April 2, 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, with Clarisse Bay from Singapore as our 9th contributor.
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. So far we have heard from expats in Croatia from Romania, USA, Ireland, UK, Mexico, Argentina, Spain and Germany. Next up, our first Asian perspective with Clarisse Bay from Singapore, who is now living in Zagreb.
If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below. Now, over to Clarisse.
Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.
I am doing well alone. My last job assignment was in December as I went back to Singapore in January this year to spend time with my family and friends during the Chinese New Year. My family had also planned to visit me in Croatia, which was supposed to happen in 3 weeks' time. However, we had to instead spend more time dealing with hotel cancellations and flight cancellations and dealing with travel insurance to retrieve what could not be refunded.
Currently, I am spending my time in self-isolation to brush up on my Croatian language skills. My daily routine, other than the usual social media, comprises of self-learning Croatian language, watching movies and series on Netflix and chatting with my friends from Singapore. This is basically how I pass the time and remain sane despite being cooped up at home.
What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business?
It is not helping as my business is in the tourism industry, which was the first to be impacted as strict measures were introduced and affected citizens of many nationalities who wished to travel to Croatia. Many businesses like mine which are in the tourism industry are fearing having to close down our business with limited or no help despite being the first and direct impact of this virus. Of course, we understand the government is not to blame and appreciate if any measures would be able to help tide us through this time. However, taxes will be delayed for businesses for 3 months, meaning after this 3 months, we have to pay back the taxes. Delaying the taxes may be a measure, however it means we are expected to work doubly or triply hard to make up for the losses we suffered and the taxes we did not earn, to pay back to the government.
When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue?
When I went back to Singapore back in January, it was already spreading in Wuhan in China. Being in the same continent, and reading articles about Wuhan residents fleeing in swarms to other countries, I could not help but feel worried, especially as Singapore was one of the top 3 countries the residents fled to. It reminded me of the times when we had SARS. Fortunately for me, I returned to Croatia at the end of January, which I thought was an escape to sanctuary. Life went on as usual for me in Croatia, as I read about the spread of coronavirus in Asia. Less than a month later, it struck Italy and it struck hard. This time, there was no place I could escape to. Croatia started having its own coronavirus patients and the numbers in Singapore were also increasing. It was increasing exponentially around the world, people were dying and reality became a scary thing. When I wake up every morning, the news will be about coronavirus. News of coronavirus is also trending on social media. Countries are in lockdown, airlines are cancelling operations. Now, this is a BIG issue. I belong to the Gen Y and throughout my life, I have never witnessed any countries in lockdown or flights suspending operations.
What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?
Croatia is dealing with it well so far, I am very pleased to say. Croatia implemented measures right from the start, instead of waiting for a certain tipping point before implementing those measures. Sometimes it can cause a little bit of inconveniences as public buses are available only for those with passes. However, it makes me feel safe. Sometimes when I do grocery runs, the need to queue up to enter the stores reminds me of the current situation. It hits me hard that the virus is still here and we need to adhere to the preventive measures strictly. I imagine if we were allowed to live life as per usual, most of us would not be constantly reminded of this deadly virus. With all the preventive measures in place, I feel safe.
Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?
Back in Singapore, the virus started on January 23. The first cases in Singapore were actually Chinese tourists in the country and there was no community spreading yet. However, even with new cases surfacing and numbers going up, a couple of clusters, a couple of unlinked cases sometimes, Singapore did not implement preventive measures as strictly as Croatia did. For now, Singapore has 1000 cases and the ministry has implemented social distancing measures. In Singapore, everything is working as per normal except for entertainment outlets such as night clubs, movie theatres and the likes which will remain closed until the end of April. People are still allowed to go out as long as they maintain social distancing, shopping centers and restaurants are open. Measures may be in place, however some people feel they are still allowed to go out, and that is not helping to curb this virus from spreading.
In fact, when I heard about the measures that were going to be implemented here, I hesitated and pondered about returning to Singapore, where I would just have to serve a 14-day Stay Home Notice upon arrival and after that, I could live a normal life, to go out with friends and family. It sounded attractive enough until I looked into the seriousness of this issue. I realized the privilege of being allowed to go out is for people who really needed to go out for valid reasons, that they did not have to apply for permits to go out like in some areas of China and Italy. That was when I decided to be responsible and stay in Croatia instead of being selfish to return to Singapore just so I could lead a "normal life" while hindering the efforts of the rest of the world trying to curb this virus.
Having said that, the Singapore government has come up with a huge sum of almost $55b to aid its citizens through these tough times and I am really proud that Singapore is looking after all its citizens in times of recession.
What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?
The statistics of the virus are updated at the end of every day via the evening news aired on TV. Other than that, if one is affected by self-isolation measures, stay home notices or a close contact of a newly tested patient, all communications are done swiftly and clearly. I will say in Croatia and Singapore, official communications from authorities are clear.
What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?
Nothing. My phone is the most important thing for me and it is always with me. With my phone, I can get in contact with anyone I want to, thanks to technology.
One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis.
I have learned that many things in life are just 'wants' and not 'needs'. In this time of self-isolation, practically nothing is working and I can still live without entertainment outlets such as shopping, cinemas and bars.
Honestly, I feel like I am living in my own world now and I have not spent enough time with anyone to learn about others. However, I am still grateful for very kind people during these times, who actually start free online lessons such as language or yoga lessons. That is really wonderful!
Thanks Clarisse, stay safe and see you on the other side.
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.
