For the latest March 20 update click here.
March 11, 2020 - There are 19 confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Croatia, 3 of whom are in serious condition. Foreign nationals entering Croatia from infection hotspots (China, Italy, Iran, South Korea) will be subject to a 14-day quarantine, while a 14-day self-isolation is required for Croatian citizens.
Yesterday, the Civil Protection Staff of Croatia recommended cancelling all events for over 1,000 people. Several upcoming events have been cancelled. Updates to follow.
More than 4,585 people are dead from the virus, which originated in Wuhan City, China; and over 124,968 cases have been confirmed globally. There are 44,178 cases outside of mainland China and 12,462 in Italy.
*Follow this page for updates on the coronavirus in Croatia from Total Croatia News. Contact numbers for epidemiologists, travel advisories and measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus can be found here.
Nineteen Coronavirus Cases in Croatia
As of March 11, 2020; nineteen coronavirus (COVID-19) patients have been reported in Croatia: 5 in Rijeka, 8 in Zagreb, 4 in Varaždin and 2 in Pula.
- The first patient from Zagreb became infected during his stay in Italy. The two other patients are close contacts. The third patient recently returned from a ski trip in Austria. The fourth patient is a hairdresser and recently came back from a conference in Munich. Three new cases were confirmed Wednesday evening. The latest patients returned from trips to Austria and Germany.
- A patient from Rijeka became infected during his stay in Italy. The four other patients are close contacts.
- The first patient from Varaždin spent time in Italy. The second case is a truck driver who had been in Italy and was in preventative self-isolation. The third and fourth cases are close contacts of the driver.
- Both patients in Pula had recently returned from Italy.
UPDATED: March 11, 2020 20:00 CET (Central European Time)
Croatia National Civil Protection Headquarters Update
Prime Minister Plenkovic convened an emergency meeting with the ministers and members of the Civil Protection Staff of Croatia today at 16:00 CET regarding further measures and activities for handling the spread of the coronavirus in Croatia. The regular press conference, which is held every day at 16:00 CET at the National Civil Protection Headquarters, was not held today.
Instead, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic convened a special meeting with the ministers and members of the Civil Protection Staff of Croatia, which ended at 18:00 CET. They held a special press conference after that meeting.
Istria Schools Close Friday: Classes Will be Televised
He confirmed that there will be no more live classes in Istria schools as of Friday.
"The schools will be open tomorrow and the staff will come in to prepare a plan. We are preparing online classes which will be a substitute for live classes. In order to continue the educational process cycle from Monday with online classes, an agreement is being made with HRT (Croatia Radio Television), and Channel 3 would be used to broadcast classes. Other classes will be recorded on video. In Istria, there will be no classes after Friday, and the directors will inform the parents and children about everything else. Tomorrow will be a transition day to prepare for the necessary measures.
No Need to Rebalance State Budget
Plenkovic said there was no need to rebalance the state budget that at this time.
"The aim is to preserve jobs. We will seek initiatives that help entrepreneurs maintain the liquidity of their business, as there will be challenges in this area. We will find options and consider legislation to ease the situation for entrepreneurs and anyone who may be affected by the crisis. Regarding the budget, everything is fine and our revenues for January, February and March are as expected." the Prime Minister said.
"I believe that we have taken the measures in time which the public is aware of. The Ursula Von Der Leyen Commission is prepared to fund every EU country. There are about 25 billion EUR available and this will have an impact the budget framework over the next seven years," Plenkovic added.
Italy Will Accept Citizens Return from Split Ancona Ferry
Minister Bozinovic said that Italy would accept the return of its citizens back from the Split-Ancona ferry and the rest would be quarantined in Split.
Croatian Health Service Has the Capacity: Beros
Minister Beros said we have the necessary capacity. "We have over 500 respirators and over 300 transports. I hope that the threat is not so great that we even have to use a portion of that capacity," he said.
Croatia and Regional Daily Updates
18:30 - The first male coronavirus patient in Italy, a 38-year-old from Codogno, is gradually recovering. He was taken off his respirator yesterday and began to breathe on his own.
18:13 - In the last 24 hours, 196 people have died in Italy. Another 2313 people were infected, Italian officials said.
18:00 - In Serbia, all events with more than 100 people have been banned, but there is no need to close schools yet, state leaders and health experts have decided. Parliamentary elections scheduled for April 26 may be delayed.
17:33 - WHO declares the coronavirus a pandemic.
17:24 - Two more people from Istria are suspected of having the coronavirus, according to the Istria County Civil Protection Headquarters. They are currently self-isolated and test results are expected tomorrow.
16:50 - Karlovac High School is under supervision as a female student may have the coronavirus infection.
16:34 - Lufthansa cancels 23,000 flights between March 29 and April 24. Most are in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
16:00 - Andrej Plenkovic convened a meeting with the ministers and members of the Civil Protection Staff of Croatia, which was held today at 16:00 CET. The daily press conference was cancelled.
15:28 - About 30 trucks have been waiting at the Croatian-Slovenian border for seven hours for a sanitary inspector. Read more.
15:25 - The Montenegrin government will not introduce a state of emergency due to the coronavirus. There are no confirmed cases in Montenegro
15:20 - Forty passengers who arrived on the Marco Polo ferry from Ancona this morning will be quarantined in Split at the Zagreb Hotel in Duilovo. Among them are 12 Croats who could not fulfil the conditions for self-isolation at home.
14:40 - Plenkovic has cancelled all HDZ pre-election rallies due to the coronavirus.
14:21 - 57 infected in Slovenia. 10 new infections have been reported.
2270 people have been tested. 27 people were infected in Ljubljana, 12 in Dolenjska and Bela krajina, 3 in Styria, 3 in the coastal area and one in Murska Sobota.
13:52 - None of the Italian citizens from the Ancona ferry have entered the quarantine in Split. They will likely decide to return to Italy.
13:50 - Istria mayors demand that classes in all schools in the County of Istria be terminated.
13:35 - Many events in Croatia have been postponed and cancelled.
13:11 - Serbia bans all gatherings of over 100 people. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announces that all gatherings indoors over 100 people are prohibited - matches, weddings.
12:20 - Bosnia and Hercegovina closed all schools and colleges for at least 2 weeks.
11:58 - 47 people are infected in Slovenia. Fran Albrecht Primary School in Kamnik near Ljubljana is closing because the teacher is among the infected. The school is closed for 14 days.
11:55 - Croatian Minister of Science and Education Blazenka Divjak reported that online classes were ready, if necessary.
11:25 - Austria has stopped all passenger rail service to Italy. In Austria, 131 cases of coronavirus have been reported.
11:05 - The border police of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed a ban on foreign citizens coming from countries hardest hit by the coronavirus.
This ban applies to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, and parts of China including people coming from Hubei province where the epidemic erupted.
11:02 - “A Week of Rest is Worthwhile” (Tjedan odmora vrijedan) is cancelled. The Croatia Tourist Board planned a promotion to popularize travel within Croatia and reduce the impact of coronavirus on the tourism industry by offering 50 percent discounts to Croatian citizens.
11:00 - Although numerous events are being cancelled throughout Europe, as well as Croatia, the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) has not given up on its campaign for party elections.
10:07 - Health Minister Beros said he was considering closing the Croatian border,
9:30 - Jadrolinija (largest Croatia ferry service) has just discontinued traffic with Italy.
8:40 - Labin has introduced special measures that postpone everything. They also closed the cinema, the library, and are restricting funerals.
8:05 - Seven new cases of infection have been confirmed in Serbia. The total number of coronavirus infected in Serbia has increased from 5 to 12.
7:25 - 16th coronavirus infection in Croatia. He is a hairdresser who was in Munich for a conference.
Certificate Required to Enter Slovenia from Italy
Slovenia began monitoring the border with Italy, and all non-Slovenian citizens or permanent residents are subject to controls when entering the country.
Foreign travellers will be required to furnish written confirmation that they are not infected with the coronavirus. The certificate must be in Slovenian, English or Italian and must not be older than three days.
(Updates provided by Index)
Live World Coronavirus Updates
- Live world updates from CNN here.
- Live world updates from The Guardian here.
- Live world updates from Al Jazeera here.
Live Health Organization Coronavirus Updates
- Live updated international map tracking spread of coronavirus from Johns Hopkins CSSE here.
- Live updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) here.
- Live updates from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (daily updates at 15:00 CET in Croatian) here.
Total Croatia News Coronavirus Coverage
- HNS Confirms: All Croatian League Football Games Without Fans until March 31 - here.
- Croatian Ministers State Coronavirus Consequences Aren't Catastrophic "Yet" - here.
- Coronavirus Flight Cancellation Status for Croatia: easyJet, Norwegian, Ryanair, Eurowings, British Airways - here.
- Plenković: Transport Sector and Tourism Hardest Hit by Coronavirus Epidemic - here.
- Croatian Tourism Industry Already Feeling Coronavirus Consequences - here.
- Croatian Tourism Ministry Temporarily Halting All Marketing Actions Due to Coronavirus - here.
UPDATED: March 11, 2020 20:00 CET (Central European Time)
For the latest March 20 update click here.
*Follow this page for updates on the coronavirus in Croatia from Total Croatia News. Contact numbers for epidemiologists, travel advisories and measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus can be found here.
