September the 24th, 2021 - The Croatian Public Health Institute has expressed its disgust and anger at a coronavirus testing point having its work made harder by vandals armed with rotten eggs.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has tired almost everyone out. There are some people, however, who just can't resist causing damage to property in some sort of frustrated attempt at their own idea of justice. Egging something is a cheap (often free) and easy way to vandalise something, and it seems that it is no longer only for rebellious teens, although the maturity level in an adult who does do this is likely similar.

The Andrija Stampar Institute in Zagreb was vandalised with the use of pungent rotting eggs at some point last night, and the Croatian Public Health Institute has spoken out about the level of disrespect this shows to those who have been among the most engaged of all during the coronavirus pandemic in Croatia.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, upon arriving to their place of work this morning, which they likely thought would be much like any and every other morning, the employees of the Croatian Public Health Institute (the Dr. Andrija Stampar Institute in the heart of Zagreb), were greeted by an incredible sight at their coronavirus testing point. Namely, unknown vandals had filled up the container from which the tests for the novel virus are carried out with old, rotten eggs.

This information was confirmed to Jutarnji list by Zvonimir Sostar, who was naturally appalled by this act of vandalism.

''The stench caused by the eggs was unbearable, but now everything has been cleaned,'' stated an annoyed Sostar.

It's worth mentioning that there are no security cameras at this coronavirus testing point, so it will be difficult to establish who the perpetrators are, but according to Zvonimir Sostar, cameras will have to be set up after this incident.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

July the 2nd, 2021 - The Croatian events industry has finally been given the green light to gradually return to some form of normal, following a horrendous period of uncertainty and depression as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but at what cost?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, 100 people are allowed to be gathered together following yesterday's new changes, and even more people can come together if they have their digital certificates. This will finally facilitate the holding of various business and entertainment events, but provisions are in force that will significantly affect the financial structure of participants and organisers.

When it comes to the Croatian events industry, particularly business events, such as conferences and the like, it is still forbidden to set up sponsor stands, which is important for the income of the events. When it comes to ''fun'' events, clubbing will be a very expensive thing to engage in for guests this summer, because when entering each of these events they will need to prove that they have been vaccinated or pay for a fresh covid test each time.

As of July the 1st, the application of EU digital certificates for travel within the European Union also officially started, but the freedom of travel that these certificates were supposed to bring has already been called into question, as some countries have introduced quarantines due to the emergence of the Delta virus strain, rendering those apparently now somewhat empty promises void.

New rules

As is now known, new epidemiological measures to prevent the transmission of the novel coronavirus, which mostly concerns gatherings and public events, came into force in Croatia on the 1st of July, 2021. As of that date, a ban on holding all public events and gatherings attended by more than 100 people in one place is in force, unless it is a public event or gathering attended only by persons with an EU digital covid certificate and with permission from the powers that be.

Public events and gatherings and ceremonies of all kinds may last until midnight, unless it is a public event or gathering attended only by persons with a covid certificate. The rules on the sale of alcohol remains in force, and catering and hospitality facilities will only be allowed to serve guests if they're seated. Facilities registered as night clubs, night bars, disco bars and disco clubs from the category of bars are allowed to work and serve all guests without restrictions on working hours, but only in open spaces and provided that entry to their premises is allowed only to persons who present a covid certificate.

Conferences and congresses attended by up to 100 people may be held in compliance with all of the current anti-epidemic measures, but the suspension of fairs and other forms of economic and tourist events or events where products are sold, exhibited or displayed indoors remains in force. This is exactly the provision for which the Croatian events industry and various event organisers have been trying to get an exemption over recent days.

"It's good that we can finally work with more than 25 people, which was valid until July the 1st for our industry, while, let's say, cultural events had much more relaxed measures, although these are very similar forms of gatherings. A significant problem, however, is that we won't be allowed to have sponsor stands, which can easily be organised in compliance with all of the measures. We've warned the representatives of the Ministry of Tourism several times about this, and they're our address in communication with the National Civil Protection Headquarters, but so far we haven't received any response from the Ministry,'' revealed Jasmina Bilac, President of the Business Tourism Association at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

In the entertainment industry, more or less all guests will have to pay for covid tests, because many younger people still haven't managed to get vaccinated.

Boris Suljic, the owner of the clubs on Zrce beach, points out that Novalja has prepared for that, and organised a kiosk for rapid tests that will be carried out by the Medico health institution from Rijeka.

“Entry to clubs will be possible for those who have proof that they've been vaccinated, have a negative test or have proof of having recovered. We've prepared at Zrce with a kiosk for rapid tests for guests, and so we'll function like that in the next fifteen days. Namely, until then, these measures are valid, we don't know what will happen next, and this lack of certainty continues to be the biggest issue for us,'' stated Suljic.

At more or less 100 kuna for a rapid antigen test for each entrance to the club, 550 kuna for a PCR test and 650 kuna for a rapid PCR test, guests aren't going to be particularly happy with this summer's offer from the Croatian events industry, which has been among the worst affected.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

June the 11th, 2021 - Much to the likely delight of many who are sick of parting with their hard earned cash for having swabs shoved up their nose, a new Croatian Public Health Institute price list for the various coronavirus tests currently in use has been published.

One of the biggest practical gripes people in Croatia have had since the very beginning of the pandemic back in spring 2020 has been the sheer cost of testing for the novel virus. Many can't understand how on Earth a swab being swirled around up their nose can cost them 700 kuna, which is no small amount. Not to mention waiting in lines for the pleasure of it all.

PCR testing has become the norm ever since the pandemic began, and it's difficult to come across anyone anymore who hasn't had to be tested for some reason or another, be it for travel, because of them having been in contact with a positive person or for admittance to hospital. The amount some institutions, such as the Andrija Stampar Institute in Zagreb, have earned on these tests has been an eye opener for many.

New Croatian Public Health Institute price lists will likely bring relief to the pockets of many who still need the tests for various reasons, such as travel, if they haven't yet been vaccinated.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as of the 16th of June 2021, based on a decision made by the Governing Board, new Croatian prices of microbiological tests, which are provided at the request of legal and natural persons, will come into force at the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

It's important to note that these new testing price lists refer exclusively to testing prices at the Croatian Public Health Institute, nowhere else, and are as follows:

A test for SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) - 390.00 kuna per unit/test.

A serological test for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection - 200.00 kuna per unit/test.

A rapid antigen test for COVID-19 - 150.00 kuna per unit/test.

The aforementioned prices do not apply when a person is tested for the novel coronavirus based on a referral issued by a doctor, which remains free of charge.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

January 19, 2021 – 45 people tried to enter Croatia with fake PCR tests this weekend alone. They were caught by Croatian police, detained at the border and reported to the State's Attorney office. If found guilty, each faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison

Some 45 people tried to enter Croatia through the borders of one county with fake PCR tests this past weekend.

Travel from Bosnia and Herzegovina into Croatia currently requires the production of a negative PCR test or a doctor's certificate proving you have successfully passed through a COVID-19 infection in recent months.

Since the ban on entering Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina without a negative PCR test was introduced, fake PCR tests are increasingly being forged. Border police and customs officers at crossings in Brod-Posavina County have met many people trying to cross the border with fake PCR tests. But, this weekend a new record number of forged tests were found on the county's border crossings.

According to a statement from the Brod-Posavina Police Department, as many as 45 attempts to enter the country with fake PCR tests were discovered on Saturday and Sunday.

"At the Stara Gradiška border crossing, police officers determined that 43 persons, mostly citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented fake PCR tests issued in BiH at the border control. At the Slavonski Brod border crossing, two people were registered who gave forged tests," the Brod-Posavina police reported.

Police officers file criminal charges against all those suspected of committing the criminal offence of forgery of a document with the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Slavonski Brod. If found guilty, such persons face up to three years in prison.

The overall number of people detained on Croatia's border with fake PCR tests this weekend could actually be higher - the figures of 45 persons detained with fake PCR tests were released by the police of just one county in Croatia - Brod-Posavina County. A further eight Croatian counties exist along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each has border crossings between the two countries.

September the 25th, 2020 - The coronavirus testing process has been a thorn in the side of many people who claim it takes too long to get the desired result. These situations can occur in both emergencies and in order to travel somewhere, with different countries requiring different ''ages'' of the test result in order for people to be granted entry. A new device carrying a price tag of a whopping one million kuna is set to make the coronavirus testing process that bit quicker.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of September, 2020, the new PCR device for the rapid analysis of swabs of persons who have been tested for coronavirus, worth 812 thousand kuna including VAT in total, was put into operation in the premises of the Teaching Institute for Public Health in Brod-Posavina County, continental Croatia. The device arrived at the institute back at the end of July this year, three microbiologists were trained to work on it, and its capacity is 24 samples in three hours. Funds for the purchase were provided by Brod-Posavina County itself.

The director of the institute, Dr. Ante Cvitkovic, emphasised that the new coronavirus testing device is intended primarily for emergencies, which can now be dealt with here in Croatia as well. So far, test results have been being waited for for 24 hours and sometimes even longer in the case of emergencies. Patients who need to be treated urgently by the hospital for certain reasons will be tested. In addition, the device will be used in situations where there is a positive employee within a healthcare facility.

''We will test health professionals to find out who can work and who can't. So far, these employees have been in self-isolation, now the results will be known much faster. Our colleagues will have much more room for maneuver to respond properly to the various challenges posed by COVID-19. Employees in homes for the elderly and infirm will also be a priority,'' said Dr. Cvitkovic. The head of the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Dr. Zeljka Siser, said that it was a fully automated system for molecular diagnostics.

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August the 25th, 2020 - Croatia has been forced out of its draconian comfort zone and been made to go digital as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At the height of the pandemic, even the likes of Fina and MUP, who appear to have a strange fetish for making people line up in airless rooms with numbers in their hands, offered online services much like the rest of the world in the 21st century.

As testing for the new coronavirus is ramped up across the country, an interactive map which offers all the information a potential testee might desire has now been published.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of August, 2020, the National Civil Protection Headquarters has published a list of all centres located across the Republic of Croatia where coronavirus testing can be done, and while that is great, talented Croatian computer scientist Vladimir Vince has created an interactive map with a clear overview of testing sites, addresses and contact information.

“The source for the sites is the Croatian Government’s official website for timely coronavirus information, except in cases where the sites aren't available on the official site but have been independently verified. In this case, the source is the website or information phone line of the institution. This map is for informational purposes only and we can't guarantee the accuracy of the data; we still recommend that you contact the test centres yourself even when ordering a test isn't mandatory,'' it is stated on the new page koronatestiranje.com

On the interactive map, you can find an overview of locations where you can get a PCR test for the new coronavirus across Croatia, with detailed information about addresses, contact information and opening/operation hours.

By clicking on a particular location, you will also receive information on whether you need to make an order for the test, whether a referral is required, whether there is a drive-in option, how long you'll likely wait and similar details. In addition, it is clearly indicated whether or not a particular location is listed on the official website of the Government so as to avoid confusion, N1 reported.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

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August the 19th, 2020 - There has been an unfortunate increase in the infection level in Croatia, and while some government figures plead with the countries placing Croatia on their ''no go'' or ''red'' lists for travel to divide Croatia up into different regions to reflect the infection rate rather than condemning the entire country, many European countries are continuing to make things difficult as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Austria is the most recent country to make very bold moves in warning their nationals not to travel on holiday to Croatia, rejecting the aforementioned plea to divide the country up, and many have been complaining about the price of the coronavirus test some countries are asking for upon return from Croatia. On top of that, the second complaint has been that there aren't enough facilities at which to get the necessary tests which more and more countries are now demanding. This has resulted in huge crowds of people waiting to have their tests performed.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of August, 2020, on Tuesday morning, there were large crowds waiting for coronavirus tests in front of the  Dr. Andrija Štampar Institute in Zagreb, which came to the forefront during the pandemic as being a ''drive through'' testing facility in which people didn't need to leave their cars.

The number of tested people has been growing even though the cost of the test is at the testee's expense, and since prices have been reduced. There has been pressure in Zagreb for several days now due to the large number of people who want to be tested, so three additional locations will be opened in health centres that will work from 08:00 to 20:00.

Fewer people are being tested on weekends because such facilities work part-time or don't open their doors at all over the weekend, reports N1.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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