ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - In the past 24 hours, Croatia registered 130 new cases of the coronavirus and there are currently 686 active cases in the country, the national COVID-19 response team informed on Wednesday and added that night clubs where the disease emerges will be shut down.
"There are no particular new hot spots at the moment. People are returning from vacations and we have quite a few young people infected with the disease. The average age of newly infected people is 34 and these are mostly young people who have attended certain gatherings at different locations," said Krunoslav Capak, the head of the Croatian Institute for Public Health.
When it comes to night clubs and hospitality venues, Capak underscored that new recommendations have been issued for night clubs according to which all closed premises in clubs should be closed and patrons need to gather in open areas of clubs.
Dance floors should be closed down and tables should be set up at a physical distance of 1.5 metres and that will all be checked by members of civil protection authorities.
Stepping up checks and inspections
Inspections will be stepped up. Epidemiological and health inspectors will have the authority to shut down a venue if they determine that someone had been infected there. They will be able to reopen the venue after disinfection and all employees have been tested for the virus. That recommendation has been sent to all local authorities who will inform club and hospitality venue owners.
"That however does not refer only to hospitality premises but to everyone. If it is determined that someone has been infected in whatever premises, such as banks or museums, they too will then be closed. This is a temporary measure and will be in force until it is determined that it is no longer necessary," said Capak.
With regard to the most recent cases of the infection in night clubs, Capak said that there was no precise data of how many people were infected in them "however, a good portion of them are related to several night clubs." There are a lot of cases of the infection connected to clubs on Pag, Vir, in Makarska, Novalja and Vodice.
Capak underlined that at the moment no one who attended the celebrations in Knin (on 5 August) and Sinj this past weekend has contracted the virus.
As far as infected foreign citizens are concerned, there have been 28 reports through the European information system of infected tourists who have been from four countries, mostly from Austria, Italy, Germany and Slovenia. "We have a few foreign citizens who have been infected, fewer than 15," he said.
