March 19, 2020 - Croatia Health Minister Vili Beros reported that 18 new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases have been confirmed since yesterday morning. The total number of cases in Croatia is 99. Yesterday, Croatia reported the first death from the virus. Five patients have recovered.
At 9:00 CET, the press conference of the National Headquarters of the Civil Protection began as reported by Index. At the same time, the Istrian headquarters had confirmed that a man infected with the coronavirus died in Istria. Here is what is known so far:
- 99 confirmed coronavirus cases
- 1 death
- 5 recovered
1264 Test Samples Completed in Croatia
"We have a total of 99 positive persons and 5 recovered. A total of 1264 test samples have been completed. The situation is epidemiologically very good," said Maja Grba Bujevic, asking citizens to comply with the prescribed measures.
"There are currently 12,519 people in self-isolation. We have 769 contacts who are being intensively monitored. There are 79 people quarantined and 18 truck drivers," she added.
"Most have mild symptoms, two have moderate symptoms," said Alemka Markotic.
Istrian Deceased Patient Had Coronavirus: Cause of Death Still Unknown
"The finding of the deceased confirmed that he had the coronavirus. During the day, all actions will be taken that will lead to information whether the death was caused by a virus or something else," she added.
"We are awaiting further findings to see the exact cause of death. When we receive them, we will release them all," she added.
"The gentleman belongs to the risk group. It is not unexpected that there will be deaths in the risk group, but let's wait for the autopsy results. Close contacts are being tested," Markotic says.
Locations of New Infections to be Announced
"We're still managing to contain the situation," Capak said. He said he would announce in the afternoon which sites were newly infected and where they were being treated.
"We have to minimize the spread of the virus to each other. That's the goal of the measures," Bozinovic said.
"Avoid close contacts and maintain good hygiene. In interiors, the distance from the other person must be at least 2 meters, outside at least 1 meter," Bozinovic reiterated.
"Some of these decisions can be altered by making them stricter, and they may be milder, all depending on how we as a community, as citizens, treat them," Bozinovic explained.
No More Foreign Nationals Entering Croatia, Except in Transit
"Since this morning, we have no more foreign nationals entering Croatia, except for those who heading to other countries. Everyone else has left the country already," he confirmed.
"Thank you to the media for doing the job responsibly to get our messages out to people. People should also reduce the number of times they leave their homes, except for those who go to work. They should respect rules we have made about going to the shops," Bozinovic added.
"Croatian citizens can return to the Republic of Croatia, with strict adherence to epidemiological measures," Bozinovic said.
Keep One Meter Distance Outside, Two Meters Inside
"It’s best that people stand in rows outside the shops. And keep an eye out, 1 meter, 2 meters inside. The operations headquarters will be checking on this. Everyone who follows these guidelines will reduce the risk of passing the virus from one to another. I think and hope that we have all showed a high level of responsibility. However, when we talked about violations of the self-isolation regime, punishment will not stop the spread of the virus if we do not adhere to all the prescribed measures. Maintain hygiene and keep a distance of 1 meter outside, and 2 inside,” he reiterated.
Follow our dedicated page on the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Croatia and watch for our daily update at 14:00 CET. The Croatian Government has also launched a website for information on the coronavirus (with map of cases) here.
