November 08, 2021 - From today, fully vaccinated Croats will be able to travel to the United States again. They'll need to present their vaccination status and a pre-departure negative viral test from a sample taken within three days of travel to the United States before boarding.

As announced by the U.S. Embassy in Croatia, starting on November 8, foreign national air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the United States, with only limited exceptions. The Biden Administration announced a new international air travel policy that is stringent, consistent across the globe, and guided by public health.

The CDC has determined that for the purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include those FDA approved or authorized, as well as vaccines with an emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO). See the CDC's website for more details. Fully vaccinated air travelers will continue to be required to show documentation of a pre-departure negative viral test from a sample taken within three days of travel to the United States before boarding. That includes all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals.

As of today, fully vaccinated foreign nationals can again travel to the United States ??! Check out @TravelGov and visit https://t.co/fBuPjsOAMj for more information. And don’t forget to fill out your ESTA application before traveling ➡️https://t.co/sXmGHMpIMS pic.twitter.com/4oKWjL6RGO

— U.S. Embassy Zagreb (@USEmbZagreb) November 8, 2021

To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers – whether U.S. citizens, LPRs, or the small number of excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to show documentation of a negative viral test from a sample taken within one day of travel to the United States.

In addition to submitting all the documentation mentioned above, fully vaccinated Croats will need to fill out an ESTA application before traveling, which can be found here. In addition to the recent inclusion of Croatia in the VISA program and the increases in flights between the two countries, traveling to the United States has fewer barriers than before.

For more information regarding traveling to the U.S., check the FAQs on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

ZAGREB, 8 Nov, 2021 - Croatia has logged 1,242 new COVID cases in the past 24 hours and 46 people have died as a consequence, the national COVID-19 response team reported on Monday.

There are currently 1,888 hospitalised patients, 246 of whom are on ventilators.

There are currently 29,265 active cases in the country and 24,255 people are self-isolating.

To date, a total of 3,184,660 tests have been conducted, including 3,703 in the past 24 hours.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a total of 502,569 people have become infected with the novel coronavirus and 9,546 people have died as a consequence while 463,758 people have recovered, including 3,931 in the past 24 hours.

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ZAGREB, 7 Nov 2021 - The Homeland Movement (DP) party on Sunday condemned the plan to require COVID certificates and testing for entry into the Croatian Parliament building, saying that under the Constitution power derives from the people and not from the national coronavirus response team.

"The Homeland Movement considers the announced violent introduction of so-called COVID certificates and testing in the Croatian Parliament by a para-state body called the national response team as the nullification of the will of the people expressed in elections and the most dangerous encroachment yet upon basic human and political freedoms, civil rights and the most important values of Croatian parliamentary democracy," the party said in a statement.

The DP said that decisions by the national coronavirus response team can by no means be above Croatian laws, in particular the Constitution, condemning any form of segregation of citizens on any grounds, including on the grounds of whether someone has been vaccinated or not.

"Despite the media hype and censorship, it is an undeniable fact that the virus is spread both by people who have been vaccinated and by those who have not, so this cannot be used as an argument by the response team to nullify the will of the people," the statement said.

The party said that relevant studies questioned the efficiency of the vaccines and that this was also confirmed by case numbers. "We are not saying that the vaccine helps or does not help, but why are those who are imposing it by force not willing to accept responsibility in the event of possible side-effects?"

The Homeland Movement expects the president of the republic, church dignitaries, and all members of Parliament, regardless of their ideological views, to oppose this "violent act that is being prepared."

"Those who fail this test must be aware that by doing so they take their part of historic responsibility for nullifying the fundamental values on which the modern and democratic Croatia is based," the party said.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

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ZAGREB, 7 Nov 2021 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić has been found to be positive for COVID-19 after undergoing a test at the weekend, the government announced in a press release on Sunday.

Marić underwent a test after a member of his family had developed symptoms of the infection. His test returned positive, after which epidemiologists have ordered him to stay in isolation for ten days.

The minister "is feeling well and for now, he has no symptoms of the COVID-19 disease. He will stay in isolation and perform his duties from home while following orders from his doctor and epidemiologists," the press release said.

Marić, as well as other cabinet ministers, were vaccinated against COVID-19 early this year, and would soon receive a booster dose, following recommendations by the Croatian Public Health Institute, government spokesman Marko Milić said, adding that several cabinet ministers had already received the third dose of vaccine.

Milić appealed to all citizens to get vaccinated if they had not done so yet because the vaccine protects against serious forms of the disease. He also appealed to people who had received their second shot six months ago or longer, especially the elderly or those immunocompromised, to get a booster dose as soon as possible.

He recalled that Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milošević and Labour Minister Josip Aladrović, who had become infected even though they had been vaccinated, had overcome the infection with very mild symptoms.

Also, the opposition Bridge party leader, Božo Petrov, said in an interview with Nova TV on Saturday evening that he was positive for COVID-19. "Two or three days ago I found out I was infected. I had symptoms, I called my doctor and did a PCR test, which showed I was positive," he said.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

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ZAGREB, 7 Nov 2021 - Croatia has registered 4,159 new coronavirus cases and 50 deaths in the last 24 hours, the national COVID-19 response team said on Sunday morning.

Currently, there are 32,000 active cases in the country. Among them are 1,848 people who are receiving hospital treatment and 248 of them are on ventilators. A total of 26,615 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 501,327 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 9,500 have died and 459,827 have recovered, including 3,798 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,180,957 people have been tested for COVID-19, including 9,776 in the last 24 hours. A total of 3,690,148 doses of vaccine have been administered, with 48.02 percent of the total population, or 57.46 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated.

As of Saturday, 1,948,738 people have received at least one dose and 1,820,138 have been fully immunized, which is 53.81 percent of the adult population.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Saturday that all Croatian citizens should get vaccinated against COVID-19 as that would certainly reduce the rate of new infections, the number of hospitalizations, and consequently the number of deaths, also advising people to get a booster dose.

Plenković was speaking to the press after visiting Zagreb's Dubrava hospital, where he and Health Minister Vili Beroš met with the hospital's management and the national coronavirus response team and visited the intensive care unit.

Plenković said that Croatia had sufficient quantities of COVID-19 vaccines, adding that vaccination would reduce the number of deaths and infections. He once again appealed to people who had not been immunized to get vaccinated.

He said that the data of the past few days was encouraging as it indicated a growing interest among the citizens in getting vaccinated. In the last three days alone, 23,000 people have received their first shot, he added.

The prime minister stressed that Croatia had dedicated medical staff and an abundance of vaccines, stressing that people had a responsibility towards contributing to this collective effort.

"Anyone who thinks that the situation is not difficult should visit this hospital for 30 seconds and they would immediately change their mind," Plenković said.

Asked to comment on the statement by right-wing MP Zlatko Hasanbegović that he will not get vaccinated or tested and that it is his right to have the virus, Plenković said that the statement is idiotic. He added that being a member of Parliament does not give Hasanbegović the right to talk nonsense.

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ZAGREB, November 6, 2021 - In the past 24 hours Croatia has registered 7,094 new coronavirus cases and 50 deaths, Koronavirus.hr reported on Saturday.

That is the highest number of new cases yet in one day since the outbreak of the pandemic. The record until now was 6,932, which was registered on Friday.

There are currently 31,689 active cases in the country, including 1,786 hospitalized patients, and 234 are on ventilators.

At the same time, there are 30,256 people self-isolating.

Since February 25, 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 497,168 people infected with the new coronavirus have been recorded so far, of whom 9,450 have died, a total of 456,029 have recovered, of which 3,896 in the last 24 hours.

To date, a total of 3,171,181 people have been tested, of which 15,498 in the last 24 hours.

As of November 5, 2021, 3,675,807 doses of vaccine were consumed, and 47.78% of the total population and 57.19% of the adult population were vaccinated. On November 5, 2021, 17,334 doses of vaccine were consumed, of which 8,819 persons were vaccinated with the first dose. 

As of November 5, 2021, 1,939,061 people were vaccinated with at least one dose, of which 1,816,377 people (1,696,577 people vaccinated with two doses and 119,800 people vaccinated with Jannsen) were vaccinated, which is 53.71% of the adult population.

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November 6, 2021 - ''We are not far from a situation when we will have to choose who will take a respirator'', warns pulmonologist Saša Srića, as he announces that many Croatian hospitals have already reached 90% percent of their capacity as the number of positive cases continues to grow.

Minister of Health Vili Beroš stated on Saturday that there are more than seven thousand newly infected with coronavirus in Croatia today, we are at the peak of the fourth wave, and that we do not know what awaits us.

Record numbers worried many, and pulmonologist Saša Srića, who was a guest on the show New Day on the H1 television station, also spoke on the subject, reports Net.hr.

A potentially catastrophic scenario

"It is a worrying situation that at the moment can, given the trends, represent a potentially catastrophic scenario. The measures that have been adopted are overdue. These measures that come into force, which from today, and again from 14 November, is a big step back. A lot of time will pass, I think it could have been faster.

I think that the measures are not adequate and should be extended to other sectors. The virus does not know the difference whether it is in schools, cafes, restaurants, shopping malls. The measures should have been much stricter", expressed Srića, and continued:

"Constant balancing and the system 'we will not resent anyone, let's be good to everyone' has cost us such situations, such epidemiological pictures. And what we need to fear the most, the overload of the health care system, is already present".

Pulmonologist Saša Srića (Photo: Robert Anic/PIXSELL)

"When we talk about the younger population, compared to previous waves, there is now a much larger number of the younger population. The delta strain attacks the younger population more for one reason: it is poorly vaccinated. The theory 'it won't hurt me, we are young and healthy' is an escape from the truth, an escape from reality, he emphasized and continued:

Fear for the health system

Young people like to get together, that’s logical, but we need to be aware of the current situation. The younger population who end up with a more severe clinical picture are, as a rule, almost all unvaccinated", said Srića, adding that so far we have not had a death of a person under the age of 50 who was vaccinated and in full health.

"We are already in over 90 percent of capacity in many Croatian hospitals, and only now are we taking care of those from two weeks ago when we had two thousand infected. What will be in the next two to three weeks?

I am afraid that with such a trend, the health care system, despite the fact that we hear some optimistic assessments from the Headquarters, will hardly survive. Even estimating the collapse of the health care system and Croatian hospitals in two to three weeks is not something that is unrealistic'', said Srića.

"I don't think the numbers will fall for a while. The winter is still going on and will last. I don't think we're at the peak yet, and that's especially worrying. What worries me the most is when the situation starts to collapse. We are wondering how many places we still have, not to mention the situation we will have in ten days. That is why I say that the measures are too weak", said Srića and answered the question: what if there is no place in Croatian hospitals, are there any protocols?

"We haven't worked out the protocols, I think we need them. We should first of all try to find enough capacity. The capacities of the beds and respirators are, I am convinced, not completely spent, I think there will be too few people. Many people are already exhausted, tired, the possibility of error is present.

And you want to get into a situation where you choose to take a respirator, you don't… We must not get into a situation like that, and I am afraid that we are not far from there", pointed out Srića.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

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November 6, 2021 - 'It is my right to have a virus, I did not and I will not be vaccinated or tested', said Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic, as he announces that he will not comply with the new measures imposed by the government, and will stop attending parliament indefinitely.

As reported by Net.hr, Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic said after the introduction of new measures that include covid confirmations that he would no longer come to Parliament.

"That is impossible. Even if the deputies themselves made such a decision by a two-thirds majority, it would be marginal, and to prevent us from coming to Parliament on the basis of an administrative decision of some headquarters is completely unacceptable. Someone will certainly file a constitutional complaint because of that. The Constitutional Court will rule. I have not and will not be vaccinated, and I do not want to be tested. It is my right to have the virus. As long as these measures are in force, my foot will not step into Parliament'', Hasanbegovic told Novi list.

Measures apply to everyone

Let us remind you, after the Headquarters yesterday prescribed that COVID certificates are valid for all civil and public servants, Parliament Secretary Davor Orlović said that these measures would also be applied to MPs. Simply put, anyone who wants to be in Parliament will have to be vaccinated, tested, or recovered from the virus.

"It is known what will be the way to enter the Parliament building, either on the basis of COVID certificates or the appropriate test. There is absolutely no difference between officials and employees. No details are known yet, next week the Parliamentary Presidency will discuss new measures'', Orlović said.

''We can’t separate MPs from others'', he added.

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ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš told the national radio (HR) on Saturday morning that over 7,000 new cases of the infection with coronavirus had been registered in the last 24 hours.

Croatia is now at the peak of the new wave of the pandemic and unfortunately, today we have registered over 7,000 new cases.

The minister declined to predict the scenarios for the future.

Let us do our best, and the best thing is to get vaccinated and comply with the basic anti-epidemic measures, said Beroš.

He said that the hospitals were not under strain such was the case in the previous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called for responsible behavior of all so as to prevent an excessive burden on the healthcare system.

Vaccination reduces possible reservoirs for the virus, he said, reiterating the benefits of immunization such as fewer chances of getting seriously ill.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.