March 31, 2020 - Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on TCN, starting with Steve Gaunt from Leeds in the UK, currently holed up in Vinkovci.
Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication.
But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? In the first of a new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. Having started with an excellent contribution from Romanian Mirela Rus and American/Irishman Jason Berry in Split, we move to an English pub in a field in the middle of nowhere near Vinkovci in eastern Croatia to see how things are with Yorkshireman Steve Gaunt from Leeds.
If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below. Now, over to the one and only Steve Gaunt.
Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.
Well, I have a large family, my wife and six children and all but one are with me. I am a very flexible person when it comes to change around me; I may not like it, but I can certainly deal with it. I have always dealt mentally with problems with humour, but there is little humour to find in the current situation.
The biggest problem is how it is affecting my children, especially those who should be at University in Zagreb. My daughter Emma doesn't know what the state of affairs is regarding her apartment in Zagreb after the earthquakes, and she and my son Daniel are finding it difficult to proceed with online studies as they have no access to their books, notes and other material. Luckily we all have access to computers so the younger children can still keep up with school work online. My wife Dragica works for the Red Cross and is allowed to move freely.
I admit I was confused and annoyed when restrictive measures came into force one after another, but I am much more at ease with them now than I thought I would be. We had a problem that my son Daniel was stranded in a village not too distant and couldn't come home.
You asked how we deal with "self-isolation" but the fact is we are not doing anything different other than what is forced upon us, like the schools being closed or businesses being shut down.
I can still travel to my land in a nearby village without hindrance and I can work on my land and enjoy a beer in my pub. I also have a pass which was very easy to procure and can travel a little further afield. I also got a pass for son Daniel so he can now return home should he wish, but he still hasn't. I see very few people about town but many in the countryside, walking, jogging, riding, biking and I feel they are absolutely right to do so; nobody should be isolated by walls, they should be in the fresh air and sun, isolated only by natural space. But the easy to follow basic rules should always be adhered to.
On my land it is rare to see more than one or two people passing each day, nowadays dozens come by each day. People are sociable animals, and it is comforting to see people passing by and enjoying the fresh air and greeting each other (though at a safe distance!). In the town it is different, the few people who venture abroad scurry about with their masks on, trying to avoid each other. Depressing to witness.
What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business?
As an army invalid and pensioner, this doesn't really apply to me, though it doesn't stop me from being concerned. Croatia has never had the best economy, though we seemed well blessed by having a stable currency. I worry about small businesses and their ability to ride out this period of inactivity, but Croatians know how to deal with serious problems as the Homeland War showed.
When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue?
I realised quite late. I am used to seeing news predicting or discovering potentially disastrous calamities. Swine Flu, Bird Flu, Global Warming caused freak weather and more. The media loves a good disaster, so I took it all with a pinch of salt. I wasn't even concerned with the spread patterns and actually became less concerned when it was revealed that the virus wasn't airborne. But the daily death toll in neighbouring Italy really put things in perspective for me.
My son Paul and I succumbed to a nasty case of flu in early February. It passed quickly for him but laid me low for three weeks. Comparing the symptoms then to the symptoms known today for the Covid virus, I see they were very similar. I wasn't concerned at the time but if this flu attack had have happened now, I admit I would be very frightened. I take it seriously. If I catch this virus, I know it will kill me.
What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?
I feel safe enough, though I take care. Not to the ridiculous extent that some citizens have, like locking themselves in their homes, but enough to avoid any situation that could infect me or my family. Croatia is a country used to doing what it is told and the measures placed upon the populace through repressive are effective. Nobody seems to be complaining. The virus came to us locally recently and that caused anger more than pity, that the carrier could have been so careless. There is little more the authorities can do and hopefully folk with tolerate the annoyances of restriction, but the question is, for how long?
There is one stage of regulation I will not conform with, however, and that is being forced to wear a mask.
Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?
Well that is an easy question, Croatia is doing very well, not just the authorities but the general population. I sometimes think Croatians welcome a crisis, just to show how they can deal with it and rise above it.
What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?
I cannot speak for the UK as I have no information regarding offical communication. But here it is endless. It is this continuous barrage of news, information, warnings and instructions that worry me more than the thought that the virus could affect my family and friends. There is literally nothing else on the News. The Zagreb earthquakes crept in for a while on a national level, though friends and family in the UK had no idea of the disaster.
What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?
As I said earlier, our isolation is natural or forced on us by circumstance. I can't go for a beer in a bar or to a restaurant for a meal, but then I didn't do that very much before. I can still travel a little, buy fuel, metal detect, cut the grass, prune my apple trees. The TV works and I have my books and my web sites to manage. I am actually more active than normal. If I was in total lockdown, I cannot think of a single thing I would take with me, other than prescibed medicine.
One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis.
That I am less selfish than I thought. I reserve comment on others.
Thanks Steve, stay safe and see you on the other side. You can learn more about Steve and how he came to open a pub in the middle of nowhere here.I am sure he will be glad of the company when this is all over, but at the moment there is a typically welcoming message from Yorkshire on the board at the moment (see below).
You can find more foreigner corona stories in our dedicated section here.
TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out covid-19 here in croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Corona Foreigner
If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe.
Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?
Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.
What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)
When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue?
What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?
Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?
What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?
What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.
One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis.
TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber's new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert's guidelines below
VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE
The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).
There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words
In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).
How to do it with your cell phone?First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.
After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.
One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.
The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.
When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.
The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).
After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
