February 11, 2021 – At today's Government session, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented four new measures valid from Monday, February 15, 2021. The four new measures include allowing cafes to serve coffee to go and the opening up of gyms, foreign language schools and casinos.

Asked about whether the epidemiological measures would be relaxed after February 15, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said yesterday that "fellow citizens who have shown a great deal of responsibility and patience should be rewarded." At today's Government session, Plenković announced the changes, warning that there is still no room for excessive relaxation nor the cessation of the responsible behaviour of all citizens.

"We monitored the development of the epidemiological situation in Croatia, and after talks with the Civil Protection Headquarters, epidemiologists, and members of the Government, we made several decisions," said Plenković.

The four new measures include:

• enabling caterers to sell coffee to go and thus allow them to do business; February's fees are valid for the entire month
• allowing the opening of gyms and fitness centres while respecting epidemiological measures, which is good for physical activity and people's health
• enabling children to study in foreign language schools so that in addition to their regular school activities, they can also attend extracurricular activities
• allowing the opening of bookmakers, slot machine clubs, and casinos, with restrictions on the consumption of beverages

Plenković added that the next analysis of the measures' effect would be on March 1, 2021. They will decide whether there will be new relaxations or a new tightening up of those epidemiological measures, depending on the epidemiological situation.

Plenković also reported on the situation with the spread of the novel coronavirus in Croatia and the declining trend of new infections. Today, Croatia is third country in the European Union in terms of the weekly average number of confirmed cases per million inhabitants. We have the fifth largest two-week drop in the number of deaths.

"At the same time, we're still in the winter months, and a strong wave of cold weather has been announced. The British variant of the virus has also been identified in Croatia. Many European countries are extending or tightening up their measures. After the initial delays in the delivery of vaccines, we have indications that Pfizer and AstraZeneca's delivery dynamics will accelerate, and we can expect larger quantities by the end of March. So far, we've received about 150,000 doses, and we expect more than 600,000 doses by the end of March, which means that we will be able to vaccinate a much larger number of our fellow citizens," said Plenković.

He pointed out that all three vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca – are all one hundred percent effective in preventing death from the virus. They are also effective against the need for respirators and the development of more severe symptoms.

"There are no obstacles which would suggest that people over 65 should not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine,'' said Plenković, adding that they want to vaccinate as many people as possible who are at risk.

Health Minister Vili Beroš reported that the vaccine's 669 side effects had been reported, and they were most commonly just mild reactions.

"The number of new cases is continuing to fall from week to week. We're monitoring the spread of new variants of this virus. Continuing the vaccination process is our tool for success. Today, we mark the World Day of the Sick. Special emphasis is placed on emotional struggles, and as such I'd like to thank our healthcare professionals," Beroš said.

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ZAGREB, 11 February, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 376 new cases of the coronavirus infection and 25 deaths, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Thursday.

The number of active cases stands at 2,550. There are 1,029 COVID patients in hospitals, 88 of whom are on ventilators.

There are currently 13,069 people in self-isolation.

To date, 1,250,855 people have been tested, including 6,340 in the last 24 hours.

Croatia has so far registered 236,709 coronavirus infections, including 5,263 deaths. A total of 228,896 people have recovered, 397 of whom over the past 24 hours.

ZAGREB, 11 February, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday that the government was considering a few possible changes regarding the relaxation of epidemiological restrictions after 15 February and that it would present them at its session on Thursday.

Asked by reporters after a session of the HDZ branch in Zagreb if the current restrictions would be eased after 15 February, Plenković said that he believed that in the current situation citizens should be rewarded for demonstrating a high degree of patience and responsibility.

"We are considering several possible changes that will be presented at the government session tomorrow," he said.

As for the new virus strain that has appeared in Croatia, Plenković said that it was epidemiologists' duty to determine and restrict situations where the new strain emerges.

He said that South Tyrol, where infection with the new strain has been on the rise, was treated as a territory from where it is not possible to enter Croatia.

"We will try to protect Croatia with a border regime that will enable us to prevent a more significant appearance of new variants and strains. We will be careful, we have been following developments in other countries," he said.

Plenković surprised by Zagreb University Rector getting vaccinated 

Plenković was also asked to comment on Zagreb University Rector Damir Boras getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at a Zagreb dental clinic despite having previously contracted the disease and therefore not being a priority for vaccination.

Plenković said that he was surprised by that fact, declining to comment on the explanation by a health worker of how it happened that Boras got vaccinated "because I don't know anything about it".

The explanation was that Boras and his wife were vaccinated because, while they were being treated for dental problems they happened to be in the clinic on the day that the clinic's medical staff were being vaccinated. After that, three diluted doses of the vaccine were left over and Boras asked if he and his wife could be vaccinated.

"I can only take note of that explanation," the PM said.

He added that it was important to respect the vaccination schedule determined by the government.

"All county public health institutes, hospital heads and personnel in charge of vaccination and primary health care workers must follow the list of vaccination priorities," he said.

He also said that it was good that the AstraZeneca vaccine had also proved to be good for people over the age of 65 and that it provided 100% protection against death, severe forms of the disease and more severe symptoms.

"All three (available) vaccines are equally reliable and it is good that as many citizens as possible get vaccinated."

During February and March, more than 600,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be secured for Croatian citizens, he said.

February the 11th, 2021 - Croatia's numbers have continued to tumble as the country gets a grip on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but with measures due to be reviewed over the coming days and the discovery of the new British strain of the virus in Croatia, could plans to re-open be put back on ice again? Health Minister Vili Beros set a few things straight following a recent meeting.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, following the conclusion of a meeting of the Scientific Council of the Croatian Government, at which scientists discussed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic a possible easing of the country's anti-epidemic measures in light of yesterday's discovery of the new so-called British strain of coronavirus in Croatia, Health Minister Vili Beros made a statement.

"The measures weren't the main topic of our conversation, we were focused on the presence of this new strain of coronavirus in Croatia and the kind of danger that might be incurred as a result of it, so we should be careful. We ended up discussing the vaccines. Everyone emphasises that we need to be vaccinated with the vaccine we have on our hands. All of them are safe for use,'' assured Health Minister Vili Beros.

"There is no significant spread of the epidemic at this moment in time, so we will base our further decisions on common sense. We all agree that the measures shouldn't be further tightened,'' said Beros.

When asked whether there will be mitigation of any of the existing epidemiological measures, Health Minister Vili Beros said that there is currently no unambiguous answer to this question and that it will be discussed later.

"There's no significant spread of the coronavirus epidemic here at this time, we're going to base our decisions on the epidemiological data and of course on common sense. We all agree that the measures should not be further tightened, but relaxation should also be considered very, very carefully. I think that we'll make certain decisions that will be based on the situation and how it all unfolds in the coming days,'' Beros concluded.

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February the 11th, 2021 - Just how have Croatian enterprises managed to cope with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic? Improvisation and being able to quickly alter business models has been the key to survival during these truly unprecedented times.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, the world is entering its second year of the coronavirus pandemic and, judging by the chaos with vaccine production (not to mention the appearance of new mutated strains), a return to life as we once knew it (and which we took for granted) will take time, which puts the issue of Croatian enterprises and their level of resilience in the long run at the very forefront.

Croatian enterprises, for the most part and in certain sectors, have done relatively well over the past year thanks to boasting an improvisation mentality without which the fall in Croatian GDP would have been even greater, but now is the time to truly take advantage of that.

"We in the region have shown ourselves to be creative because we're constantly living in a crisis here. We survived the first year of the coronavirus pandemic exclusively on the wave of improvisation, since Croatia enterprises generally didn't have any crisis plans, except for the biggest ones,'' stated Zlatko Bazianec, head of the Croatian office of Deloitte.

Contingency plans, for example, provide for concrete steps in the event of major disruptions, such as earthquakes. What if the location is compromised? What is the closest alternative, which people are critical, who will perform certain key actions and how - these are all steps that such a scenario has to work to predict, and in great detail.

Even the largest Croatian enterprises, however, weren't prepared for a combination of two disasters, a pandemic and a set of earthquakes at the same time. "During the first wave, we learned a lot, we adapted quickly. If we were to re-enter ''lockdown'' again we'd be more prepared because we've since learned how to perform most tasks remotely.

Due to constant improvisation, we have an advantage over those who normally live in an orderly society, such as Germany or Sweden,'' added Bazianec, who is convinced that Croatia has ''saved'' at least 5 percentage points of its GDP to pure creativity.

As a transition economy, the problem Croatia often faces is the lack of capital within its companies, so, in an environment with falling incomes and GDP, there isn't much room for tolerance for a long-lasting crisis. "That's why this advantage should be used for the future, and not just wait for a new crisis to happen," he said.

"Let's all learn something from this. We all need to be better prepared, there'es an opportunity here to shorten the supply chain and Croatian enterprises should try to conquer a new market or two. Education, investment in people and technology, health and the environment are key. The time for that is limited because when things go back to normal, then these other countries will come back much stronger and it will be too late,'' Bazianec said.

Figuratively speaking, large earthquakes, for which the term ''disruptive disorders'' is coined, can occur slowly and almost imperceptibly, like climate change, but they can also strike suddenly, like a storm.

The so-called ''film'' combination can't be ruled out either: earthquakes coincided with the coronavirus pandemic in Croatia, and political instability, protests against racism and Donald Trump's coup attempt happened across the Atlantic.

“Few organisations have been adequately prepared for the sort of turmoil we've seen on global markets during 2020. The overlapping global pandemic, social and political unrest, and deteriorating climate events have hit private and public sectors hard around the world.

An increasing number of challenges have expanded the concept of preparedness to ways that many could never have anticipated and put an unthinkable level of pressure on them,'' wrote Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen in the introduction to the 2021 Global Resilience Report.

Created by a survey of 2,260 managers in 21 study countries, the consulting firm examines how companies cope with the "new normal", how they respond to difficult choices, how they explore new ways of doing business and how they face fundamental changes in their strategies.

Such questions are crucial because most respondents believe that 2020 will not remain an exception, unfortunately. Over 6 out of 10 respondents expect new disturbances to occur, either occasionally or regularly, and as many as three quarters believe that the climate crisis is similar or even worse than the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

There's a message to be sent out to Croatian enterprises and business owners, and that is that there are several main attributes of resilient companies:

Corporate culture

They're prepared, adaptable (primarily thanks to having more versatile employees), willing to cooperate within their organisations, they're reliable (again with an emphasis placed primarily on employees) and they're responsible.

These characteristics don't arise by themselves but require desire, effort, investment and moves to cultivate and sustain them, and companies in which they intentionally become a ''mindset'' and corporate culture are at an advantage as they seek the path to a ''better norma''’ in a post- pandemic world, the study concluded.

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February 10, 2021 - Andrej Plenkovic spoke about possibly easing measures in Croatia, saying that the Government will present several possible options on Thursday. 

After the HDZ presented Davor Filipovic as a candidate for mayor of Zagreb, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also commented on the possible easing of epidemiological measures.

"I think that under these circumstances we should reward our fellow citizens who have shown a great deal of patience and responsibility. We are thinking about several possible steps that we will present to the government tomorrow," said Plenkovic, as reported by N1.

It should be reminded that the presence of the UK COVID-19 variant has been confirmed in Croatia. Whether this will affect the easing of measures, a member of the government's Scientific Council, Ozren Polasek, explained to N1.

"Certainly, we all want to think about giving in because now we understand the psychological and economic cost of this situation in which such measures are in force. I was hoping we would go in that direction. However, the emergence of these strains and the situation from other European countries does not give us much hope, but this is not the end of the world. We are currently in a good situation, and today we discussed how to keep it, regardless of the environment and the fact that a new variant was confirmed today, which was probably with us before. Still, today we have definite confirmation that it is expanding with us," said Polašek.

Asked whether they will ease the existing epidemiological measures, Minister Vili Beroš said today that there is no unambiguous answer to this question and that it will be discussed further. He thinks that individual decisions based on the epidemiological situation will be made in the coming days.

"We will base our decisions on epidemiological data and common sense. We all agree that measures should not be further tightened, but relaxation should be considered very carefully. I think we will make certain decisions that will be based on the situation in the coming days," Beros said.

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February 10, 2021 – At today's Civil Protection Headquarters' press conference, Croatian epidemiologist Bernard Kaic stated that there are eight more infected with the British variant of coronavirus in Croatia. Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that the virus has been present in Croatia since January 20th, 2021.

In the past 24 hours, 577 new cases have been recorded, so the number of active cases in Croatia today is 2596. Among them, 1,055 patients are in hospital, of which 92 are on respirators. Fourteen people died. Epidemiologist Bernard Kaić said that the number of infections in Croatia is decreasing from week to week.

"These 577 cases are less than last week. The share of positives among those tested is also falling. However, these are still large numbers compared to spring. The daily incidence is 146 per 100,000. We are among the better in the EU; only four countries have a lower incidence. As for the counties, the lowest incidence of 14 days is in Istria County with 42 per 100,000, followed by Požega-Slavonia County with 63, and the highest in Split-Dalmatia County," Kaić said.

He added that 655 side effects had been reported on the Pfizer vaccine and 17 on the Moderna vaccine to date. As he says, side effects were expected. Twenty-nine allergic reactions have been reported, but all have passed without any consequences.

Samples of the new variant taken at the end of January

Alemka Markotić talked about the British variant of coronavirus that appeared in Croatia today. The first three cases have been confirmed.

"Colleagues from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) said they had preliminary results for eight patients, but they will inform the public in more detail. As for the samples we confirmed, one is a 50-year-old man from the Family Medicine Practice; the clinic has no data on his clinical state. There is a 3,5-year-old child, who had symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, and the parents are positive. A third is a 34-year-old man, and we have no information about him," Markotić said.

She added that what they found was no surprise and that it was a matter of time when the new variant of coronavirus would be detected in Croatia. It was good that a significant number of new patients connected with the new variant could not be seen. However, she stressed that we still need to be very responsible, vigilant, and adhere to measures.

Kaić said that there is no data for these eight positive cases yet. It is only known that the samples were taken in the second half of January. They still do not know all the contacts of the infected with the new strain, but they have been working on it since early morning. They will undoubtedly be required to be in self-isolation.

"Those eight infected are from Zagreb, Sisak, and Vukovar-Srijem County. Samples were taken in the second half of January. That means we had a new strain back then. We need to do everything we can to reduce the spread of the new variant so as not to increase the incidence," Kaić said.

Beroš: All three types of vaccines are effective

"It is crucial to detect the new variant's existence by sequencing methods we have undertaken, and it is important to respond epidemiologically to new challenges. The whole of Europe is on alert. This is an opportunity to show responsible behavior once again. Our vigilance has created a good basis for a new fight. We will have to balance between milder and stricter measures," said Health Minister Vili Beroš.

As for the vaccines, Beroš said that the vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine has begun. The vaccination with Pfizer and Moderna will continue, and the second phase will start when it is the turn of senior citizens and people with comorbidities.

He stressed that none of the vaccines in Croatia have age restrictions. Regardless of the effectiveness' percentages, all three vaccines in the 100 percent range prevent the onset of the most severe forms of the disease, hospitalization, and death.

"We use what is available, and these are three types of vaccines that the whole world considers to be effective," Beroš said.

The most vulnerable are a priority in vaccination

Journalists asked the Civil Protection Headquarters about the University of Zagreb rector Damir Boras, who was allegedly vaccinated "before his turn", which caused a great deal of public attention.

"I immediately asked for a statement, and I condemn the vaccination before your turn. We have adopted a vaccination plan. The deprivation of the rights of the most vulnerable is not acceptable. I will wait for a response from the Rebro Clinical Hospital Center, and we will see. I appeal to all those who carry out vaccination to do it according to the vaccination plan," said Beroš.

When asked how they decide what to do with unused doses, Kaić said there is no prescribed protocol.

"A common-sense protocol is to vaccinate someone interested rather than throw away the vaccine, especially when we don't have enough vaccine, regardless of who is vaccinated to get another dose when needed. Likewise, suppose it is possible to start vaccinating in dispensaries, and somewhere the last user of a nursing home or the last health worker in the area has not yet been given. In that case, the first phase of vaccination inevitably overlaps with the second. Where would we come from not giving the vaccine we have. Decent quantities have arrived this week; next week, they are coming again. If we do not give the vaccine until the first phase is resolved, it would be harmful to delay vaccination," said Kaić.

Beroš said he did not believe the rumors that people were getting vaccinated before their turn. He said he condemned such actions. "We are all equal, but the most vulnerable must have priority," he said.

Božinović: New decision on measures to protect both people and economy

When asked by journalists about how a new variant of coronavirus entered Croatia, Alemka Markotić answered – by human migration.

"We will try to find out in detail where they were imported from. But viruses migrate along with humans. It would not be like that if there were no such migrations. It is a variant that is spreading faster. It is among us, and we must adhere to the measures in force to prevent the spread, such as in Ireland, Portugal. The whole world is in fear of spreading. If the health care system is burdened, the number of dead will also increase. In Germany, they are proposing even stricter measures," Markotić said.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović commented on the easing of measures.

"We have to pay attention to the new strain, but that is not a reason to panic. We have to monitor the situation in European countries. Each country reacted differently, and all this happens when vaccination does not go as planned. We must also take into account the forecast announcing low temperatures. So, we will take all this into account," Božinović said.

He added that a new variant of the coronavirus has been present in Croatia since January 20, 2021, since the numbers of newly infected people have been falling.

"The new variant will also be discussed at the Scientific Council to make a decision that will protect people, but also which must be rational for economic activities," Božinović said.

A new strain of coronavirus will be detected by random testing, and Markotić said they would also react as soon as they notice that someone has come from abroad or that there are more hospitalized or infected in an area. It takes about two weeks to complete the whole process because a regular PCR test does not do it, but the process is more complicated.

Sources: Index.hr, Jutarnji list

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February the 10th, 2021 - The British variant of the novel coronavirus has now unfortunately been identified in multiple people in Croatia, despite all of the attempts to keep it out. Minister Davor Bozinovic has discussed just how decisions on measures will be made following the 15th of February, 2021.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Davor Bozinovic has openly stated that it was only a matter of time before the new British variant of the novel coronavirus was discovered circulating in Croatia. 

''It was a matter of when and not if when it comes to that variant of the virus. We can already say that this new variant of the virus is now dispersed throughout Croatia. It's important that this new moment is taken seriously. This doesn't mean that there's now a reason for any kind of panic. We must closely monitor the situation in neighbouring and European countries, as well as here in our country.

Many countries have reacted with preventive measures and even tighter lockdowns, which is also conditioned by the dynamics of vaccination, which isn't going as previously planned ", said Davor Bozinovic before stating that today at the meeting between the Croatian Government and the Scientific Council of the Government all of this will be properly taken into account, as will the current forecasts of very low temperatures continuing until the end of the month, which also encourages the spread of respiratory infections of numerous kinds.

Davor Bozinovic also pointed out that we have a situation in which the numbers in Croatia are thankfully not growing, but still falling. He announced that a whole series of meetings would be held by the end of the week in order to make a rational decision on how to continue taking into account both the question of public health and economic activity, and indeed recovery.

''We're going to do our best to make the decision on measures after February the 15th which will be appropriate to the situation we find ourselves in,'' Davor Bozinovic stated.

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ZAGREB, 10 February 2021 - The Ministry of Health said on Wednesday, on the occasion of the beginning of inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Croatia, that all registered COVID-19 vaccines did not have an upper age limit and protected nearly 100% from serious cases of COVID-19 and death.

This is especially important to stress, the ministry says, when elderly people and people with chronic diseases start getting vaccinated and think about which vaccine to choose.

"Based on all available information on the official websites of the Croatian Public Health Institute and the Health Ministry, the profession has clearly said that the best vaccine is the one we can get vaccinated with first. When the priority is to save lives and prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, there is no room to think about the probability of developing mild symptoms in case of infection," the press release said.

The vaccination rollout plan is tailored to the needs of chronic patients and citizens over the age of 65 to ensure equal access to vaccines in every part of Croatia, and county public health institutes are coordinating the process in each county by determining locations for getting vaccinated. All information is also available to family medicine doctors.

There will also be a digital platform so that those interested can book a date to get vaccinated, which they can also do via the call centres of county public health institutes.

"It should be reiterated that vaccination, in addition to epidemiological measures, is the most powerful weapon in the strategy for fighting coronavirus. It is important to use the first opportunity to get vaccinated and protect yourself and your citizens so that we would be one step closer to ending the epidemic," the Health Ministry said.

Medical associations: All vaccines successful in preventing serious illness and death

To get vaccinated or not to get vaccinated with available vaccine is a false dilemma, Croatia's medical association said on Wednesday, underscoring that all approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and successful in preventing serious illness, hospitalisation and death.

"Our message to citizens is -- get vaccinated with the vaccine that is available because the risk  from inoculation is lower than the risk of getting infected with COVID-19," said the Croatian Medical Chamber, the Croatian Medical Association, the Croatian Medical Union, the Croatian Association of Hospital Physicians, the Croatian Family Physicians Coordination, the Croatian Epidemiological Society and the Croatian Society for Infectious Diseases of the Croatian Medical Association.

They explained that several European countries had decided not to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to persons over the age of 65, but not because the vaccine might not be safe for that age group but because research into that vaccine had not yet covered enough elderly people to scientifically define the level of efficacy for that age group.

"No vaccine is 100% effective. A good example is the seasonal flu vaccine, which is about 45% effective but no one questions its use".

ZAGREB, 10 February 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has performed 6,829 coronavirus tests and 577, that is 8.5%, have returned positive, while there have been 14 deaths linked to COVID-19, the national COVID-19 response team said on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 2,596 active cases, and of them, 1,055 are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, including 92 on ventilators.

There are now 12,762 people in self-isolation.

To date, a total of 1,244,514 persons have been tested for the virus.

Since 25 February, when the first case of the disease was identified in Croatia, there have been 236,333 registered cases of coronavirus and 5,238 people have died as a consequence while 228,499 have recovered, including 296  in the past 24 hours.