ZAGREB, August 28, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours 357 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Croatia, bringing the number of active cases to 2,560, the national COVID-19 response team said on Friday.

Currently 212 patients are hospitalised, including 11 on ventilators, and three more persons have died.

Since February 25, when the first case was recorded in Croatia, 9,550 persons have been infected with the new virus, 180 of whom have died, while 6,809 have recovered.

Currently 8,780 persons are self-isolating.

To date, 161,701 persons have been tested, including 2,065 over the past 24 hours.

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August 28, 2020 - After new measures were introduced in Split-Dalmatia County, Dubrovnik-Neretva County asks for the same.

Index.hr reports that on Thursday, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Headquarters proposed to the National Headquarters the adoption of measures, including limiting the number of participants in weddings, funerals and commemorations to 50 people, while celebrations can only be organized with families of up to 20 participants.

In addition, performances, religious ceremonies and other facilities should be held in addition to all epidemiological measures if they are outdoors, and if they are indoors, a mask should be used and kept at a distance of two meters.

The organizers of the gathering and the owners of the catering facilities are responsible for the implementation of the measures and must implement them more intensively, and the local civil protection headquarters are also in charge of that.

The measures would apply from Monday, August 31, for a period of 14 days.

The Chief of the County Headquarters, Josko Cebalo, expects that the National Headquarters will accept the proposal and make a decision on Friday.

"The goal is to protect the health of the population and preserve the economy, primarily the tourist season. In our county, more than a quarter of tourist traffic occurs before and in the post-season, so it is important to maintain a stable situation so that the season lasts as long as possible," Cebalo explained.

He noted that the measures were supported by representatives of chambers of commerce and crafts.

"With the opening of the economy and the start of the tourist season, we expected higher risk of increasing the number of infected. Experience has shown that larger gatherings, family and weddings and public events, are potential hotspots," Cebalo said.

He announced a meeting with local government leaders on Friday to discuss whether another measure needs to be proposed.

Visiting RTL Television's Dnevnik tonight, Krunoslav Capak expressed satisfaction with the increased involvement of local headquarters in combating COVID-19, because "they can most easily spot what is happening to them and where the problem is and how they can prevent further spread of the coronavirus, which is much harder to see from the National Headquarters."

"I think it is going in the right direction, except for Brod-Posavina and Split-Dalmatia counties," he said. "Today, the National Civil Protection Headquarters received additional proposals from Medjimurje and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties, and it is expected that there will be more tomorrow, after today's meetings of local headquarters of some counties, which announced the submission of their complete proposals on Friday," added Capak.

"Tomorrow, the Headquarters will carefully consider this. In any case, we will always support the local headquarters, but we must make sure that these measures must be consistent for all of Croatia," said the director of the CNIPH.

And while new measures are being announced, existing ones are still being debated. Specifically, on the closure of gyms in Split-Dalmatia County. That measure, which came into force on Thursday, has raised a lot of questions. The Voice of Entrepreneurs Association asked the Headquarters to prove that gyms are hotspots.

As a guest on RTL, Capak said that he did not know how many people in the gyms became infected.

"Look, if there is a history of someone getting infected and there is no other way than being at the gym, that would be proof. I have to admit I didn't make it, as I was out of the institution all day today, and I didn't get to talk to colleagues from Split-Dalmatia County. But I'm sure they had a reason to do what they did," Capak said.

The question, therefore, arises as to whether the National Headquarters, which accepted the proposed measures of the local headquarters, asked for more concrete evidence at all. From what Capak said, it could be concluded that they did not. Capak even says he’s sure they had a reason to do so.

Capak added that gyms and fitness centers are important for people's health.

"If we see that the situation is improving, we will recommend that this measure be opened as soon as possible because these are institutions that help us preserve and acquire health," he said.

When asked if someone was inside a nightclub, restaurant and gym, then how could you prove they were infected at the gym, Capak said it was hard to tell.

"But with a good epidemiological history, this is possible. Especially if several infected people were in one place, and they were not, say, in the same club, but were in the same place, it is possible to determine. And now I can not say whether it was like that," Capak said.

In the meantime, the Voice of Entrepreneurs are demanding that the government pay salaries and contributions to workers who cannot work because gyms are closed.

"Our message is clear. If you want to close us down or limit our business, gentlemen in the Government, then you have to pay for it, not only with measures to preserve jobs, but also with additional ones - to preserve the companies you are closing or restricting business in the name of force majeure. Without companies, there are no employees," said Hrvoje Bujas, president of the Voice of Entrepreneurs association.

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August 28, 2020 - Croatia has been placed on Slovakia's red list and Denmark's orange list due to the spike in coronavirus cases.

Index.hr reports that Slovakia has expanded the list of countries on the red list, i.e., countries at high risk due to a rise in coronavirus cases. Croatia is on the red list, and the restrictions take effect on September 1.

As of September 2, the countries on the red list for coronavirus are Croatia, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Malta, Slovak Pravda reports.

They add that it is not recommended to travel to Greece, which is also high-risk.

Denmark put Croatia on the orange, "quarantine" list of countries for COVID-19 on Thursday, the foreign ministry said, warning not to travel to Croatia unless necessary.

"This week, France and Croatia have been added to the list of countries to which any unnecessary travel is discouraged due to the increased number of infections. The SSI (Institut Statens Serum) numbers show that the infection rate is 31.3 for France and 32 for Croatia. Thus, these countries are above the national criterion on the infection rate of 30," according to the ministry's website.

The Ministry tells those who are already on holiday in Croatia that they can stay until the previously planned date, but that they should minimize the risk of infection and should be tested when they return home, although they do not have to stay in isolation for 2 weeks.

If they decide to visit Croatia in the future, then they are invited to spend 14 days in quarantine on their return to Denmark.

As of midnight on August 29, Croats, as well as citizens of other "quarantine" countries such as Belgium, France, Romania, or Spain, will need to state the reason for their visit to enter Denmark.

The Croatian embassy in Copenhagen warned Croatian citizens on its Facebook page that it would be in the orange category of travel recommendations from midnight on August 29, and asked that they are informed in more detail about the conditions for entering Denmark.

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs updates its list of travel recommendations every week, based on data from the Statens Serum Institute.

In an interview with RTL, Capak commented on the measures that other countries are implementing against Croatia.

"Our incidence is high. We have more than 60 per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days. We have a high rate, and it is expected that some countries will take some measures against us. But I must say that most of Europe is still green towards the citizens of Croatia and us. I can still travel to most European countries. We hope that now that the tourist season is waning, we will be able to reduce it and improve our indicators, based on which they will then remove us from the red and orange lists," Capak said.

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ZAGREB, August 27, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, of 2,849 tests performed for the coronavirus infection, 304 turned out positive, and Croatia currently has 2,420 active cases, the national COVID-19 response team reported on Thursday.

Of those active cases, 194 are in hospitals, including 13 patients placed on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, Croatia's COVID-related death toll has risen by two more fatalities to 177.

Since the outbreak of the disease on 25 February, Croatia has performed 160,236 tests, and 9,192 persons have been diagnosed with the disease, of whom 6,595 have recovered.

Currently, 8,388 people throughout the country are self-isolating.

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ZAGREB, Aug 27, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros told the government on Thursday that during the past seven days, Croatia experienced the biggest spike in coronavirus cases, and that the numbers are not good, however, the clinical status of people infected with the virus is milder than at the onset of the epidemic.

Since the outbreak the epidemic of the coronavirus on 25 February,  8,889 people in Croatia have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and 157,387 people have been tested for it.

Currently, there are 2,352 active cases, Beros said.

Of those active cases, 174 are receiving hospital treatment, and this is 7.4% of all those currently infected. There are 10 patients on ventilators or 0.4% of the infected, Beros said.

Responsible behaviour can markedly reduce the spread of the infection, and the minister called on Croatians to strictly comply with epidemiological measures.

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ZAGREB, Aug 27, 2020 - The Croatian chamber of public health officials on Thursday called on the authorities to hire more specialists from sanitary engineering in crisis situations such as the current COVID-19 epidemic.

The chamber says that the shortage of epidemiologists could be offset by actively engaging more certified sanitary engineers who are currently out of work.

The chamber believes that, when it comes to the implementation of epidemiological measures, a major part of the practical work required, could be performed by sanitary engineers. Therefore the association has appealed for more these professionals to be hired in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection.

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ZAGREB, Aug 26, 2020- In the last 24 hours, there have been a record high 358 cases of infection with coronavirus in Croatia, and currently there are 2,352 active cases, the national COVID-19 response team said on Wednesday.

Health Minister Vili Beros informed a news conference that 184 COVID patients were currently being treated in hospitals, which is 7.4% of all active cases, and 10 of those patients are now on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, 26 new patients have been admitted to the hospital, while 19 have been discharged.

Also, 7,993 people are now in self-isolation.

Croatia's COVID-related death toll stands at 175, and a total of 6,362 have recovered.

Thus, since the onset of the epidemic on 25 February,  8,889 people in Croatia have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and 157,387 people have been tested for it.

Currently, 130 healthcare workers are positive for COVID.

In Split-Dalmatia County where 136 people have been diagnosed with this infection in the last 24 hours, new hotspots have appeared in fitness gyms.

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ZAGREB, August 26, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros said on Wednesday ahead of an inner cabinet meeting that today's numbers of coronavirus cases were not the best and that they are higher than yesterday, when 219 new cases were registered, adding that new clusters have emerged in Split.

"I am in contact with epidemiologists. It is good that, in line with our previous agreements, the county response team is recommending new measures that will be appropriate. It is of essential importance that people in the field have daily information about new clusters as new ones are emerging, including fitness centres, gyms," Beros told reporters.

Beros said he would meet with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic before the cabinet meeting because the latest developments require a speedy reaction.

In reference to a recording of a conversation between him and the deputy director of the Sisters of Mercy Hospital in Zagreb, Dijana Zadravec, Beros said that yesterday they had tried to identify who recorded that conversation and asked reporters to concentrate on the contents of the conversation.

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ZAGREB, August 26, 2020 - The Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Ministry said on Wednesday that Assistant Minister Maja Marija Nahod was positive for coronavirus and that one of her contacts was Minister Darko Horvat, who is self-isolating despite testing negative.

The ministry said Nahod had mild symptoms and that the state secretary at the ministry, Zeljko Uhlir, and another ministry staffer were also self-isolating.

Minister Horvat will be tested again in five days. The result of Uhlir's test will be known today.

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ZAGREB, Aug 25, 2020 - The government's Scientific Council on Tuesday recommended introducing new epidemiological measures in places where there are more infected persons in order to reverse the current negative trends ahead of the new school year.

"The number of new infections has been growing over the past two weeks and we have concluded that that was a risk that we accepted when we opened the border for the tourist season, but now we agree that it is time again, in places with an increase in the number of new infections, to take measures to reduce those numbers and have as few infections as possible before the start of the school year," epidemiologist Branko Kolaric said after a session of the Scientific Council.

The new epidemiological measures will be made by the national COVID-19 response team, and the Scientific Council has only advised it on what should be done, he said.

"Our advice is to introduce new measures regionally, locally and depending on the current epidemiological situation. There will be no horizontal measures for the entire country, in the communities with a larger number of infections masks will have to be worn indoors and awareness of the importance of physical distancing will have to be raised," said Kolaric.

He added that due to a shortage of epidemiologists additional personnel would be hired to help primarily in the search for the contacts of infected persons.

Asked about the Russian vaccine against the coronavirus, Kolaric said that he knew very little about it and that he believed it was an adenovirus vaccine. He stressed, though, that on the list of the World Health Organisation there were six vaccines in an advanced stage of research and that he was optimistic in that regard.

The head of Zagreb's hospital for infectious diseases "Dr Fran Mihaljevic", Alemka Markotic, said that one should prepare for the autumn and winter months when more severe cases of the disease and greater pressure on the health system were expected.

"Nobody expects any major lockdown but one should be able to cope with the situation and find the right measures," Markotic said, concluding that so far, Croatia had been dealing well with the pandemic.

As for the tourist season, she said that there had been no significant number of infections in hotels and camping sites and that there were around 300 entries on international platforms with data on infected tourists.

"There has been no explosion of the infection so far but now that people are returning to their workplace and children start school, one should be aware of the need to adhere to epidemiological measures and be disciplined," she said. 

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