November 11, 2020 - A look at the new measures in Sibenik-Knin County as cafes must shut at 10 pm starting Thursday.  

Dalmatinski Portal reports that in the past 24 hours in Sibenik-Knin County, 69 people were infected with COVID-19. These are 17 from the area of Sibenik, 11 from the area of Drnis, nine from the area of Knin, five from the area of Vodice, three from the area of Pirovac, two from the area of Bilice, and one person each from the area of Promina, Tribunj, Primosten, Ruzic and Ervenik.

Eight residents and one employee of the Mihek Home for Mentally Ill Adults, Sibenik branch, also became infected. Furthermore, eight people who currently reside in this county, and their place of residence is elsewhere, were infected.

The Sibenik Hospital Department of Infectious Diseases is treating 23 people, one of whom is on a ventilator. Others have milder clinical symptoms and are in self-isolation. There are currently 215 active cases of COVID-19.

In the last 24 hours, 91 samples were tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Currently, 700 people are under health supervision and self-isolation measures.

The National Civil Protection Headquarters, at the proposal of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Sibenik-Knin County, amended the Decision on introducing necessary epidemiological measures for Sibenik-Knin County, which enters into force tomorrow.

The decision prohibits holding all public events and gatherings of more than 30 people in one place, except for sports competitions where there may be a maximum of as many competitors and officials as allowed by the competition regulations for each sport. A maximum of 50 people may be present at professional art performances and programs, cinema screenings, and exhibitions in museums, galleries, and other exhibition spaces with strict adherence to all prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

The working hours of all types of catering facilities are limited until 10 pm. Visits to residents of social welfare institutions that provide accommodation services and exits of residents outside the premises and courtyards are prohibited unless conditioned for medical reasons.

At religious ceremonies indoors, the number of persons present is limited according to the space's size, so that at least 4 m2 of space must be provided for each person present. It is recommended to sports associations and other organized groups that do not participate in official competitions not to hold training, preparatory exercises, and recreational activities indoors.

It is recommended that private gatherings are not held. If a private gathering is still held, it is recommended to limit the gathering to members of the same or as few connected households as possible. It is recommended that sessions of representative bodies of local and regional self-government units be held via videoconference or other technologies for holding remote meetings.

It is recommended that employers organize work with the greatest possible distance between workers and maintain a minimum physical distance of at least 2 meters, whenever possible.

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

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of November, 2020, although there has been no serious production of protective masks and disinfectants in Croatia until this year, primarily because they are relatively simple and cheap low value-added products, the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent disruption of logistics chains has seen the situation totally change and we're witnessing Croatian companies that have, to a greater or lesser extent, seriously entered this segment. One of them is Medikor, which is primarily a representative of numerous medical brands for the Croatian market, such as Omron and Beurer, and they also decided to develop their own project of protective masks.

Technology, design and packaging

As was explained from Medikor, the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic was an additional incentive for them to devise the concept of a face mask that they believe is the optimal combination of protection and comfort for the end user.

"The concept of Mask in mask wasn't just created overnight, it was worked on for months by experts from Medikor who, with dedicated work, invested their knowledge and conducted research, and as such created a quality product available to everyone. In the entire production process, we had only one thing in mind: to create a high-quality product respecting all set standards, and with practicality and cost-effectiveness to make it desirable to those for whom it is intended. When we add the involvement of several Croatian factories in the production process to that story, we can freely say that we succeeded in our plan,'' they explained from Medikor, which is led by its director, Dr. Dujo Kovacevic. They added that so far, five Croatian companies are working on the production, sewing and packaging of their masks, while the production of filters is also here in Croatia.

"We supply raw materials for the production of filters to a lesser extent from China, and to a greater extent from Germany. These filters are produced by using a special technology of joining together non-woven materials and cutting them. The know-how, technology and design of the filter itself, masks and product packaging are the result of the work of the Medikor team consisting of a doctor, then a public health specialist, marketing experts and product and graphic designers,'' they pointed out from Medikor.

The filter lasts for a month

Their masks and filters have been on sale in foreign markets for a short time, so far in Austria, the Czech Republic and Serbia, and Medikor expects the opening up of other EU markets. Additionally, in the coming weeks, they will start an online shop - Mask-in-Mask.com, which will be focused on the B2C segment. As for the mask itself, the five-layer model PTFE mask, as they explained from Medikor, is an innovative and very simple concept - it is a mask that, as its name suggests, consists of two parts. The outer part consists of a two-layer, canvas mask with a built-in flexible nose band and elastic earmuffs. It is available in a wider range of colours which makes it adaptable to different fashion styles.

The main feature of this mask, they say, is the interior which consists of a unique PTFE (semi-crystalline polymer plastic Polytetrafluoroethylene) with a three-layer hydrophobic replaceable filter that has a bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) of 99.2% and an effective particle filtration (PFE) of 97%. It is made of PTFE membrane and two layers of non-woven polypropylene, which are joined together by a special technique in one of the well-known Croatian factories, and which they don't want to name from Medikor because they want to keep the exclusivity of this technology. They add that with proper use and regular disinfection, the mask's filter can be used for 30 days.

Medikor has been operating in Croatia since back in 1995 and currently employs 23 people. They say that today, in addition to wholesale, their main sales channel is their own online store, with one specialised store and two pharmacies.

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

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

November 10, 2020 – Joso Mraovic, known as one of the founders of the HDZ in Lika, who was also called "Lički Tuđman", died yesterday in the Rijeka hospital from coronavirus.

According to Maxportal, because he was infected with the coronavirus a few days ago, he was admitted to the Rijeka Clinical Hospital, where he was on the respirator, and passed away on Monday afternoon. He had underlying heart and blood pressure problems.

The news of his death was published by the Gospić HDZ.

"Today is a particularly sad day for the two Mraović families, the family of the late Joso and the late Mile. Today is a sad day for all the founders of HDZ and the Croatian state, today is a sad day for all Croatian defenders of Gospić and Bilaj. Unexpectedly, two true patriots left us, two falcons who participated in all important processes from the very beginning of the creation of the Croatian state.

Dear Mraović families, we are proud that we participated with Joso and Mile in the creation of our only homeland, and we hereby express our sincere condolences on behalf of all HDZ founders from the town of Gospić. Joso and Mile will be with us and in our hearts forever," reads the post on their Facebook page.

The news was confirmed for 24sata by the Lika-Senj County Prefect Darko Milinović, who knew Mraović.

The controversial politician and businessman died at the age of 68, and apart from the founding of the HDZ, he was also known to the Croatian public for the affair of raping American Ilisha Jarrett, a former Gospić basketball player. For that case, known publicly as the „ličko rukovanje“ („Lika handshake“), he was sentenced to two years in prison in 2005.

As Jutarnji list reports, the case then attracted a lot of attention, especially because of the reasoning of the verdict of Gospić judge Branko Milanović, who acquitted Mraović in the first trial. Namely, to the dismay of the public, he stated that forcible pushing of a finger into the anus should not be understood as rape and that it is actually identical to shaking hands, which is why the term "ličko rukovanje" ("Lika handshake") was later coined.

However, the Supreme Court overturned that verdict and returned the case to the court in Rijeka, where Mraović was sentenced to three years in prison for lewd acts identical to rape. The Supreme Court reduced his sentence to two years, and he was eventually released from prison four months earlier, in 2011.

Mraović was expelled from the HDZ in 2001, and two years ago, there was talk of his return to the party, even though this was not possible after he was convicted of a crime.

The nickname "Lički Tuđman" ("Lika's Tuđman") was given to him in his homeland because of his distinctive political appearance and influence, and the whole of Lika knew him by that nickname. He was a member of the Gospić City Council and the Lika-Senj County Assembly. He was renowned as a wealthy and powerful man.

To read more news from Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - The head of the Office of the Prime Minister, Zvonimir Frka Petesic, said on Tuesday that the national COVID-19 response team should define measures for the Vukovar Remembrance Procession to be held on November 18.

Asked about the statement by the Croatian Association of Hospital Doctors (HUBOL) that the remembrance procession could become a new hotspot of the disease, Frka Petesic said that exactly because of that the COVID-19 response team should adopt measures, which would then be discussed.

"The team should define measures, and we will then discuss them because we all want the commemoration to take place as well as find a way for it to be held in line with epidemiological measures," Frka Petesic said.

ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - Croatia has registered 1,467 new cases of coronavirus and 33 fatalities in the past 24 hours, the national COVID-19 response team said on Tuesday morning.

There are currently 1,513 COVID patients in hospitals and 167 are on ventilators.

At the moment Croatia has 14,524 active cases of the disease and 29,179 people are in self-isolation.

A total of 572,489 tests for the virus have been conducted to date, including 7,803 in the past 24 hours.

Since 25 February, when the first case was registered in Croatia, there have been 70,243 registered cases of the novel coronavirus and 865 people have died.

A total of 54,854 people have recovered from the virus so far, including 1,852 in the past 24 hours.

ZAGREB, Nov 10, 2020 - Croatia will get a verified and certified coronavirus vaccine as soon as the the EU gets it, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday evening.

Following news that a COVID-19 vaccine would be available soon, Plenkovic was asked by the press whether the EU would buy it.

"The pharmaceutical company that first produces a verified and certified vaccine, that one will be purchased, and as soon as the EU gets it, Croatian citizens will get it too. That's our responsibility and we are working on it," the prime minister said.

The European Commission will soon sign a contract with the Pfizer and BioNTech pharmaceutical groups for the procurement of 300 million doses of vaccine against Covid-19, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Twitter on Monday.

The two companies reported earlier on Monday that their experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective based on initial trial results.

"Great news from Pfizer & BioNTech Group on the successful results of their latest clinical trial for a COVID19 vaccine. The EU Commission to sign contract with them soon for up to 300 million doses," the EC president tweeted.

ZAGREB, November 9, 2020 - Croatia's chief epidemiologist Krunoslav Capak said on Monday the latest data on the rise of coronavirus cases in the country gave one hope that the incidence was stagnating.

In three weeks up to November 2, we had a 90% to 100% change in the weekly numbers of new cases, he told a press conference of the national COVID-19 response team. "In one week, our numbers increased 100%, whereas now we have a 4.2% increase. This gives us hope that the increase is stagnating and that the situation will improve."

Croatia 13th in Europe in terms of mortality

"We have a 14-day incidence of 750.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a high incidence, ranking us 22nd out of 27 European countries. The mortality rate since the start of the epidemic is 184.5 per million inhabitants, which puts us in 13th place in the EU, in the middle of the ranking, which is good," said Capak.

"We hope the numbers will stop rising and that the curve will even out. The fact that the number is stagnating shouldn't encourage us not to adhere to the measures, because strictly adhering to the prescribed epidemiological measures is key for achieving stagnation," the head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health added.

In the past 24 hours Croatia registered 1,529 new coronavirus cases and 38 deaths. The number of active cases is 14,952, including 1,451 hospitalised patients, of whom 142 are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the virus was first registered in Croatia, 68,776 persons have caught it, including 832 who have died, and 53,002 have recovered, including 2,227 in the past 24 hours. To date 564,686 people have been tested for the virus, including 5,670 in the past 24 hours.

Currently 28,122 persons are self-isolating.

Situation best in Istria County, worst in Varazdin and Medjimurje

Capak said the pandemic situation remained the best in Istria County, despite plenty of cases recently, while being worst in Varazdin and Medjimurje counties.

Croatia has not reached the PCR testing limit and most countries are starting to use high antigen tests, which are not totally accurate but take 10 minutes.

"Those tests are now being used only for symptomatic patients and we are annulling false negatives by sending all those with false negatives for PCR. There is no strategy which could endanger the detection of new cases," said Capak.

As for the high number of deaths, he said it was due to the higher numbers of new infections.

Speaking of scientist Ivan Djikic's estimate of 1,500 dead by the end of this month, Capak said he was surprised because he did not know if Djikic meant the total death toll or the monthly number. "I said I thought the number was exaggerated. If the number of infections continues to stagnate, the number of the dead will decrease too."

Speaking of a drug shortage for cancer patients, Health Minister Vili Beros said HRK 1.8 billion would be paid to wholesalers on Wednesday and that it should suffice for ensuring drugs for the gravest patients.

He condemned "the inhumane act of switching off power in KB Dubrava" hospital, which is being investigated by the police, saying the arrival of a new leadership was expected to improve the situation in the Zagreb hospital.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said wearing masks was mandatory there where it was not possible to socially distance and that more and more people were behaving responsibly, wearing them both indoors and outdoors.

"You have countries which have imposed a curfew, a lockdown, and you see what is happening. The problem with those strict measures is that, at the moment, no one can say how long they will last. Besides all the epidemiological reasons and demands, we must take into account not only the economy, but also the sentiment in society, the nation's mental state. Where there is no other way, there are sanctions and they will be applied," he said.

ZAGREB, November 9, 2020  - An estimated 1,000 people gathered in Zagreb's main square on Sunday to protest against the measures passed by the national coronavirus response team.

The protest was organised by a Facebook group which demands the dissolution of the COVID-19 crisis response team and which brings together more than 160,000 people.

The demonstrators started their march outside Zagreb's central Railway Station on Sunday afternoon and walked towards the Trg Bana Jelacica Square disrespecting the anti-COVID rules, such as wearing protective masks and keeping a distance.

They were addressed by a dozen speakers who criticised the national response team, politicians and the media, saying that face masks were not protective, that families were paid to sign a statement saying that their loved ones had died from coronavirus, and the pandemic was referred to as the so-called pandemic.

One of the speakers was a man who on 14 October threatened to attack the head of Zagreb's Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Alemka Markotic, while she was giving an interview for the N1 broadcaster. That incident took place in Zagreb when an N1 reporter was about to interview Markotic for N1 television channel's news bulletin and the attacker and one more person stopped next to the television crew and their guest and started yelling, threatening them and hurling insults at them.

The organisers of today's protest also said that the measures were political and aimed at "spreading panic and creating benefits for the ruling party and not the people."

Members of the national coronavirus response team have entangled healthcare with politics to such an extent that they have lost the trust of the people and have turned science into a laughing stock, which will have lasting and indelible consequences for public confidence in the medical profession, the organisers said in the invitation to the rally, adding that such behaviour must stop.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said later on Sunday that the police would file a report on today's rally and after that decisions could be expected whether criminal reports would be filed.

ZAGREB, November 9, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 1,529 new cases of the coronavirus infection and 38 related deaths, the national COVID-19 response team said on Monday.

The number of active cases stands at 14,942. There are 1,451 COVID patients in hospitals, and 142 of them are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when Croatia reported its first case of the infection, a total of 68,776 people have contracted coronavirus, 832 of them have died, and 53,002 have recovered, including 2,227 in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 28,122 people are in self-isolation.

To date, 564,686 people have been tested for coronavirus, including 5,670 in the last 24 hours.

ZAGREB, November 8, 2020 - Red Cross Croatia (HCK) has launched the "Let's take care of them" campaign to provide 23,000 low-income elderly people with protective masks and disinfectants.

The HCK hopes that this action will provide additional protection against coronavirus for senior citizens.

HCK's national logistical centre has begun distributing personal protective equipment to its regional centres, and during November and December the supplies will be delivered to beneficiaries above the age of 65 who are registered with HCK.

The association will contact its beneficiaries and inform them of where they can obtain packages with protective equipment, HCK said in a press release on Friday.

HCK executive director Robert Markt underlined that the current situation, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, was difficult for everyone and particularly for the elderly.

"We have been assisting for months now. We are visiting them at home aware that we all have to take care of them and enable them to have good protection," he said.