June 21, 2020 — Croatia experienced a fourth successive day of new coronavirus infections, though the 18 reported were a leveling off from the same reported yesterday. Authorities invoked new restrictions anyway.
Croatia's had 2317 infections in total with 71 active cases.
There are ten new cases in the City of Zagreb, five in Osijek-Baranja County and one each in Zagreb, Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva Counties.
Croatia's Health Minister Vili Beroš also said that there were no seriously ill people, and nine patients are hospitalized. There is no one on the respirator, and 276 people were tested.
He also said that since the last significant increase in the number of patients until today, we have 55 new cases, among which 20 are directly imported, and their contacts are 35.
Also, for the nine patients, they have no connection to any travel.
Beroš also said that the Directorate knows that social and economic life must continue, and will monitor the epidemiological situation and take the necessary measures to keep the health situation stable and satisfactory. To that end, it took some steps to slow the virus's spread.
The government prohibited visits to retirement homes in Zagreb County, Zagreb, Osijek and Split-Dalmatia County. Visits to hospital patients in Osijek, Split and Zagreb are prohibited. There will also be testing for healthcare workers returning from countries where the health situation is worse.
"It is essential that local headquarters monitor the situation in their field, that epidemiologists monitor the situation, and analyze the situation," said epidemiologist Marija Bubaš. "Sometimes some measures will be in force in a county, and somewhere they will not."
"This phase is a phase of coexistence with the virus," said Interior Minister Davor Božinović. "We must protect the helpless."
Croatia finds itself among many other tourism-dependent European countries, trying to find a balance between economic activity and acceptable risk.
"The arrival of tourists is important to us," Božinović said. "Spain opened today for all tourists from the EU, although yesterday they had over 300 new cases and 7 deaths. Germany has set a criterion for 50 infected per 100,000 inhabitants, which is much more than in our country." He added 40 percent of potential visitors from Bosnia were rejected at the border and 20 percent of passengers in Serbia.
"Measures with neighboring countries are on track, so we have opened borders for only a dozen EU countries. This does not apply to our non-member neighbors, they must prove personal or business needs," Bozinovic added.
