April the 7th, 2022 - Relaxations to current Croatian covid measures, which are already fairly loose, are set to occur as the Easter period approaches.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the new Croatian covid measures, or more precisely the measures which are set to be relaxed, haven't yet been officially defined, but should be agreed by Easter, when some concessions are planned.
According to Jutarnji list's interlocutors, Croatian covid measures related to limiting the number of people both indoors and outdoors, would be almost completely abolished. Covid certificates would no longer be required. Measures at the country's borders will remain as they are, in line with European Union (EU) decisions.
Most of the conversations taking place at the moment are about the basic Croatian covid measures, and that is wearing masks, which are currently an obligation in all indoor spaces. According to the currently prevailing view, masks would remain an obligation indoors where more people are expected to be, such as in shops and when using public transport. But it is likely that in the workplace, where it is currently mandatory to wear masks if it isn't possible to maintain the prescribed distance (two metres between individuals), it will become a mere recommendation.
In addition, there is a possibility that wearing masks in cinemas and theatres will remain at the level of a recommendation. There is an increasingly probable possibility that caterers will havethe right to use their full capacities from the pre-pandemic period and to abolish the obligatory spaces between tables.
''We believe that this is a moment that enables the greater mitigation of Croatian covid measures, and for several reasons. First of all, there are indicators from hospitals, ie a decrease in the number of hospitalised and people on respirators. We're also recording a decline in the number of newly infected people, and the fact that people will be spending more and more time outdoors. All of this is favourable,'' explained the interlocutor of Jutarnji list, pointing out that everything should be approached with caution because, he says, we have learned that the novel coronavirus can be unpredictable, but the current situation is in favour of loosening up and returning to a more normal life.
Additional concessions, according to the Ministry of Science and Education, would be in schools and colleges. Masks would no longer be required in the hallways, and professors and teaches wouldn't have to wear them unless they wanted to.
Despite the concessions, sources say, there are no plans to stop warning people about the possibility of spreading the infection, so the recommendation to wear a mask will be emphasised. In addition, hygiene, maintaining a distance and ventilation, they say, should be respected. Croatia had mild measures for most of the coronavirus pandemic, but now European countries which had more strict measures are also abolishing them. The UK was among the first to do so, where measures against the spread of the disease are virtually non-existent. In Switzerland, the obligation to wear masks in public transport and health facilities has also been abolished.
At the same time, while the measures are being relaxed, the profession is warning of a new strain of the Omicron variant, the so-called XE, which is said to spread 43 percent faster than the original Omicron, but fortunately doesn't appear to cause more severe forms of the disease.
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