ZAGREB, October 30, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, of 9,287 tests performed for coronavirus in Croatia, 30% of them, that is 2,772, have returned positive, the country's COVID-19 crisis management team stated on Friday.

Friday was the second consecutive day with more than 2,700 cases after on Thursday the daily tally of the new cases was 2,776.

In the last 24 hours 20 COVID patients have died, bringing the death toll to 531.

There are now 15,106 active cases, including 1,027 patients who are receiving hospital treatment, and of them 74 are placed on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 46,547 people have tested for positive for the novel virus and of them 30,910 have recovered.

Currently, 29,098 people are self-isolating.

Since the onset of the epidemic, Croatia has conducted 485,281 tests.

ZAGREB, October 29, 2020 - A total of 2,776 new cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, the largest number in a single day since the outbreak of the epidemic, and 18 people have died, the national coronavirus response team reported on Thursday.

The number of active cases currently stands at 14,031, including 985 people being treated in hospitals for COVID-19. A total of 71 hospital patients are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 43,775 people have tested for positive for the novel virus and 511 of them have died. A total of 29,233 infected persons have recovered, including 1,463 in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 21,592 people are in self-isolation. To date, 475,994 people have been tested for coronavirus, including 9,679 in the last 24 hours. 

ZAGREB, Oct 28, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros said on Wednesday that there were 12,736 active coronavirus cases in Croatia and that the number of COVID patients in need of hospitalization was growing, currently standing at 932 or 155 more than on Tuesday.

Sixty-eight people are on ventilators, 14 more than yesterday. Twenty-three people have died in the last 24 hours, and the death toll now stands at 493, Beros said ahead of an inner cabinet meeting.

The minister said that the respiratory support and intensive care unit of the KBC Split hospital was working at 50.68% capacity. Seventy-five patients are currently receiving treatment there, and if their number increases, the entire hospital block in the city's Krizine neighborhood will be converted to accommodate COVID-19 patients, he said.

The occupancy rate in the KBC Rijeka hospital is 30.43%, with 21 coronavirus patients, KBC Osijek's occupancy rate is 51.38% with 93 patients, while Zagreb's "Dr. Fran Mihaljevic" hospital for infectious diseases has long been operating at more than 90% capacity and cannot admit new coronavirus patients.

Zagreb's KB Dubrava hospital is operating at 90.20% capacity and an additional 200 beds are being set up. On Tuesday, ten new ventilators arrived and today another 20 will arrive as will new medical staff - 39 nurses and five anesthesiologists, said Beros.

"We will do our best so that the health system functions as long and as well as possible. We do not have a crystal ball to foretell a collapse which I read about in media reports. It is possible but as a responsible person I will do my best to make the system function in the best possible way," the minister said, adding that the health system at the moment still functioned one step ahead of the needs.

General practitioners must contact and inform people who have tested positive for coronavirus as well as their contacts, he said.

"Many countries are imposing a lockdown, but those measures are not yielding results. We will continue to issue recommendations that constitute a balance between health protection and keeping the economy going," said Beros.

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ZAGREB, Oct 28, 2020  - In the last 24 hours 2,378 new coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia and 23 persons have died, the highest daily number of fatalities since the start of the epidemic, the national COVID-19 response team said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a record 18 coronavirus-related deaths were reported.

The number of active cases is 12,736, including 932 hospitalized patients, of whom 68 are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the new virus was first registered in Croatia, 40,999 persons have been infected, of whom 493 have died and 27,770 have recovered, including 930 in the past 24 hours.

Currently, 14,924 persons are self-isolating.

To date, 466,315 persons have been tested, including 8,589 in the past 24 hours.

October 27, 2020 - How dreading getting tested turned into one of the most painless experiences in Croatia yet. My COVID-19 testing experience at KBC Split. 

We've all heard horror stories about COVID testing by now. From waiting in non-socially-distanced crowds for hours to despising the tickling sensation up their nose so much they wouldn't wish it upon their worst enemy - I have heard it all. 

To say I wasn't exactly eager to get my first COVID test today is a bit of an understatement. And the fact that I needed it to travel abroad when I haven't left my house in 3 weeks as the cases rose had me even more on edge. However, if I wanted to see my partner for the first time in 7 months in Barcelona on Thursday, I needed that negative test result ASAP. 

With plans to leave on Thursday (so long as the airline Gods are on my side), I called my doctor in Split on Monday morning, who referred me to the testing center at KBC Split (Križine) on Tuesday at 10:45 am, exactly 48 hours before I was to leave Split. My first hurdle - crossed - and easily, at that. 

But then I began to worry when I saw an article in the local media about lines for testing wrapping around the streets of KBC Split on Monday... (yikes). Dalmacija Danas also shared a photo of the line they witnessed today, just before my appointment, which they claimed was even BIGGER than yesterday (you can have a look HERE). 

Why would it be any different for me?

With ripping jugo winds and an 80% chance of rain in the forecast between 10-11 am on Tuesday, conveniently as I was to be waiting in line for testing, I was not looking forward to having a similar experience - and since I was on a strict timeframe, there was no room for error.

Once I mentally prepared for what would likely await me at the testing center, I arrived 15 minutes early, just in case. 

I made my way up the slight incline to the testing center at KBC Split at 10:30, and as the makeshift testing center came into view in the corner of my eye, I witnessed the unimaginable - no one. And no line. 

Because we in Croatia are too familiar with the fact that nothing is ever this easy, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that my doctor duped me, and the testing center was closed. 

But it wasn't. 

I walked up to the testing window as the only person getting tested at the time was finishing up. Confused, I handed over my health cards to the nurses, who asked if I've had any symptoms. After an oral swab and a nasopharyngeal swab in both nostrils, the nurse asked for my doctor's name and said to call her tomorrow as the results will be done then. And that was it.

The entire process took less than two minutes. 

I left stunned and looked around to see if anyone else was waiting, but the testing area remained empty. I was home 10 minutes later. 

In a country where bureaucracy is dreaded, and confusion is king, this painless process was a pleasant surprise. Of course, everyone's testing experience is different, but for anyone hoping to skip the line, try going on a Tuesday at 10:30 when the jugo is blowing, and you may get as lucky as I did. 

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

October 27, 2020 - One Dalmatian island with 760 inhabitants, a five-hour ferry ride from Split, has not recorded a single coronavirus case since the first was recorded in Croatia back in February. A closer look at why Lastovo records zero COVID-19 cases to this day.

Slobodna Dalmacija asked the head of the Lastovo Civil Protection Headquarters, Margaret Hropić, how the locals managed to achieve zero patients for nine months.

"We have no concrete explanation as to why no corona cases have been reported on the island all this time. We had a busy summer, quite a few tourists, life is the same as in all other areas. People violate and respect measures; there is no different, more special behavior that we practice in our community. We live like the rest of the world. We are a closed environment. Behind us, from a tourist point of view, it is a successful summer. Maybe we have stronger collective immunity. The area of the island is certainly energetically stronger due to the natural environment.

We are grateful to God and hope that He will keep us going. Maybe the explanation lies in some intangible reason; I have room to believe in such an option," Margaret Hropić said.

One of the largest entrepreneurs in Lastovo, Marčelino Simić, the owner of one of the most famous restaurants in the southern part of the waters, and its marina, is almost of the same opinion. This summer, up to 30 yachts could be anchored on its pontoon simultaneously—and three-hundred people circulated in a small space. But what happened? Nothing. Everyone healthy, everything clean, everything tidy. So what's the secret?

"So many people have passed, and did anyone become infected - no, did anyone have a fever - no, did the corona come - no. We had two, three cases of self-isolation, but from our people who came from outside to the island, so they had to go through that measure as well. And everyone was healthy. Why? It is not in the open, my dear, corona; it cannot survive there. There are few people on the whole island on 50 square kilometers. There are another 50 kilometers of water around us; our whole island is a great self-isolation. Care was taken when going ashore; care was taken on the ferry and catamaran. Each of us really cares about who we will stand with then and how we will behave. The neighbor and every peson on the island are taken care of. Because when I take care of them, I take care of everything and myself. And on Lastovo, there is a special energy that keeps us all together," he says.

Furthermore, the island is experiencing a baby boom, with 10 babies this year! 

Bruna Rizvanović is among the pregnant women expecting a baby in late January to early February. She will be a mom for the first time.

"I know about five pregnant women; they say that there are about ten of them. It is difficult to count because we are connected by doctors in Split. I share the same day of birth with one. And to put it bluntly, we got pregnant at the same time, in April, May, during the lockdown. Well, the term clearly shows that we didn't really keep a social distance," Bruna laughs.

Her friend Martina Bašić Ivčević from Zaklopatica said that this is not the first time she has been in the center of a baby boom; one already passed ten years ago, when she was pregnant with her second child in a row. She is now expecting her fifth.

"And listen, there was a baby boom during corona. But I think it has to do with cycles, with decades. Now, why don't we have a corona? Big cities - several cases, smaller areas, less. There is nobody here. We follow the rules; we wear masks, don't have big gatherings, and we live. We protect each other. And so, everything runs as normal," concludes Martina.

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ZAGREB, October 25, 2020 - Croatia has registered 2,421 new cases of the coronavirus infection over the past 24 hours, and eight people have died, the national COVID-19 reponse team said on Sunday.

The number of new infections is higher than yesterday, when the number of single-day COVID-19 cases exceeded 2,000 for the first time.

The number of active cases in Croatia stands at 11,144. There are 825 COVID patients in hospitals, and 58 are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, 36,380 people have contracted the novel virus, 437 have died, and 24,799 people have recovered, including 1,014 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

There are currently 28,177 people in self-isolation. To date, 445,568 people have been tested for coronavirus, including 8,520 who have undergone testing in the last 24 hours.

October 25, 2020 - Due to the growing number of coronavirus cases in Croatia, the Croatian Headquarters announced new measures, which are in effect from midnight. 

Index.hr reports that due to the growing number of coronavirus cases in Croatia, the National Civil Protection Headquarters met today with the expert group of the Crisis Headquarters of the Ministry of Health to discuss new measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. 

"The Headquarters meeting lasted all morning. It included the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Finance, Labor and Social Welfare and Economy," said Davor Božinović.

Krunoslav Capak gave an overview of the situation. 

"The number of confirmed cases worldwide has grown to more than 43 million; there are a total of 155,000 deaths from the virus. In Croatia in the last 2 weeks we have an increase in numbers, today we have a record again, 2421 new cases. Croatia is not an island; some of our neighboring countries have a worse situation. Yesterday there were 1964 in Slovenia, 1265 in BiH, 757 in Serbia, more than 12,000 in the Czech Republic... The number of new cases is growing throughout Europe and the world. Lately, we have constantly been breaking records, so the incidence per 100,000 inhabitants is high, now it is 389.9. We are in the middle of the scale of European countries in this regard. I can't single out any particular foci; we have several microfoci. The virus is spreading. This is the second R-0 number since the beginning of the epidemic; it is now 1.99," Capak said.

After Capak, Minister of Health Vili Beroš spoke:

"The health care system and its potential overload is a challenge. Yesterday, 825 people were hospitalized, 153 were admitted, and 65 were discharged. We have 58 patients on a ventilator. And eight people died, bringing the total to 437. Every day we monitor the situation in the Dubrava Hospital, which is now the mainstay for the admission of patients. They have a total of 226 hospitalized, 26 more than yesterday, and 11 patients were discharged. In that sense, we are adjusting further; we have set priorities. Tonight is the meeting of the expert group of the crisis headquarters of the Ministry of Health," Beroš said.

"Now it is time that we will activate the previously existing plans and increase the accommodation capacity in KB Dubrava, and we have decided to mobilize the Arena as a tertiary center. We will do our best not to bypass other health needs. Everyone has a similar problem, how to respond to COVID, but also to provide the basic health care," said Beroš and added: "We all decide on the future together, alone."

"We have prepared a decision that will take effect tomorrow at midnight. Firstly, the decision on necessary epidemiological measures restricting gatherings. I want to emphasize that we are passing a measure that prescribes a strict measure of physical distance, avoiding close contact at a distance of at least 2 m indoors and 1.5 m outdoors," Božinović began and continued:

"Also, a ban on holding all public events and gatherings with more than 50 people is ordered. There can be a maximum of 30 people at weddings. At funerals, a maximum of 30 people. There may be a maximum of 15 people at other private ceremonies and gatherings. Sports competitions can only be held without spectators. Public events, gatherings, and ceremonies can last until 10 pm maximum, except for weddings, which can last until midnight. Gatherings and ceremonies in catering facilities may last no longer than the end of working hours, determined by the Headquarters' decision. We are introducing the obligation to submit notifications on holding public events, gatherings, and ceremonies with more than 30 people to the competent civil protection service, and the obligation to keep written records of participants in all events with more than 15 people. A ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages is introduced from midnight to 6 am. It will be mandatory to use face masks or medical masks outdoors when it is not possible to maintain physical distance, and it is mandatory to use masks when entering and staying in cemeteries," said Božinović.

"The necessary epidemiological measures that I have read are determined over a period of 14 days, and then we will assess whether they will be changed or extended. When it comes to the number of people at gatherings, they do not refer to professional art performances and programs, cinema screenings, religious ceremonies, exhibitions in museums, etc., because they are prescribed special protocols.

As far as workplaces are concerned, employers are obliged to prohibit the arrival of workers with fever and respiratory problems. It is recommended to reduce physical contact whenever possible, introduce work from home when possible, introduce sliding working hours, organize work in shifts and groups, and reduce physical meetings. Controlling the adherence to the recommendations and instructions of the CNIPH will be carried out by the officers of the Civil Protection Directorate, inspectors, police officers, and civil protection headquarters. If there is a milder epidemiological measure for a special decision for the area of ​​an individual unit of local and regional self-government, this decision will be applied, and local headquarters can only apply stricter measures than these," said Božinović.

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October 24, 2020 - As of Saturday, the city of Zagreb and four more Croatian counties are on Germany's red list. Namely, Karlovac, Osijek-Baranja, Varazdin, and Bjelovar-Bilogora counties. 

T.portal reports that other Croatian counties were on the list already. Thus, almost the entire territory of Croatia, with the exception of Istria, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Zadar, and Sibenik-Knin counties, is a risk area.

Returnees from these areas are subject to 14 days of self-isolation after arriving in Germany and reporting to local health services. A negative coronavirus test excludes mandatory self-isolation.

Based on the recommendation of the Central Epidemiological Institute Robert Koch, the German government placed the whole of Poland and Switzerland, as well as almost all of Austria, with the exception of Carinthia, on the list of risk areas.

According to the latest list, almost all of Italy is a high-risk area, while the Canary Islands have been removed from the list.

At the same time, Denmark closed its border with Germany due to the increase in the number of new infections in Germany.

Merkel called on citizens to reduce contacts

In her regular Saturday video message, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her call on citizens to reduce the number of personal contacts as much as possible and to adhere to hygienic measures and rules for wearing protective masks.

Police in Berlin today is intensively checking compliance with measures such as wearing masks in pedestrian zones and a ban on pouring and selling alcohol after 11 pm.

In recent days, Germany has seen a sharp rise in the number of new infections, which exceeded 11,000 on Thursday and Friday.

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ZAGREB, October 23, 2020 - A total of 1,867 new coronavirus cases and seven related deaths have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Friday. 

This is the largest single-day number of new infections since the outbreak of the epidemic. The current number of active cases is 8,394.

Among those infected, 716 are receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19 and 49 are on ventilators. 

Since February 25, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 31,717 people have contracted the novel virus, 413 of them have died and 22,910 have recovered, including 846 in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 25,889 people are in self-isolation, A total of 428,961 people have been tested to date, including 7,313 in the last 24 hours.