 4.
You can see the full HNL table HERE.
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