April 12, 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 Total Croatia News, with Dr. Stefan Gillow Reynolds from UK/Ireland in Split as the 37th 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? 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, Singapore, Holland, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Latvia, China, Honduras, Hungary, Moldova, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Germany. Next up, Dr. Stefan Gillow Reynolds from UK/Ireland in SplitIf you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below this interview.
Dear Total Croatia News,
I appreciate your news emails and links very much. I am relatively new to Croatia but have learnt very much about the country from Total Croatia news.
I married Tamara from Split in September and have been living here part-time since then, I continue to live in Ireland where I work part-time also.
I am originally from UK but have lived and worked in Ireland for 10 years I have a connection to both countries and now to Croatia as well. I am a writer and painter, I have written two books and paint Icons which I sell, mainly to Churches in UK and Ireland.
Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.
I was due to go back to Ireland after Easter, however, am now staying on in Split. I am well though, and happy to be with my wife Tamara. Turns out we are having a longer honeymoon than we thought, but no complaints. We have a tenth floor flat so have beautiful views, we go out for a short walk every few days and once a week visit Tamara's mother who lives in Podstrana, just within the travel ambit of Split.
I have been painting and writing and keeping in contact with friends and family.
What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business?
My wife works in Tourism as a guide and is worried about her financial situation but as far as I understand there is some support coming from the government. She has applied for the ‘Support for Keeping the Working Places Alive scheme.
Back home in Ireland they have offered all people who have been made unemployed the regular unemployment benefit which is €200 a week, quite a lot (Ireland has always had a high social security system though a lot of people fall through the net, and there is much homelessness). Currently there are 7,500 people taking unemployment benefit in Ireland, the country has the same population, roughly, as Croatia. I didn’t apply as I only work part-time in Ireland, helping to manage a café, and I have income still from my other work.
When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue?
I realised Corona was going to be a big issue when travel restrictions started.
What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?
Croatia is dealing very well with the crisis, I feel. We feel safe.
Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?
Ireland is also doing well. On the whole they are stricter on inclosure in Ireland, people are not allowed to travel out except for shopping and there are guards enforcing this, more than in Croatia, and a strict 2km travel limit from your house (unless food shops are further away). There are more cases though in Ireland than in Croatia, so I do feel that the response here is appropriate. In the UK I feel they reacted too late and have lost control of the situation. My parents are living in London and I worry about them although they are cared for by my brother. Croatia and Ireland were quick to act and trace cases, the UK has been slow at testing, slow at containing group activities and is now unable to trace cases as there are so many.
Official communications from the authorities in Croatia seem to come through the news, I get emails from my local council in Ireland which helps.
What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?
I have nearly everything. Only miss some sandpaper for burnishing clay on Icons!
What is one thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis?
I have learned I am happy to stay at home, and enjoy Zoom activities (which I had never done before!). Now we have Zoom liturgy, yoga, tai chi, meditation courses....
My feeling is that people are more sensible than I thought and are generally co-operating with health directives, and are caring about each other. And are learning how connected we are with people all over the world.
Thanks, Stefan. Stay safe and see you on the other side. You can connect with Stefan via his very interesting Facebook page, Icons, Books, Talks.
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.
Wash your hands.
