February the 1st, 2021 - Marija Bubas from the Croatian Institute of Public Health was a recent guest of Dnevnik N1 television, during which she discussed the ongoing pandemic and the vaccination plan.

As Index writes, Marija Bubas talked about easing the current anti-epidemic measures and Croatia's vaccination process. Despite the better epidemiological situation, she is not yet in favour of easing measures. Croatia has now surpassed 5,000 deaths from coronavirus, and Marija Bubas believes that this only goes to show that the novel virus has some of the worst consequences attached to it, not just long-term health issues.

"Our measures are helping against the spread of coronavirus"

"Our rate per million inhabitants is about 1,200 cases and we're in 20th place. That rate is significant in our country. There are other countries that are worse off, there are better ones, and it's a question of other comorbidities. Over 90 percent of deaths were the result of various comorbidities they already had when they became infected and which helped to make their struggle for life difficult and end terribly as the virus ravaged them.

It's also a fact that says that we should beware of coronavirus infections, especially now, in circumstances when there is more and more talk about the spread of new strains of this virus. The measures that are still in force and have been extended until the 15th of February are helping to prevent the spread of coronavirus as well as its new strains. Our number of hospitalised people, deaths and people on respirators is dropping from week to week,'' said Marija Bubašs

When it comes to the vaccine: You should take what comes first...

She said that the situation with the vaccine wasn't what they had previously expected, but that's why the vaccination plan was changed.

"There will be enough for everyone even though the pharmaceutical industry has reduced its deliveries. The vaccination plan had to be changed to meet the two-dose vaccination, which is a guarantee of protection against infection. Let's not forget that we had an earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County where doses had to be redirected in order to quickly vaccinate the population that ended up without anywhere to live and had to be in a place where the spread of the virus is made more possible.The spread didn't happen, the situation in that county didn't eventually become alarming, but a lot of people were vaccinated and we're satisfied with how we stand with that. It would've been better if we'd had the quantity of vaccine we'd expected,'' Marija Bubas added.

She pointed out that it was a fortunate circumstance that the AstraZeneca vaccine had been approved for use in the EU.

"We expect that more serious quantities of this vaccine will be delivered to Croatia in February. You should be vaccinated, so you should just receive the vaccine that comes first. A vaccination platform will be available for that, ie for ordering vaccination. When we see what quantities will arrive in the coming weeks, we'll make a plan. "

Bubas doesn't yet know when the platform will become available to citizens, but it is being "hurriedly worked on" and the hope is to launch it soon. She noted that new strains of the virus have not yet been discovered in Croatia, but she claims that new strains are present in the region.

"New strains exist in our neighbourhood. It hasn't been discovered in Croatia yet, but we're monitoring the situation. As these new strains spread, they show how great the mobility of the population is. Another good answer to stop the spread of new strains, prevent deaths and reduce the burden on the healthcare system is vaccination,'' she stressed. She believes that the measures shouldn't be relaxed even in mid-February and that a higher level of vaccination should be expected.

"I think we're going to have to wait for a higher level of vaccination to take place, but that's just an opinion. We have to look around, throughout Europe the measures are stricter in most countries, they're preparing for the penetration of new strains in some countries and there is no thought of relaxing anything. Although our situation is good, we must be careful with relaxations,'' stated Marija Bubas.

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February 1, 2021 - Bernard Tkalčec has decided against opening Zlatni Klas today and instead will peacefully protest with Croatian caterers on Wednesday in Zagreb. 

Although it was rumored that more than 100 caterers in Zagreb would open their facilities on February 1, or at least start issuing coffee and drinks outside despite the work ban, the protest will not go ahead, as many pulled out after considering the consequences, said the president of the Zagreb Caterers' Association, Franz Letica, by telephone for Hina after their meeting.

After announcing that he would open the doors of the Zlatni Klas in Otrovandc on Monday, Bernard Tkalčec decided not to go ahead, after all, epodravina reports. 

"I am will not open until February 15th. We have positive announcements from the Prime Minister that he will change his lockdown decision if the situation is good. My recent speech was not focused on rebellion and anarchy, but on seeking the right to work and live if we cannot be helped," said Tkalčec.

"I am waiting for the measures to be relaxed so that we can work fairly. The caterers were revolted by numerous illogicalities and discrimination in the measures of the Headquarters. Twenty-five people stand in front of the kiosks drinking coffee; the pools are full, people are on top of each other on Sljeme, and young people travel to BiH for fun. We are all human; we all want life. I do not condemn anyone, but we also have our rights; we are the only ones who have minimum technical conditions, and we do not work," he complained. 

Tkalčec employed 16 people in Otrovanec, but he had to let go six of them when the first measures were announced.

"I can't afford to have 10 people come to my lunch, as it was before, and pay so many people. Now I kept 11 of them, but I promised the others that I would return them to work if we would work normally," he said.

Tkalčec said he received many calls and messages, mostly of support, after his opening announcement last week.

"This is not an initiative that calls for rebellion and riots, but the requested realization of our right to work and to understand that we are alive. On Wednesday, I am going to a peaceful protest in the center of Zagreb; we are looking for a way to survive," he concluded.

To read more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 1, 2021 – Miroslav Tudman, the first child of Franjo Tudman, died in Zagreb from complications caused by Coronavirus. A scientist and educator who followed a route into politics, he bore a striking resemblance to his father, the first President of Croatia

Miroslav Tudjman, HDZ member of parliament and son of Franjo Tudman, the first President of Croatia, died in the evening of Sunday 31 January 2021 in Zagreb. He was 75 years old.

Miroslav Tudjman had been hospitalized in Zagreb at the beginning of December due to complications caused by Coronavirus. He had been placed on a respirator. He sadly lost his fight for life at the Dr. Fran Mihaljevic Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Zagreb.

Born in Belgrade in 1946, the son of Franjo Tudman and his first wife Ankica Zumbar, Miroslav Tudman moved to Zagreb in 1961. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zagreb in 1970 and later became part of the faculty, founding its Institute for Information Studies in 1989.

Miroslav Tudman © HDZ

He took part in the Croatian War of Independence and in 1992 Miroslav Tudman became the head of the Centre for Strategic Research. He took up the role as the deputy head of the National Security Office before founding and leading the first Croatian Intelligence Agency (Hrvatska izvještajna služba, HIS). In 1998, Miroslav Tudman became a tenured professor at the Faculty of Philosophy where he had studied.

Miroslav Tudman had dallied with politics since before the war, but it was only after the passing of his father – who died while in office – that they became a more consuming affair for him. He flitted between running as an independent candidate, within fringe parties and as a member of HDZ, the party to which his father belonged. His longest duration with any party was from 2011 and 2021, during which he was a member of HDZ.

At the time of his death, he was a member of the Croatian parliament, head of the Parliamentary Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, a member of the Committee on Defence, Internal Policy and National Security, War Veterans and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation.

Bearing a very close resemblance to his father, Miroslav Tudman was named after Croatian writer Miroslav Krleža who his father adored at the time of his firstborn child.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that he received the news of Miroslav Tudman's death with sadness.

"It is with great sadness that I received the news of the departure of Prof. Miroslav Tudman, PhD, a dear colleague, friend and member of the Croatian Parliament, son of the first Croatian President Franjo Tudman, a prominent politician and a scientist dedicated to protecting national interests," he wrote on Twitter. "In these sad and painful moments, for the Tudman family, I express my sincere condolences and sympathy, on behalf of the government and myself."

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January 31, 2021 - Due to the improving epidemiological situation in Croatia, a small portion of the restrictive measures have been eased. Students will return to classrooms, outdoor training for sport is allowed, swimming pools will open, and nursing homes in Croatia will welcome visitors. 

After four and a half months, the Croatian National Public Health Institute has enacted new measures for residents in nursing homes. Namely, from next week, relatives and families can visit residents in nursing homes, and residents can also leave under strict epidemiological conditions, the head of the Zagreb Office for Social Protection and Persons with Disabilities, Romana Galić, told HRT's Dnevnik.

"Upon arrival at the nursing home, the visits will take place in the external premises. Strict epidemiological measures will apply for visits to immobile users, and the visit will take place according to a pre-determined schedule," she said.

The relaxation of measures is possible because, for example, in Zagreb's homes for the elderly and infirm, about 2,200 users have already received the coronavirus vaccine, and 1,600 of them have received the second dose of the vaccine. Also, about 600 users were infected with and have recovered from COVID-19.

"We will enable those who had COVID in the last 90 days and those who received their second dose of the vaccine to leave their homes. So, from Tuesday, they will be able to leave the institutions, after four and a half months," said Romana Galić.

See the full list of all measures in Croatia, currently in effect until February 15, HERE.

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ZAGREB, 31 January, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has conducted 5,079 coronavirus tests and 7.2% of them, that is 336, have returned positive, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Sunday.

There have been 29 deaths linked to COVID-19, bringing the country's COVID-related death toll to 5,027.

There are currently 2,923 active cases of the infection, of whom 1,275 are hospitalised patients, including 113 placed on ventilators.

Since the outbreak of the this infectious disease in late February 2020, Croatia has conducted 1.91 million tests which have shown that 232,426 persons have contracted this novel virus. Of them, 224,476 have recovered so far, including 459 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 15,503 persons in Croatia are self-isolating.

January 31, 2021 – The planned cafes protest in Zagreb and elsewhere, which was due to see 100 facilities open their doors on Monday 1st February in defiance of the current ban on their operations, has been cancelled. Huge fines and the threat of prison are the reason for the climb down. Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Coric appealed to caterers for patience.

The proposed Zagreb cafes protest organised for Monday 1st February has been cancelled. The protest was due to see some catering facilities and gyms open their doors to the public in defiance of the current nationwide ban on operations in such facilities. Around 100 businesses were said to be joining the Zagreb cafes protest.

"Although it has been rumoured that more than 100 caterers in Zagreb will open their facilities on February 1, mostly cafes, or at least start issuing coffee and drinks outside, despite the work ban, it does not seem this will (now) happen, as many have withdrawn after seeing all the consequences that could befall them if they do, " Franz Letica, president of the Zagreb Caterers' Association, told Hina by telephone after the meeting.

On Friday 29 January, the Association of Caterers in Zagreb announced the opening of at least 100 bars and Croatian cafes would open on Monday. An informal meeting of caterers, many who were due to take part in the cafes protest, took place on the afternoon of Saturday 30 January. It seems that at the meeting, plans for the cafes protest fell apart. Caterers had faced the possible punishment of fines - from 20 thousand kuna to 70 thousand kuna - and up to three years in prison for defying the law and opening during the cafes protest.

Petra Odobašić, the owner of a catering facility from Zagreb who attended Saturday's informal meeting, also confirmed to Hina there would be no mass opening on Monday, but that only a dozen caterers would continue with the cafes protest. This handful of establishments were described as being situated mostly in the Dubrava area of Zagreb. Around 80 caterers attended Saturday's informal meeting, mostly from Zagreb, but some from other areas such as Karlovac.

Appearing on Croatian television on Saturday 30 January, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Coric appealed to caterers for patience.

"We hope there will be (patience)," he said when asked about the proposed act of defiance, "given that we have explained the epidemiological situation we are currently in. We need to think about the season - spring and summer - this will be the time when we can all reap the fruits of responsibility together."

January the 31st, 2021 - Minister Bozinovic has explained that because we're still deep in the cold, damp winter months in which numerous pathogens which can cause respiratory issues are rife, terraces must remain shut, adding that it would be a different story if the weather was different.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, at a recent press conference held by the National Civil Protection Headquarters, Minister Bozinovic touched on the weather conditions of winter and what opening the terraces of catering and hospitality establishments would mean for the country's epidemiological picture, which has become favourable over the last few weeks.

''If it was safe outside for the terraces to be open, then they would be, it's still cold, this still isn't the period in which viruses, including his one, find it more difficult to spread. If our more favourable trends are better by the 15th and if some new variant of the virus doesn't turn up here, and we hope that the situation will be better with the vaccine, then we can talk about correcting things to everyone's satisfaction.

Our goal is to prevent the situation from November and December from happening again, as that was when our healthcare system and capacities were on the verge of not being able to handle the situation,'' said Minister Bozinovic.

The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, also weighed in.

''We have a further mitigated downward trend. Sisak-Moslavina County has the highest numbers, Istria has the lowest. We're in seventh place in the ranking of European Union countries. We're in twentieth place in regard to those EU countries in terms of mortality. In the last week, the average share of positives in Croatia has been 11.2,'' Capak said.

''We received 409 reports of side effects from the Pfizer vaccine and 11 with Moderna. These are mostly local reactions such as headaches,'' he stated.

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ZAGREB, 30 January, 2021 - The ship Xin Tian Jin arrived in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka on Saturday with 88 tonnes of protective gear from China, which will be used in further efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, the Croatian government said.

The shipment includes 151,200 swab kits, 500,000 FFP3 face masks and 480,000 protective suits. As in previous cases, the protective gear was purchased from the Chinese companies MEHECO and Sinopharm.

The value of today's shipment is $1,982,560.

Next week, the equipment will transported to the civil protection logistics centre in Jastrebarsko, about 30 kilometres southwest of Zagreb, from where it will be distributed to the coronavirus response authorities.

ZAGREB, 30 January, 2021 - In the last 24 hours Croatia has registered 551 new coronavirus cases and 26 related deaths, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday.

A total of 1,249 patients are hospitalised, including 113 on ventilators.

The number of active cases currently stands at 3,075 and 15,700 people are in self-isolation.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of the infection was confirmed in the country, 232,090 people have been infected with the virus, of whom 4,998 have died and 224,017 have recovered, including 567 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 1,186,046 people have been tested for the novel virus to date, including 5,195 in the last 24 hours.

January 30, 2021 - How is Split Airport staying busy during the COVID-19 pandemic? Mate Melvan of Split Airport talks about conditions, restrictions, and predictions. 

After Split Airport saw a substantial investment to upgrade and expand its facilities just a few years ago, all to accommodate millions of passengers in the summer, the COVID-19 pandemic has left it empty. 

Namely, Slobodna Dalmacija reports that there are only 200 to 400 passengers who pass on average in both directions a day, on five to six planes that land on the runway. During the week, passengers can fly directly to Rome, Munich, Frankfurt, and Dusseldorf, while all other destinations can only be reached via Zagreb.

With 3.3 million passengers in 2019, figures fell to 674 thousand last year. Mate Melvan, the head of the passenger reception and dispatch service, says that nothing can be worse than last year and predicts that next summer will be much better. Turnover has decreased by five times, but there is work to be done.

"Our work is more diverse and full of challenges. From hour to hour, we monitor the database with the epidemiological situation of each country, which changes the travel conditions for passengers on these flights," he says.

"Information is important because all that is reflected on us, and every day is a new rule for a country. It can be the same, similar, or completely different from ours or some other state, and coming to work does not mean that what we did yesterday will be valid today or even during the day. Passengers face changes practically just before the trip, which can be quite challenging. Many are full of understanding, cooperative, but some do not accept, resent, and think that we or the aviation industry make the rules, not the national headquarters of the states. And when they buy a ticket, they think we are obliged to transport them from point A to place B, that we are responsible. Sometimes they point out some illogicalities for a reason, but we have no choice but to abide by the regulations. Not only are measures taken in our country without prior notice, so it is within the entire Union and elsewhere," says Melvan.

Just one difficult passenger is enough:

"Last year, at one point after reopening, Germany only allowed entry if you have an “essential reason” which includes work, death, medical treatment. A few passengers on the first flight wanted to buy a car because they are engaged in resale. They bought the ticket thinking it was a good reason. We called the carrier, he called the border control, and at the same time, we contacted the operations center by e-mail. They said - no, that can't be a good reason. If he even makes it upstairs, he will be rejected and the carrier punished for bringing him up. So we had to inform the passengers, and they were not happy. For two days, one of them called the police, and then someone at the customs, trying to prove through everyone he knew that someone was to blame. Some travelers really don't understand," he added.

And that is just one example.

Melvan's associate Katarina Dujmov, the coordinator of the passenger service, says that it is increasingly difficult to meet the paperwork some countries require:

"In recent days, we have noticed that some countries have started to close in some way. They won't say 'there will be no travel from tomorrow,' but they will complicate the situation. Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands tightened the conditions, France was quite tough anyway. You need to have a fresh PCR test, so some are looking for an antigen test, and statements on why you are traveling there. A statement that you have not been in contact with a COVID patient, that you board a plane without a fever, that you have no symptoms. Every country has something of its own. All the slightly more northern countries, I guess, are thinking about the new strain of the virus. People travel for various reasons because they have to, and hardly anyone will go for tourism now. It is complicated," says Dujmov, emphasizing that they did not receive any instructions regarding passengers who were vaccinated.

However, there are still some traveling purely for tourism.

"These are people who resist the limitations of their lives and want to realize their desires. It is possible, but it requires a lot of effort and investment, and it is also risky. You can travel, and on the way back, a new measure can change the plan. No one can predict that" they added.

They say that, like the rest of the nation, they are becoming better experts in epidemiology every day.

Goran Boric, the operations center coordinator, deals with changes in the flight lists, and still has less stress than his colleagues, as changes happen within three weeks.

Mate Melvan believes that things will improve this summer and that more people will travel. His optimism is based on the experience of the last short season in which they raised traffic to 40 percent, and from twenty percent in other months.

Also, announcements for the season are excellent. Direct flights to 100 destinations in 25 different countries are open, and the European Commission's aviation industry rules are awaited to see what will be realized. By Easter, they will get a more realistic picture of how the flight schedule from Split Airport will look.

"The old normal will return, maybe the recovery will take a little longer, and this large area of the airport now benefits us because of COVID-19. There is room for space between people; the risk is reduced. Last summer, 500,000 passengers passed through here, some of whom probably had coronavirus, but no one became infected. Wearing a mask, distance and disinfection proved to be effective during the epidemic," says Mate Melvan.

To conclude, none of the 400 full-time employees of Split Airport was fired due to the reduced volume of work, but they brought a package of austerity measures which included a reduction in salaries for all.

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