July 6, 2020 - From the first of July, low-cost airlines finally took off for Zadar Airport.

HRTurizam reports that 5,270 tourists visited Zadar on July 2 (14.6 thousand on the same day last year) or 36 percent of last year's figures.

This tells us that. tourist traffic is recovering somewhat and that the Adria Tour has not left long-term negative consequences for Zadar. At least according to current data.

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Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, has been flying 10 flights to/from Zadar since the beginning of July. Also, the Polish national airline LOT landed in Zadar on July 3, and the flight from Warsaw to Zadar will operate once a week, like many others.

According to the eVisitor system, Zadar ranks sixth in terms of tourist arrivals in the Republic of Croatia from the beginning of the year to the end of June (43,000 arrivals). Most of the work was done in household facilities (42 percent) and hotels (32 percent), while camps, non-commercial accommodation and other catering accommodation with an additional 26 percent of turnover statistically filled the overall figures.

Clearly, all these data are far from last year's record numbers of tourist traffic in Zadar, but given the pandemic circumstances in March, April and May and the fact that tourism is just beginning to happen, they are not catastrophic, especially after the Adria Tour.

When it comes to overnight stays of domestic and foreign guests for the same six-month period, with 150 thousand overnight stays, Zadar holds the ninth position in Croatia ahead of Split, Opatija, Crikvenica and other destinations.

"The decline in tourist traffic is significant, but in the case of Zadar, it is not so catastrophic. Of course, we all expect a speedy recovery of tourist traffic due to the importance of tourism in the economy of Zadar and the whole country, so the fact that most European countries see Croatia as a safe destination is now really encouraging. It seems that better numbers can be expected during July and August, when many will head to tourist destinations outside their countries, but we can also expect a significant arrival of domestic guests. The re-establishment of air traffic is especially important for Zadar," emphasized the Zadar Tourist Board.

Thus, when compared to last year's figures for tourist traffic in Zadar, June's 30 percent share in overnight stays and 25 percent in arrivals, in circumstances when most European countries have not yet opened their borders, it really does not seem so bad. And that is within the framework at the national level, as well as forecasts before the start of the season. Surely everyone would sign 30% of the turnover immediately before the start of the tourist season, and anything beyond that will be a great result in this uncertain year.

During June, most tourist overnight stays in Zadar were realized by Croats with a share in total overnight stays of 30 percent, and after domestic guests, the best were Germans with 22 percent, followed by Austrians with 13 percent, Slovenes with 11 percent, Czechs with 5 percent, Hungarians with 3 percent, while guests from Poland, Slovakia, Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina each had a 2 percent share in total overnight stays.

Domestic tourists realized a little more than 22 thousand overnight stays, while foreign guests had about 51 thousand overnight stays. When it comes to organizing tourist arrivals, 79 percent of guests came individually, while 21 percent of tourists arrived in Zadar through travel agencies.

June 26, 2020 - After two negative test results, Goran Ivanisevic has tested positive for the coronavirus. The former tennis player and Adria Tour Zadar director is in self-isolation, and is said to have milder symptoms and feels well.

Dalmatinski Portal writes that in addition to being in constant contact with Novak Djokovic, Goran Ivanisevic was with the tennis players and participants of the Adria Tour in Zadar.

"Unfortunately, after two negative tests in the last 10 days, I just found out the results of today's third test and it is positive for COVID-19. I feel good and have no symptoms. I want to inform everyone who has been in contact with me that I am COVID-positive and ask them to take all necessary steps to protect themselves and their loved ones. I will continue to self-isolate as I have been doing already. I wish everyone who got infected a speedy recovery," Ivanisevic wrote on Instagram.

The drama started just a few minutes before the final of the Adria Tour in Zadar between Djokovic and Rublev was to take place on Sunday. However, Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, who also played in Zadar, announced on Instagram that he was positive for the coronavirus. The final was canceled and participants were tested.

Apart from Dimitrov, Croatian national team player Borna Coric and Serbian tennis player Viktor Troicki also received positive results, as well as Marko Paniki, fitness coach of Novak Djokovic and Christian Groh, coach of Grigor Dimitrov.

The No. 1 tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, did not test with the others in Zadar, but in Belgrade. His result was positive. His wife Jelena is also positive, while their children's test results are negative. Novak's parents Srdjan and Dijana, as well as his uncle Srdjan, received negative results. His brother Đorđe, who was the director of the Adria Tour in Zadar, was tested in Croatia and was also negative.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 25, 2020 - Tournament director Goran Ivanisevic hits back at critics of Novak Djokovic after the coronavirus outbreak at the Adria Tour in Zadar.

The final of the Adria Tour in Zadar was canceled when it was learned that Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus. Panic ensued, and the tournament could not go on. Everyone who was there was asked to be tested.

Among those infected now are Croatian tennis player Borna Coric, as well as the Adria Tour tournament organizer and number one player in the world, Novak Djokovic, and his wife.

While some consider the main culprit Dimitrov, who kept silent that he wasn't feeling well and did not want to be tested, many are pointing the finger of guilt at Djokovic, who has been the target of severe attacks in recent days. Goran Ivanisevic, who was one of the directors of the tournament, also spoke out, and in conversation with Sportske Novosti, said that he was outraged by the number of attacks on Djokovic, as reported by T.portal.

"It is easy to be a general after a battle. Now everyone is very smart. A lot of them attack Novak, it’s very popular, as if they could hardly wait for his wrong move. He tried to do something big that had a humanitarian character after we were all imprisoned for three months," said Ivanisevic.

The legendary Croatian tennis player admits that the party in Belgrade was excessive and that they were carried away by the atmosphere. The parties were considered the source of the focus in Zadar, but Goran disagrees. 

"I can accept that we didn’t need it, but all the players are there for themselves. No one forced anyone to come to that club, no one was forced to dance or take off their T-shirts," says Ivanisevic and adds: "Again, how can anyone say that the infection started from there? Marco Panichi, Novak’s fitness trainer, wasn’t even at the party. I was with him in Belgrade every day for almost two weeks, and he tested positive, while I tested negative twice. Can anyone explain that to me? Or that Miljan Amanovic, Novak's physiotherapist, treated Grigor Dimitrov's elbow in Zadar, more than once, and his test was negative?"

Ivanisevic also revealed why Zadar is the main topic, and there are fewer cases of infection there than in other places.

"Zadar is 'attractive' because the most famous ones tested positive there, so now everyone would like to score some points. That's how it goes, and it doesn't matter that there are fewer people infected than in some other cities in Croatia," says Ivanisevic.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 24, 2020 — The weeks-long parade of exposed faces and casual disregard for social distancing made the coronavirus’s return to Zadar, in retrospect, seem inevitable. It took the world’s no. 1 tennis player getting infected for anyone to notice the mask of responsibility slipping off.

At the opening press event for the Adria Tour’s Zadar leg, Nikolina Babić, the president of the Croatian Tennis Association, said organizers would “adhere to all measures prescribed by [authorities], with everyone having to think about themselves first, and thus protect others.” Organizers then reportedly symbolically distributed masks to the naked-faced journalists in attendance. 

It was the last time anyone would see masks at an Adria Tour event. Sunshine kissed the face of nearly every attendee at the tour’s various events. The haphazard seating signaled any pretense of “social distancing” vaporized the moment the tennis players arrived — save the lone visage of an elderly man, photographed trying to socially distance while wearing a mask at the event.

The Adria Tour's participants quickly embraced the loose attitude (even before arriving, they enjoyed a night out at a Belgrade night club). 

Social distancing was non-existent at press events and exhibitions. Masks apparently left at home. 

High-fives and selfies all around for locals at packed public press events, as well as mass group pictures and even embracing on the court. 

Even the country’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic took in a match huddled with colleagues and advisors, mask-free and shoulder-to-shoulder.

At its center was the world’ best men’s tennis player, Novak Djokovic, who has resisted calls for compulsory vaccination against COVID-19 and made overtures to alternative medicine, both of which he’s walking back now that he and his wife have tested positive for the virus.

Nearly 100 people who attended the event went into self-isolation, including Zadar’s Mayor Branko Dukić and County Head Božidar Longin. Both politicians’ brief public interactions with tennis players were during press events — out in the open. The Prime Minister’s own contact with Djokovic would require 14 days of self-isolation, according to rules laid out early in the pandemic by the government’s own Civil Protection Directorate, and enforced with HRK 8,000 fines.

The Prime Minister isn’t self-isolating. And the rules, conveniently, have been run through a semantic sausage maker enough times to lose all meaning, and even mismatch on the government’s own coronavirus website.

Deputy mayor Šime Vicković said in an interview with HRT that hosting the Adria Tour wasn’t a mistake.

"At the time when the decision was made to hold such a tournament, the situation in Croatia was positive in terms of the epidemiological picture and I think we were not wrong. Unfortunately, the fact is that we had one positive person and who made a certain, so to speak, mess now among us in the area of Zadar County.

"I think we did not make a mistake because this was a great success for the city of Zadar and Zadar County," Vickovic said.

Many worry the coming Parliamentary election has politicized the virus and infected a once-upstanding Civil Protection Directorate. But the casual disregard for the precautions started well before Djokovic and company arrived.

In fact, I saw it during my first day out in Zadar after nationwide restrictions began slowly loosening. 

It started, oddly, at a recycling center.

***

“You got cancer?”

“No.”

“Some other problems with your lungs?”

“No.”

I dumped my recyclable plastics into a dumpster, then shifted over to metals. My interrogator followed me.

“Someone in your family sick?”

“No.” 

I tossed some tins and soda cans over the edge of the receptacle. The attendant at the recycling center on the outskirts of Zadar had been orbiting me since I got out of my car. He watched as I dumped the trash bags full of recyclables I accrued during the lockdown.

“You’re a young and healthy guy?”

“Is that a question or are you telling me?”

“I’m just wondering why you have a mask on.”

I turned towards him, squinting in the sun, my chin sweating under my mask. He stared at me as if I were glowing.

“My wife’s pregnant,” I said. “I am not f*cking around. The masks cost me nothing, and it shouldn’t bother you.”

He paused.

“Are you scared?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then I still don’t understand… why wear a mask?” he asked, the corners of his mouth turning down.

It was late May. Croatia was sweeping away the cobwebs of a pandemic-slowing lockdown. 

The Adriatic coast prepared to save whatever it could of the coming tourism season. Press was good. Hopes were high.

Yet despite the collective isolation and ensuing bad vibes, many of Zadar’s locals relished their newfound freedoms. I could tell by their smiles.

Squirt-bottles of hand sanitizer greeting every customer slowly migrated away from entrances. First to tables, then next to cash registers, before disappearing. Face masks crawled down cashiers’ faces day by day. First exposing a nose, then creating an aqua green papery beard, until finally one day, all pretense of responsibility vanished and the masks disappeared as well.

Walking the streets over the last few weeks, one would be hard-pressed to even know a pandemic was sweeping the planet. Public transportation, especially the ferries, returned to their pre-pandemic bacchanalias. Public mask wearers quickly became the outliers, not the norm. Handshakes came back with a vengeance.

Into this pandemic-era Gomorrah stepped the Adria Tour. Zadar was still at zero active infections at the time. New infections jumped around the rest of the country the before tennis tournament arrived.

During the pandemic’s first swing through Croatia, I’d heard enough first and second-hand accounts of COVID-19 testing criteria seemingly improvised at the whim of whoever answered the phone that day. The public accounts matched the same inconsistencies.

One young woman turned herself in for testing after returning from Dubai, even though the country wasn’t on the list of coronavirus hotbeds. She ended up Zadar’s first positive case. 

A week later, an older man — a guy I heard about — returned from Turkey with a list of symptoms that overlaps the COVID-19 checklist. He was dismissed for days. Turkey had few infections at the time. Finally, epidemiologists tested him after some string-pulling and glad-handing required to get pretty much anything done. He was Zadar’s fourth case.

Those inconsistencies resurface after the Adria Tour left, and not just in Plenkovic's case.

Croatia’s Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said anyone who came into contact with a tennis player should go into self-isolation and will be contacted by an epidemiologist. Yet many have not.

The minister also downplayed any lapses by government officials and organizers who let the tournament and promotional events go on without enforcing social distancing rules, claiming individuals were responsible for their own behavior.

"We have shown that we know how to stop the virus,” he said. "This is not a situation we cannot deal with, I am sure that in the coming days the level of awareness among people, among all those who organize events, will rise and that we will return to even lower figures.”

Epidemiologists in Zadar said in a press conference that locals who attended the tournament need not worry.

"People who have been on the courts, in the stands, do not need to worry and should not go into self-isolation,” according to Dr. Alan Medic, chief epidemiologist for Zadar County. Kids who walked on the tennis courts shouldn’t go to school, he added.

Now, Health Minister Vili Beroš has evolved from a stoic caretaker of public health to a peddler of contested theories, the latest claiming the virus mutated into a benign bug. Initially, he said it will go away on its own without a second wave.

“I think the virus, like its predecessors SARS and MERS, will do what it does and disappear into history,” he said in an interview on HRT.

The tennis court which hosted the Adria Tour disappeared into history. The coronavirus remains.

June 24, 2020 - The president of the Croatian Tennis Federation, Nikolina Babic, spoke about the coronavirus outbreak at the Adria Tour in Zadar.

Index.hr reports that Nikolina Babic is a member of political party HDZ, and at one time, she was in parliament for 13 days as Darko Horvat's deputy. Babic called in on Skype because she was self-isolating

Babic told Index that, despite following all the recommendations of keeping a two-meter distance indoors and contact that did not last longer than 15 minutes, she went into self-isolation.

"This was a big organization and there was a great desire to organize a tournament in Zadar and Croatia, and to present it with popular players. We did everything in good faith, but what happened, happened," she said.

She also answered the question of why they didn't ensure that matches were monitored according to the regulations?

"We sold tickets according to the recommendation, in all our speeches, we asked the spectators to adhere to the regulations and distances. I don’t know exactly how many tickets were sold, I think about a third. The players themselves were not in contact with other actors, and I'm talking about 15 minutes, the players stopped, took photos, went on, the most threats were among themselves," she said.

She added that there were security guards on the Tour who kept order and disinfectants and that they adhered to the measures.

"There were more than 100 of them, and there were disinfectants everywhere, we adhered to the measures. The virus is among us and will be among us. Life will not stop, and first of all, we must protect ourselves and everything around us. This was all outdoors and there was certainly less risk to it. In other parts of Croatia, there are many more infected without such an event," she added.

She also said the measures did not require tennis players to be tested earlier.

"The measures that were in Croatia did not require it, as foreigners who come to Croatia are not obliged to be tested. If it weren't for Dimitrov, a tennis player, a star, there wouldn't be such tension and a story about this tournament. Of course, it happened that a famous player was infected. Zadar was 'alive', everyone thanked us, the caterers, bookings were full, a nice presentation was given, but unfortunately, what happened happened," she added.

She also commented on Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who is not in self-isolation.

“Okay, I mean, we know what close contact is, longer than 15 minutes indoors at less than two meters. I was with the Prime Minister from when he arrived to when he left. He really wasn't in any close contact with the tennis players, that is, with Djokovic, except for the picture with Djokovic circulating where he patted him on the shoulder for 30 seconds. 

I'm sorry, if it weren't for the elections, Zadar wouldn't have the connotation it has ... Political targets for political purposes… it's certainly not good and I'm extremely sorry. From the very beginning, the Prime Minister adhered to regulations and measures and guards and watches. Certainly, and considering his function, he cannot be in self-isolation, as he is really very exclusive in that," she said. The journalist interrupted Babic, saying that he did not agree.

Babic added that she was in self-isolation because she had been in Zadar all week and that she was doing it preventively, and that she herself would not have been in self-isolation if she had been in contact with the tennis player for five or ten minutes.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, June 24, 2020 - Following the emergence of coronavirus at a tennis tournament in Zadar at the weekend, another 74 samples were tested on Tuesday and all returned negative, the local coronavirus crisis response team said on Tuesday evening.

A total of 186 people have been tested since Sunday, and 123 are under "active observation," the response team said.

The epidemiological situation in the Zadar area is good, and the crisis response team asked the public to continue to adhere to the measures in place to maintain the present situation.

Four people attending the Zadar leg of the Adria Tour tournament have tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted the organisers to cancel the competition. The first case was detected on Sunday after Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov did a test in Monaco after returning from Zadar and reported that he had been infected. Croatian tennis player Borna Coric, the coaches for the world's no. 1 tennis player, Serbian Novak Djokovic, and Grigor Dimitrov, and a five-year-old child have also tested positive.

Djokovic later confirmed that he, too, was positive after doing a test in Belgrade. He said he was feeling good and had no symptoms.

June 23, 2020 - Novak Djokovic has tested positive for the coronavirus after being tested in Belgrade. As confirmed in a statement from his team, both he and his wife are positive while the children received a negative result. They add that they have no symptoms.

Index.hr reports that after the coronavirus outbreak on the Adria Tour in Zadar on Sunday, the world's best tennis player immediately went to Serbia, where he was tested with his family.

A statement from Djokovic on his website:

“The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative.

Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.

The Tour has been designed to help both established and up and coming tennis players from South-Eastern Europe to gain access to some competitive tennis while the various tours are on hold due to the COVID-19 situation.

It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this.

We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met.

Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.

I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all resume lives the way they were.

I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine.

I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days.”

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was in contact with Djokovic at the tournament in Zadar. He was tested yesterday and was negative.

Recall, the tennis spectacle in Zadar was interrupted after Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus.

Last night, 22 people were tested, including tennis players, and it was determined that three more people were positive, including Croatian tennis player Borna Coric.

Along with Coric, Marko Panichi, Novak Djokovic's fitness coach, and Christian Groh, Grigor Dimitrov's coach, are also positive. Among the tennis players who were tested was Marin Cilic, who received a negative result, but will still go into self-isolation for 14 days.

Borna Coric and the two infected coaches remain in Zadar under strictly controlled conditions prescribed by epidemiologists and will follow all instructions, the Croatian Tennis Federation reported. Other participants and players will travel home and will be in constant contact with the epidemiological services of their home countries. 

Residents of Zadar County who suspect infection were called by the Zadar headquarters to contact the epidemiologist on duty at 098 332 765 and their doctor.

More soon...

To read more news in Croatia, follow TCN's. dedicated page.

June 23, 2020 - The Croatian Sports Secretary, Tomislav Druzak, comments on whether the events at the Adria Tour in Zadar will affect the course of Croatian sporting events.

Gol.hr reports that after the dramatic events in Zadar at the Adria Tour, many are wondering how it is possible that the corona outbreak even occurred. Recall, Croatia long hesitated about how and when to allow the start of sports training and the continuation of seasons.

Gol.hr asked the Croatian Secretary of Sport, Tomislav Druzak, whether the events in Zadar will affect the course of Croatian sporting events.

You were in Zadar, and you saw everything. Who was in charge of supervising the entire tournament and following the epidemiological recommendations?

"The Zadar tournament was supposed to be a wonderful sports and promotional story for Croatian sports and the country. To a large extent, it was. The organization was carried by the Croatian Tennis Federation, i.e., the people who hosted the Adria Tour, which was led by Goran Ivanisevic as the director and the entire team of Novak Djokovic who ran the tournament. The organization was at a high level from the sports aspect of the story. The other part, where the after-parties took place, I wasn’t familiar with that. I think it could have been done without it, that the whole story would have been much more beautiful if it weren't for the parties."

Was the organizer obliged to test the players before the start of the tournament?

"From the epidemiological point of view, that was not obligatory. However, I would have carried it out, had I been the organizer. I was even convinced that some testing had been conducted, especially when we know where a large number of tennis players and support staff are coming. If that had been done, we would probably have had a slightly better situation today. "

Given recent events, are you considering restricting or introducing new measures when it comes to training and sporting events?

"I think that the Croatian Institute of Public Health and the Central Office for Sports, together with the Croatian Olympic Committee and other factors, i.e., national federations, have really made an effort and that we have made precise and quality measures to ensure the continuation of all sporting events. I think it would be a step backward to go towards closing sporting events. The virus has shown that it is there, that it lives with us, that we have to get used to it and that we finally start applying these recommended measures," said Druzak.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 22, 2020 - As more infections emerge from the Adria Tour tennis tournament, some important questions from a news headline six days ago. 

Premier League football returned to England a few days ago, much to the relief of the billions of fans all over the world. 

The new normal meant empty stadia, of course, which must be a huge financial strain on the big clubs.But safety first, and all that. 

Meanwhile, in Croatia, which has done an outstanding job in containing coronavirus thus far, with just 2,317 cases in total, 107 deaths and 68 active cases, things are a little more relaxed. 

Global tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was in Zadar with the Adria Tour, a fantastic event in normal times, and great PR for Zadar. Such a good PR event that Prime Minister Plenkovic dropped in - with two weeks to a general election, one doesn't get better photo ops than this. 

(Photo credit Marko Stefanek, Total Waterpolo)

Unlike the Premier League, there were plenty of fans. 

All was fine. 

Until...

Adria Tour Final in Zadar Canceled After Dimitrov Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Then...

Borna Coric Among Players Positive for Coronavirus at Adria Tour in Zadar

(Borna Coric, who has since tested positive for COVID-19, surrounded by fans at Adria Tour - photo credit Marko Stefanek, Total Waterpolo)

And now for something VERY strange. A report from UBI Tennis, dated June 16, 2020 - SIX days ago:

ATPAdria Tour: Djokovic And The Other Players May Have Been In Contact With COVID-19

A Serbian basketball player that met Novak Djokovic last week in Belgrade tested positive for COVID-19. Thiem, Zverev and Dimitrov could have been exposed to the virus as well. The next Adria Tour event in Zadar is going ahead as planned

A great PR opportunity for sure. What is more important to the Croatian authorities at the moment - health, tourism, the economy... or re-election?

It is 13 days until the Croatian general election. 

June 22, 2020 - Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive foor the coronavirus, which is why the final of the Adria Tour in Zadar between Novak Djokovic and Andrej Rublev was canceled on Sunday.

N1 reports that three more tennis players are positive for coronavirus, as confirmed by Sime Vickovic, Chief of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Zadar County.

Among them is Croatian tennis player Borna Coric and the fitness coach of the infected Dimitrov, N1 has learned.

View this post on Instagram

Pozdrav svima, zelim vas informirati da sam pozitivan na Covid-19. Molim svih koji su bili u kontaktu sa mnom zadnjih nekoliko dana da se testiraju. Jako mi je zao ako sam prouzrocio bilo kome problem. Dobro se osjecam i nemam simptome. Cuvajte se. Saljem svima puno ljubavi!

A post shared by Borna Coric (@bornacoric) on Jun 22, 2020 at 12:29am PDT

Tests are being conducted in Zadar on people who have been in close contact with the coronavirus-positive Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov was at the Adria Tour in Zadar for a few days, and in addition to tennis, he also played basketball with other players and hung out with citizens.

It was announced in Croatia on Sunday that there were 18 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

More on this developing story soon...

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