ZAGREB, July 1, 2020 - The Constitutional Court has requested the State Electoral Commission (DIP) to explain within 24 hours its voting ban for persons infected with coronavirus as part of the oversight of the constitutionality and legality of elections, Court president Miroslav Separovic told Hina on Wednesday.

After the Commission's explanation, the Court will make a decision on the Commission's conclusion that infected persons cannot vote at home in the July 5 parliamentary election, unlike voters who will be in self-isolation that day and who also pose a health risk, Separovic said.

A number of constitution experts, politicians, and NGOs have warned that the Electoral Commission's exclusion of persons with coronavirus from voting restricts unconstitutionally and disproportionately the suffrage rights, but the Commission sticks by its position, citing health protection.

June 30, 2020 - The news we've all been waiting for finally (at least partially) arrived today: the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters officially decided that Croatia will open its borders fully for all EU and Schengen area passengers (EU/EEA citizens and permanent residents). 

Update - Croatian Police Publish New Official Border Guidelines, Effective July 11, 2020

It's been months since things started changing on the Croatian borders (and elsewhere), but not one single day has been anticipated as this one has been during that whole period. The Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters have uploaded to their website their decision (this link opens a .pdf document) which states clearly that Croatian borders are still closed for all passengers, EXCEPT all EU-passport holders, as well as those whose countries belong to the Schengen area and associated countries. The decision clearly states that the exception for the EU/Schengen nationals includes the family members of those with the aforementioned passports. 

It also states that the third-country citizens that have permanent residence in the EU, based on the EU Directive 2003/109/EZ from November 2003, as well as any other directive or national long-term visas are also exempt from the ban, i.e. are allowed to enter Croatia. 

All those aforementioned people who want to enter Croatia are instructed to announce their intention of entering Croatia at https://entercroatia.mup.hr for epidemilogical reasons and faster border crossing. without any administration.

The decision also states that the third-country passengers with special status (such as medical workers, cross-border employees, transportation workers, and others) are also allowed into Croatia, but with possible conditions. The most interesting case mentioned in the exceptions is the fact that all third-country passengers can enter Croatia if they are here for tourism and any other business, but they can be subject to special epidemiological measures. By the end of the day, we will almost certainly know more about the scope of those measures.

The decision will take effect at midnight tonight, i.e. will be enforced as of July the 1st (it says in it that it is in place until July the 15th, and then another one will arrive - possibly just extending this one). 

Additionally, the self-isolation measure for the citizens of 4 countries (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia), which has been introduced on June 24, has not been prolonged today, which means that the travelers from those countries can also enter Croatia without any restrictions, tests or self-isolation.

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ZAGREB, June 30, 2020 - Fifty-two new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, bringing their total to 2,777, the national coronavirus response team told a press conference on Tuesday.

"We have 52 new cases. Over 4,000 people are in self-isolation and two are on ventilators," epidemiologist Krunoslav Capak said, adding that the number of active infections is 515.

He said that 75 people infected with the novel COVID-19 virus are being treated in hospitals.

To date, 79,104 people have been tested, including 921 in the last 24 hours. A total of 2,155 infected persons have recovered and 107 have died.

After a very favourable epidemiological situation, Croatia has seen a rise in the number of cases as a result of a failure by people to adhere to the necessary measures and because of imported cases.

"We had several good weeks, after which we had a rise in the number of cases because of imported cases and failure to adhere to the measures," Capak said.

ZAGREB, June 30, 2020 - EU member states will on Wednesday open their borders to 15 countries, including Serbia and Montenegro, while Croatia has added Bosnia and Herzegovina, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Tuesday, adding that there were fewer new cases of COVID-19 in Bosnia than in Serbia and the decision is in Croatia's economics interest.

Bozinovic assessed that this is not a political decision related to the coming election but that it is in the interest of the Croatian economy. He said that the final recommendation from Brussels is still pending.

"We do not expect any additional problems due to opening the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina because the import of infected people was far higher from Serbia than from Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Bozinovic. Twenty-five cases were imported from Serbia and only eight from Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said and added that authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including epidemiologists, were taking the necessary steps.

"The thing that is important is that hotspots are under control in Croatia. It is not unexpected that the number of people infected will increase in some areas of Croatia, just as they are growing in other European countries. Given that the clinical picture is milder, the health services are not overloaded, I think that only one ventilator is currently in use," he said.

Bozinovic reiterated that at the moment decisions were being made in favour of economic activity, primarily tourism. He said that he has noticed that people are adhering more to the recommendations and that this is "a preparatory period for the autumn when more respiratory problems are usually prevalent."

Commenting on night clubs being the source of new infections in Croatia, he said that inspectors would be issuing warnings at first but then would impose sanctions for those breaching measures.

ZAGREB, June 30, 2020 - The GONG election monitoring NGO on Tuesday warned that people infected with the coronavirus will not have the right to vote because the State Electoral Commission has not allowed them to vote from home while at the same time it has allowed this for people in self-isolation even though they too pose a risk.

GONG underscored that this is a denial of a fundamental political and constitutional right.

"This inconsistency leads to the question of the necessity and the ability of the measure to achieve its primary goal of protecting lives and health. The infection could in theory be spread also by people in self-isolation, hence the question is, has the right for those infected been unreasonably restricted," GONG said in a press release.

GONG added that the public had to know on the basis of which law have those infected with coronavirus been stripped of their right to vote given that Croatian law does not recognise the category of stripping someone of their right to vote, hence the procedure to do so is not prescribed.

"Seeing that the law does not foresee voting in hospitals, all citizens being treated in hospitals, not just those suffering from coronavirus, will be stripped of their constitutional right to vote," GONG underlined.

GONG advocates establishing polling stations at all hospitals and care facilities as well as introducing postal votes so as to avoid any discrimination.

ZAGREB, June 29, 2020 - Croatia is in the final phase of entering the USA's Visa Waiver Programme and despite COVID-19 it has not put its foreign policy priorities on hold, Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic said on Monday.

"Despite the crisis caused by COVID-19, we have not neglected a single foreign policy priority," Bozinovic said after the signing of a Croatia-USA agreement on cooperation for stronger aviation safety.

Bozinovic recalled agreements signed between Croatia and various agencies, including the FBI and the DIA, which, he said, "now really makes it possible for us to say that we are embarking on the final stage" of the process of entering the Visa Waiver Programme.

US Ambassador Robert Kohorst said both governments had been working on that goal with great commitment, noting that he was thrilled because, despite COVID-19 and all the problems, the two sides had managed to work together on their partnership and had made a big step towards Croatia's entry into the Visa Waiver Programme.

Kohorst added that Croatia's entry, planned for the end of this year, could be postponed for a few months due to the health crisis but that they would do their best to honor the initial deadline.

The agreement on cooperation for stronger aviation safety between the USA and Croatia is a step towards visa-free travel to the USA for Croatian citizens.

Of the EU member states, only nationals of Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus cannot enter the USA without a visa.

ZAGREB, June 29, 2020 - The State Electoral Commission (DIP) on Monday unveiled instructions on voting in the July 5 parliamentary election at polling stations and institutions for special care in the context of the coronavirus epidemic, including instructions for persons in self-isolation.

DIP chair Djuro Sessa said two technical recommendations were adopted, one on the implementation of elections at around 7,000 regular polling stations in Croatia and the other on voting in retirement homes.

Sessa called on all voters in self-isolation to contact their polling committees by Thursday so that those committees could make a work plan for Sunday.

According to DIP's recommendations, all polling stations will have to be washed and disinfected, all members of polling committees will have to wear face masks, and it has been recommended that they wear gloves as well. Gloves will be mandatory only for those members of polling committees who identify voters and those who have hand skin problems.

Disinfectants will be available at entrances to polling stations and their application will be controlled, the distance between polling booths will be 1.5 metres as will the distance between members of polling committees.

As for voting outside one's place of residence, those who cannot go to the polls due to health reasons and people in self-isolation have to report to polling committees at least three days before the election so they can vote at home, under strict compliance with epidemiological measures.

DIP recommends that voters take their temperature in the morning on election day and that if they have a temperature above 37.2 degrees Celsius, they should contact their doctor. In that case, they must not go to their polling station, just like people infected with COVID-19.

Voters are recommended to wear their own masks at polling stations as well as their own pens even though that is not obligatory. They will enter a polling station one by one, and it is desirable that they wait in the open. In the room where there is the polling committee, the number of voters will be limited to the number of polling booths.

For the sake of identification, voters will have to briefly remove their face masks while standing at a distance of two metres from members of the polling committee, said DIP deputy chair Ana Lovrin.

Epidemiological measures will be stricter for voting in retirement homes. Members of polling stations and monitors there will have to wear face masks, gloves, and shoe covers, constantly disinfecting hands and election material.

People who end up in self-isolation just before election day will be allowed to vote if they contact their polling station.

DIP said that regardless of the number of people in self-isolation, polling committees have sufficient capacity to enable voting for those who want to vote even though that right is not absolute and it has never been stated that 100% of those who have to stay at home will be able to vote, even if they register in advance.

People infected with COVID-19 will not be able to vote.

As for voters from Bosnia and Herzegovina, compulsory self-isolation for people coming from that country will be abolished.

Detailed instructions on voting in the July 5 election are available on DIP's web site.

ZAGREB, June 29, 2020 - Constitutional Court President Miroslav Separovic on Monday denied media reports that the Constitutional Court had launched the procedure ex officio to assess the constitutionality of decisions taken by the national coronavirus response team.

"The Constitutional Court did not launch any such procedure ex officio. The truth is that we have requested certain data and opinions from the government, and whether it will launch the procedure ex officio will be decided at a meeting of the Constitutional Court as in all other cases," Separovic told Hina.

The Constitutional Court will decide on a supplement to the decision on a temporary ban on border crossing, the authority to order self-isolation, and the decision on business hours in the retail sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The action was proposed by two Constitutional Court judges, including Goran Selanec who confirmed the information in an interview with the N1 television channel.

The initiative was launched at the start of this month when fewer than five new coronavirus cases were reported weekly. The two judges proposed that the court examine whether the national coronavirus response team had overstepped its authority, according to N1.

ZAGREB, June 28, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours, 67 new coronavirus infections have been recorded in Croatia, putting the number of active cases at 435, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Sunday.

Of the 435 active cases, 60 are hospitalised but not one patient is on a ventilator.

Since February 25, when the first case was recorded in Croatia, 2,691 persons have been infected with the novel coronavirus, 107 of whom have died, while 2,152 have recovered.

Currently, 2,279 persons are self-isolating.

To date, 77,453 persons have been tested, including 829 over the past 24 hours.

June 29, 2020 - Part 7 of Ivica Profaca's Diary of a Split Tour Guide in the Age of Corona - you can start at the beginning here.

As a dedicated filmgoer, I just couldn't help it but think about a quote from Godfather (later also used in The Sopranos), which nicely describes feelings about the Coronavirus revival. You probably heard it before, it's famous Michael Corleone's "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" And it's really like that.

It's been more than a month since my last diary entry on Total Croatia News. Since May things looked maybe not good, but better. At one point, at least with the epidemiological situation in Croatia, one could have thought something like "So, this is how it will look when pandemic fades out." However, with borders opening, and an almost complete return of almost normal life, it was obvious that it might hit back. And it did. In only a few days, with a boost from the Adria Tour tennis tournament, the opening of night clubs, a few church events and imported cases from other countries (mostly those in the region), Croatia climbed up from zero to 95. If you regularly follow Total Croatia News COVID news, you probably know everything about. If you don't, follow it.

The new rise of COVID cases in Croatia (I believe this is not the second wave) created a big question mark above my head, and many other heads. Two days ago Croatia had the second biggest number of new daily cases ever (95, compared to 96 in April), and it brought a lot of questions. If we were completely locked down with 96, and I do believe it was a good decision, how come that with 95 cases we have all stores open, tourists coming in, night clubs working, beaches opened with barely respected restrictions, people sitting in bars and restaurants, masses, weddings, funerals, public transportation, etc. Whatever you can think of that was closed or banned less than two months ago, now is open, with only a few exceptions.  Experts are racing with explanations, so anyone can try to follow, but in case you were obeying what Civil Protection HQ was saying before, and have a basic fear of risky population being infected, what to do now? Well, maybe it will be more clear after the elections scheduled for July 5. I don't think every single thing or move depends on that, but some decisions definitely do.

To make things even more confusing, at least for me, is that I'm not sure if borders had to be open so soon, and so wide. Now there are restrictions for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Northern Macedonia, all passengers need to stay in 14-days self-isolation. On the other hand, it's easy to travel from some of the most affected European countries, like Sweden or United Kingdom. Actually, the only obstacle is the lack of flights. Some of the lines will be re-opened in July, and then it will be even easier. Did you see images from English beaches a few days ago? Well, are we sure we want to accommodate them in the name of reviving tourism? In spite of the fact that I will lose some jobs, I'm closer to a negative answer, because if we rush, the finale might be postponed. Some will say "You are panicking, change of reaction on a new case is proof that Coronavirus is just a big scam". Call me whatever name you like, but I really don't think such claims deserve a reply.

This growth of new cases number brought also some problematic interpretations, not in Croatia but abroad. For example, The New York Times published a colored map, with Croatia being the only European Union country painted in red, which always means alert. They used a very strange methodology; calculated in percentages increase of seven-days average of new cases in previous two weeks. Thus, Croatia looks like a disaster, because the average number rose from 0.7 to 46 in the period observed. Theoretically, some country could have had an increase from 1000 to 10,000, and it would still be below Croatia.

By coincidence, a new outbreak arrived at the same time with the first new booking in my calendar in months. I think the last one I received was sometime early February. A group of four wants tours in Split and Trogir, and a full-day trip to Hvar, in late August. Looking at that e-mail was like meeting an old friend.

Will it really happen? I have no idea, just as it's completely uncertain what will happen with the last bookings still alive in 2020, all of them in September and October. Besides those two new dates, there are only seven that survived. Last season it was my weekly average. Knowing that most of them are from other continents, it's hard to believe in having those jobs done. Even harder with the recent announcement that the EU might ban US, Brazilian and Russian travelers when it reopens its borders on July 1. I promised Paul Bradbury that I will write a story about the first post-COVID tour, but even if you like what I write here you will have to wait for some more time, unless something suddenly changes. I can only regret not being good enough as a student to learn German, because some dear friends among the guides had this year's premiere with some of those few tourists, mostly from Germany and Austria, who arrived in Split.

Catching up with bookings became very dynamic. When I started writing this piece, I had a total of ten dates booked, including two that just arrived. Then, halfway through, I checked the news in the cruise industry, and found out that the last ship I had booked was cancelled. So, don't blink too long, who knows what can happen.

We will be following Ivica Profaca's journey through the rocky weeks ahead.

If you find yourself in Split, or are planning a post-corona visit, check out his range of tours on his website - families, look out for the kids tour of Diocletian Palace. It will not only entertain your kids while allowing you to absorb this unique UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it will bring out the inner child in you too. Learn more about it here. 

You can read other parts of Ivica's Split Tour Guide in the Age of Corona series here.

(To be continued)