October 13, 2020 - As of Monday, legal entities in Croatia could also receive fines if they do not comply with the National Headquarters' decisions. A look at how much violating measures in Croatia could cost companies.

Index.hr reports that Krunoslav Capak says that we have had recommendations so far, but as of Monday, these are decisions that are subject to inspection.

"Chief State Inspector Mikulić also took part in adopting measures and is familiar with the control. Tomorrow (Tuesday), we will decide where the inspectorate will have a big role because it will carry out controls. Now there is a possibility of fining if the inspector finds anything, and it could range from 20-70 thousand kuna for a legal entity," Capak told Nova TV.

As of Monday, wearing masks is mandatory indoors, except in gyms.

"Gyms are not on the list," Capak said, noting that they are in communication with representatives of the fitness industry, but have not yet discussed the possibility of wearing masks in gyms.

"It's not possible to wear a mask during practice, but it could be during your stay on the premises. We haven't talked about it yet," he said.

As for the working hours of catering facilities in Zagreb, Capak says that the National Headquarters has not yet received a proposal from the Zagreb Headquarters, but they talked to the caterers and "tomorrow a decision will be made by the National Headquarters which will be valid in all counties." We should expect this today.

"It's crowded, a lot of people are riding buses, we asked local headquarters to prepare more frequent bus lines and limit the number of people, and if necessary, the National Headquarters will prescribe measures," Capak said of the upcoming All Saints' Day and added that there should be fewer kiosks with flowers and candles in front of the cemetery because crowds form around them as well. 

At the end of the year, the first coronavirus vaccine could be on the market. The Oxford vaccine could be approved very soon, and Croatia is already ready for storage and distribution because it has pre-registered for the vaccine and the European Commission.

"We have prepared storage and operation of the distribution center, the first tranche would be from 200 to 400 thousand doses," said the director, noting that the flu vaccine is already in Croatia. Vaccination is expected to begin at the end of the week.

"The first tranche is in Croatia and is being distributed, and vaccination is expected at the end of the week," he said, adding that the first tranche provided 250,000 doses for vulnerable groups.

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ZAGREB, Oct 12, 2020 - Rijeka, Varazdin, Istria and Virovitica-Podravina County are positive examples of how to fight against the coronavirus in Europe, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) said in its annual report released on Monday.

The European Committee of the Regions, a body which has been representing regional and local authorities in the EU since 1994, has released the report titled "EU Annual Regional and Local Barometer", in which it addressed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on health and the economy.

The report mentions the city of Rijeka, Istria, Virovitica-Podravina County and the city of Varazdin as examples of good practice with some of their measures aimed at supporting the economy and the health sector.

The city of Rijeka has "exempted those businesses and taxpayers that were required to close from paying for the use of public space and utility fees and offered reductions or exemptions to those allowed to operate, based on their drop in turnover," the report reads.

Rijeka and "the Red Cross have organised the delivery of food and medication to senior or sick citizens, and numerous individuals, NGOs and companies have donated protective masks, visors and funds to assist citizens and institutions," the report said.

It also said that Virovitica-Podravina County "has subsidised the lease costs for tenants of the business incubators in the region."

In Istria, primary and secondary schools helped to produce protective visors for health workers using 3D printers.

The report also mentioned that "the municipality of Varazdin allocated resources and organised large numbers of young volunteers for food and medicine deliveries, prioritising the most vulnerable segments of the population."

The CoR has 328 members, nine of whom are from Croatia, and it advises the European Commission and the European Parliament on policies that affect regions and cities.

The report was published on Monday for the opening of the European Week of Regions and Cities, the biggest annual conference dedicated to reducing the gap between the rich and poor parts of the EU.

Mid-September the EU registered over 2.2 million cases of the coronavirus infection and over 142,000 deaths. The spread of the pandemic and its consequences differed greatly among member states, and Croatia's coastal regions were among those that were hit the hardest.

Croatia has 14.7 beds in intensive care units per 100,000 citizens. Portugal has the lowest capacity with 4.2 beds, and Germany has the highest, with 29.2 beds.

Regions that registered the highest number of infections and fatalities during the pandemic were not necessarily the hardest hit in economic terms. The crisis caused by COVID-19 had a particularly negative effect on economies relying on tourism.

According to results of research carried out by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the consequences of the crisis will be felt longer in areas that rely on tourists from the EU or third countries, and those include areas in Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Austria, as well as cities such as Paris or Milan.

October 12, 2020 - The Croatian Headquarters announced new measures in Croatia, which are in effect as of today. 

Index.hr reports that Minister of the Interior and Chief of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic announced that the obligation to wear masks indoors is being introduced and that there is a limit of 50 people at social gatherings.

"We are introducing the obligation to wear masks indoors, where people come into contact with each other, and where it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least two meters," Bozinovic said at a press conference of the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

Citizens are obliged to use face masks or medical masks correctly all the time - over the mouth and nose, he added.

Employees of healthcare institutions must wear masks and anyone visiting patients, employees of social welfare institutions providing accommodation services, and passengers, drivers, and other employees in public transport.

Employees should also wear them in the commercial industry and customers during their stay in stores; employees in the catering industry who come into contact with guests or participate in serving or preparing food, drinks, and beverages, guests in catering facilities, except while sitting in their seats and consuming food or drink.

Bozinovic said that special recommendations had been made for all gatherings where more than 50 people are expected. They refer to professional artistic performances and programs, amateur cultural and artistic performances and programs, cinema screenings, sports competitions, gatherings during weddings, funerals, religious rites, exhibitions in museums, galleries, and other exhibition spaces.

The organizers of these gatherings are obliged to request the consent of the competent county Civil Protection Headquarters via e-mail no later than five days before the planned gathering. The headquarters should decide according to the current epidemiological situation within 48 hours.

Bozinovic mentioned that decisions on limiting social gatherings for the areas of certain local self-government units could also be requested by the county headquarters, considering that the epidemiological situation is not the same everywhere in Croatia.

He also said that the measures come into force on the day of their adoption, which is today.

"The number of newly infected is constantly increasing. I would not assess today's number of 181 as realistic; we know that these are test results from Sunday, and then the least testing is carried out. We only get an objective picture from Wednesday to Sunday; then, all laboratories work to the maximum," said Bozinovic. 

"We cannot be satisfied with the epidemiological situation. The basic defense is keeping a distance, hand hygiene, and wearing masks,” he said.

"Since the measures were relaxed in May, the headquarters has mostly appealed to everyone to act responsibly, which means applying these basic instructions. A large part of the citizens have accepted it, we thank them, but some people, consciously or unconsciously, do not. Because of these others, the states, and thus Croatia, are forced to take measures," he said.

"We have prescribed decisions for gatherings for which over 50 people are expected. These are special recommendations for cultural programs, cinema screenings, weddings, sports events..." said Bozinovic.

The organizer for these gatherings should ask permission from the headquarters, Bozinovic said. The Headquarters will respond within 48 hours.

“Those who are rejected cannot be held,” he said.

"We are introducing an obligation to wear masks indoors where people come into contact and where a distance of two meters cannot be kept,” the minister said.

"Masks must be worn by guests in catering establishments except while sitting in their seats,” he added.

Masks should also be worn by anyone attending indoor Mass.

"Face masks do not have to be used in cases of recommended exemptions. With these two decisions, we believe we can reduce proliferation. The other goal we are achieving is to avoid bans," Bozinovic said.

"We call on everyone for more patience, rationality, solidarity," said Bozinovic.

"These decisions come into force today."

Capak took the floor.

"HZJZ has prepared a series of instructions, most of which relate to the operation of catering facilities. A new recommendation for masks is coming into force today," Capak said.

"In all outdoor situations where it is impossible to keep a distance, it is recommended to wear a mask," said Capak.

"For tomorrow, we are planning a set of measures related to the work of catering facilities," he said.

"We estimate that it is good to wear masks in the open where it is not possible to ensure distance," said Bozinovic.

Capak said a total of 404 people were hospitalized. There are 27 people on ventilators.

Markotic said that the intensive care unit on Zarazna was mostly full.

"It's a dynamic process; patients are discharged and admitted during the day. Everything is under control," she said.

Beros said that inaccurate information appeared in the media that there is a lack of doctors who know how to work with ventilators.

“That’s not true,” he said.

"We have over 800, and the fact is that one anesthesiologist supervises several ventilators, the number of specialists is sufficient," he said.

"We are doing everything to be more prepared; we are procuring new ventilators," Beros said.

“In the last month, 141 staff have been employed to help epidemiologists,” he said.

Capak commented on self-isolation.

"It is true that at the last session of the Board of Directors of the Croatian Epidemiological Society, several members proposed that the self-isolation be shortened to ten days because after the tenth day the risk of infection is significantly lower," he said.

"We estimate that six to ten percent of people get sick in those four days, and it's a big economic loss. Maybe that shortening would reduce hiding contacts. But at the then board meeting, it was decided that self-isolation would remain for 14 days," Capak said.

"Now that has changed a bit. In the next session, which will take place soon, we will consider it. That decision has not been made yet; there is only a proposal from the Croatian Epidemiological Society," he said.

Capak said he believes the decisions were made at the right time.

"We have a problem that the number of new cases is high. With these decisions, we count on stopping it," he said.

“We’ll do everything we can to make sure the lockdown never happens again,” Capak said.

Bozinovic finally added that the next press conference could be tomorrow.

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ZAGREB, Oct 12, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 181 new cases of the coronavirus infection and three fatalities, the national COVID-19 response team said on Monday.

The number of active cases today stands at 2,712. There are 404 COVID patients in hospitals, including 27 who are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when Croatia registered its first case of the coronavirus infection, 20,621 people have contracted the disease, and 327 of them have died, while 17,582 people have recovered, 284 of whom over the past 24 hours.

Currently, 14,048 people are self-isolating.

To date, 360,976 people have been tested for coronavirus, including 2,461 in the last 24 hours.

October 12, 2020 - Award-winning industrial mechanic Kristijan Škarica has devised an innovative way to protect his children from an invisible enemy. Namely, he worked day and night in his garage for a month on the so-called 'miracle box' made for killing the coronavirus, and he succeeded.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down. Scientists around the world are still working to find a cure and vaccine against this evil virus, while ordinary people are left to themselves and their ideas on how to at least mitigate the negative effects of a pandemic such as fear, insecurity, and vulnerability.

It is in this desire to protect ourselves and our loved ones that we are forced to adhere to the basic prescribed epidemiological rules. However, one industrial mechanic from Ivanić-Grad in Croatia, realized at one point that he wanted to provide even greater protection to his children. That's when the idea was born.

'Miracle box' in kindergartens

Kristijan Škarica, the owner of the start-up company Fastness in Ivanić-Grad, decided to produce a device for killing the vicious coronavirus, and after a month of working day and night, he succeeded in his plan. So he created the UVC BOX, a device that kills the coronavirus within a minute.

“The coronavirus can survive for days on a variety of objects that it comes in contact with, especially on shoes and toys. UVC BOX can quickly sterilize and works on the principle of UV-C rays that destroy DNA structures from viruses and bacteria. The key was special UVC lamps installed inside the housing, which destroy viruses by radiation," Škarica told the Zazubice.com portal.

Kristijan Škarica on the right with his 'miracle box' in the kindergarten / Općina Križ

However, his invention did not remain within the four walls of his family, but it now protects other children, too. Namely, the 'magic box' arrived at the Križ Kindergarten, one each at the Križ and Novoselec facilities. Thanks to this invention, children from these kindergartens will now be able to spend their kindergarten days more safely.

"It is our gift on the occasion of Children's Week, which is celebrated from October 5 to 11. The Municipality of Križ, as a Child-Friendly Municipality, prepares something for its youngest residents every year. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional celebration was missing and we decided, in order to protect the health of children, to donate a UVC BOX to the Križ Kindergarten for sterilization of items. The value of the donation is slightly less than 12,000.00 kuna," said the Mayor of the Križ Municipality Marko Magdić.

On this occasion, Kristijan Škarica showed the kindergarten teachers how to use his device.

Awards for the inventions

However, this is not the first invention for this young Croatian innovator. Škarica, who is only 31 years old, already has five different products, the application of which is related to the field of medicine and waste management. Each of his previous inventions, in addition to its basic task, also has the possibility of various "smart" and "Internet" functionalities.

The 'miracle box' / Općina Križ

Proof that his inventions do not go unnoticed is the fact that Škarica is already receiving recognition and awards for his work.

At the recent Open Data Hackathon event organized by the Croatian Agency for Small Business, Innovation and Investment (HAMAG-BICRO) within the ODEON project (Open Data for European Open iNnovation), his team called Dissyo won a cash prize of 2,500 Croatian kuna for the project solution which allows sterilization of the space and monitoring of safe outlets in the city.

The 'miracle box' is just one of many inventions that ingenious people came up with during this coronavirus pandemic. And while there are such useful inventions and such positive solutions, it will be at least a little easier for others to overcome this great pandemic that has befallen us.

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October 12, 2020 - The Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters should announce stricter measures in Croatia during a press conference at noon on Monday as the country registers a record number of coronavirus cases.

Index.hr reports that Croatia has seen a record number of new coronavirus cases for days. The highest daily number of new cases since the beginning of the epidemic happened on Thursday when there were 542 cases. There were 457 on Friday, 486 on Saturday, and 508 on Sunday.

The National Civil Protection Headquarters will hold a press conference today

On Monday at noon, the National Civil Protection Headquarters will hold a press conference.

It is expected that new, stricter measures will be presented. Judging by the statements of the leaders of the Headquarters so far, it is almost certain that the measures will not be adopted for the entire country, but locally, depending on the epidemiological situation.

The worst is in Zagreb and its surroundings

Both Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje counties have recorded negligible daily numbers of new infections. In Krapina-Zagorje County, there were 25 cases on Friday, 16 on Saturday, and 81 on Sunday. As for Zagreb County, there were 53 on Friday, 41 on Saturday and 25 on Sunday.

As is clear from the above figures, the spread of coronavirus is the worst in Zagreb and the surrounding area. There were 126 new cases in the capital on Thursday, 161 on Friday, 199 on Saturday and 201 on Sunday, the highest daily number of new infections in Zagreb since the epidemic began.

The Zagreb Headquarters announced stricter measures all weekend

The director of the Teaching Institute for Public Health "Dr. Andrija Štampar" Zvonimir Šostar, as well as his deputy Sandra Šikić, have been announcing for days that they will ask the National Civil Protection Headquarters to introduce new, stricter measures next week.

It should be noted that the National Civil Protection Headquarters generally approves all requests from local headquarters, so it would be extremely unlikely that it would reject the requests of the leaders of the Zagreb Headquarters. Recall, this was also the case when the Split-Dalmatia County Headquarters demanded the closure of gyms and fitness centers with, to put it mildly, deficient arguments.

What measures will be introduced in Zagreb?

According to Zvonimir Sostar, several stricter measures would be introduced in Zagreb this week.

Among them, the obligation to wear protective masks in all closed, but also some open spaces, stands out.

"We will go next week with a proposal to limit the working hours of all restaurants until midnight at the most. What we will obviously have to do and what awaits us - and in Italy, it is proving to be an outstanding example, is the mandatory wearing of masks, not only indoors but also in open spaces," Sostar said on Saturday, and he clarified that the obligation to wear masks outdoors will apply to spaces where it is impossible to ensure that the recommended distance of two meters is maintained.

Something similar was repeated by Sostar's deputy Sandra Sikic.

"Common sense dictates that if you can't keep your distance, put on a mask," said Šikić and expressed her belief that wearing a mask would not be a motive for fellow citizens to avoid punishment, but infection and to protect the health of loved ones.

Sostar first asked for penalties for not wearing masks, and then changed his mind

Although Šikić says that he is against being punished for not wearing masks, her boss said two days ago that he would fine 300-400 kuna for not wearing masks.

In some European countries, not wearing masks is already fined, but neither the National Headquarters nor the local headquarters, with the exception of Sostar from the Zagreb headquarters, have so far demanded penalties for non-compliance with the obligation to wear masks.

It is interesting that Šostar changed his mind and referred to the mayor of Zagreb and the multiple USKOK indictee Milan Bandić.

"It is certain that there will be no punishment, I spoke to the mayor and he accepted that for his fellow citizens," Šostar said in an interview with RTL on Sunday night.

"Epidemiologists are running out of energy"

"The numbers are such that we should be worried. But I believe that the number will be lower on Monday. Epidemiologists and all of us are running out of energy and I believe that we will get serious and start adhering to the measures prescribed by the National Headquarters," Šostar added and announced that he would recommend stricter controls on youth gatherings, such as the one in front of the Croatian National Theater in the center of Zagreb.

"We will recommend that it be controlled by the police and Civil Protection," Šostar said.

When will the new measures take effect in Zagreb?

The National Headquarters devised new measures over the weekend. There are no concrete decisions yet and it is likely that, at least as Šostar claims, they will monitor the daily number of new infections in the coming days before the final decisions are made. It is certain, therefore, that the new measures will not take effect on Monday.

"The last agreements will be made before the Headquarters on Monday. It is recommended that the working hours for all clubs, cafes and restaurants be moved to midnight. I remind the clubs that working hours are already limited until midnight by the decision of the National Headquarters," Šostar said.

Why is the obligation of masks introduced indoors, but also in some open spaces?

On Friday, Index spoke with Minister Vili Beroš about introducing mandatory masks indoors, but also in some open spaces.

"Keeping a physical distance is extremely important to control the spread of infection. As with most respiratory infections, the only sure way to avoid infection is to avoid contact with an infected person. However, there are many situations where keeping a physical distance is not possible," the Minister of Health said.

"In such situations, wearing a mask is not a protection for the person wearing the mask, but it reduces the possibility of spreading the indection if it is worn by an infected person. For this reason, the obligation to wear masks is already prescribed in many enclosed spaces, for example in public transport and in shops, both in Croatia and in other European countries. Indoor masks are being considered because the spread of the infection has been noticed in many workplaces among colleagues who are in close contact, for example sharing the same office, and who have not been able to keep physical distance," Beros told Index.

Many European countries are introducing stricter measures

Many European countries have been recording record daily numbers of new infections in recent days, which is why they are introducing new, stricter measures.

In Ireland, 1,012 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded on Saturday, the largest increase in the number of new cases in one day since the start of the epidemic and almost twice the average of last week. The Irish government closed restaurants across the country last Monday and limited the number of visitors to nursing homes.

For the first time since the start of the epidemic, the number of new cases in France was higher than 26,000 on Saturday. On Sunday, measures came into force that provides for the closure of all bars and stricter health protocols in restaurants.

Slovenia currently has over 3,000 active cases of coronavirus infection, 149 patients with COVID-19 are in hospitals, of which 21 are in intensive care, and 167 people have died as a result of the infection so far. Due to the worrying epidemiological situation, the Slovenian government this week introduced a ban on gathering more than ten people in public and private spaces, and restricted work and prescribed conditions for restaurants and catering facilities.

In the Czech Republic, COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, and 8618 new cases were recorded on Saturday. They registered four consecutive days with record numbers, with an increase of about 3,300 new infections compared to the day before. As of Monday, all theaters, cinemas, museums, galleries and sports facilities will be closed for two weeks to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Italian authorities reported 5372 new cases in the last 24 hours on Saturday The Italian government is considering introducing additional measures against the spread of coronavirus, but without returning to full lockdown. The new law would ban gatherings in front of bars and restaurants. The government is still debating the proposal, but the new rules are expected to be presented by Thursday.

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ZAGREB, October 11, 2020 - The Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb has recently become a popular place for outdoor gatherings, where people gather every weekend, especially after midnight, when many bars close due to coronavirus measures.

Mass outdoor parties have been taking place in Republic of Croatia Square where the HNK building stands since May, when epidemiological measures were relaxed, and about 500 people gathered there last weekend as well.

Even after midnight when, according to epidemiological measures, all social life and entertainment in the city should stop, young people gather in groups, drink alcohol and listen to different genres of music.

Next to one of several speakers is 19-year-old Antonio, and asked why he is there, he told Hina that he currently has nowhere else to be.

HNK and social gathering

Sociologist Dino Vukusic from the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences commented on the diversity of young people gathering in front of the HNK building.

According to him, the HNK is not a new place of gathering, but this particular HNK was created during the pandemic. He thinks it is interesting that these spontaneous gatherings still persist.

There are many different people there now -- some belong to subcultures that have gathered outside the HNK before, and there also those who will, once night clubs reopen, go to night clubs, Vukusic said, adding that they are a very heterogeneous group of people.

The music and the style of the HNK gatherings are driven by the hedonism of young people and they are a cry for spending free time in a hedonistic way at a time like this, he said.

Residents request protection

The noise, mess and urinating that take place on green areas around the HNK have been disturbing the residents of Republic of Croatia Square, and they are calling for some protection despite the fact that there are only about ten of them.

One of the residents, Melita Kovacevic, who often cannot fall asleep because of the noise, told Hina that in the last few months, she and her neighbours had been reporting everything to the police.

Zagreb police told Hina that from May 1 to September 30, they intervened about 50 times around the HNK following reports of possible disturbing of the peace. However, they have filed misdemeanor charges against only six people.

The Cistoca city sanitation company told Hina that their employees had been intensively cleaning the HNK location and they had asked those gathering there to use bins to dispose of their litter, although there are just a few smaller bins around the square.

ZAGREB, October 11, 2020 - Electronic Media Agency president Josip Popovac says the majority of Croatian media have been covering the coronavirus pandemic excellently, without a proliferation of fake news.

"I thank the media for their professionalism, the feeling for the community and the way in which they became involved in the fight against the pandemic," he has said recently.

At the start of the coronavirus crisis in mid-March, the Agency and the Electronic Media Council issued a warning to all electronic media in the country aimed at protecting the public interest, banning all audiovisual services which released or spread disinformation about public health.

Publishing or spreading disinformation causes concern, spreads fear and panic in the population and leads to even more difficult consequences than the ones we are faced with, they said.

The warning underlined that the Council, in line with its powers, would severely punish the releasing or spreading of disinformation.

In early April, following a query by Hina, the Electronic Media Agency reported on the first results of a stepped up oversight of electronic and other media which showed, despite fears by many media experts, that there had been no "infodemic" of fake news.

Popovac: The media have done a great job during the pandemic

By then, only 13 complaints about reporting on coronavirus had been received, including nine referring to disinformation and fake news.

Popovac says the complaints were not just about fake news but also about interpretations which were in line with freedom of speech and democratic standards. "We haven't had any attack, deliberate causing of panic and fake news, and we are very proud of that. The media have done a great job."

He says there have been incidents on social media, which is out of the Agency's control, but that the media have done and are doing their job professionally.

Popovac says not every piece of disinformation can be treated equally as it depends on who it harms and how much, adding that one needs to be very flexible, notably when there are no consequences, major societal divisions or harm to individuals or society. "I think minor disinformation is prevalent in Croatia, a consequence of speed and non-deliberate mistakes which can be corrected with a retraction." 

Popovac says it is difficult to legally punish fake news by a general regulation, adding that there exists legal protection from disinformation and that a decision on that is made by a court.

Experts warn that many things are vague regarding regulations and decisions which punish disinformation, notably in Croatia.

Levak: Legal and media regulations still inadequate

The European Union and some other countries have tried in recent years to create effective regulations to crack down on the production and spreading of fake news. However, legal and media regulations are still inadequate, says Tomislav Levak, a candidate for a doctorate in communicology at the Osijek Academy of Art and Culture.

He says these regulations lag behind the problem at least as much the spreading of true and verified information lags behind the much faster and more effective spreading of fake content.

The situation in Croatia is quite problematic as the Media Act and the Electronic Media Act barely address new media and communication platforms, Levak says, adding that their regulation should be the basis for attempting to solve this problem.

Croatia has not come even close to adequately regulating the prosecution of persons and institutions that release disinformation, he says, adding that the law on misdemeanors against the public order and peace that is in force was adopted in 1977 and last amended in 1994.

Current punishment for fake news is DEM 50-200 or 30 days' imprisonment

That law stipulates that anyone making up or spreading fake news which disturb the peace and tranquility of citizens will be fined the national currency equivalent of 50 to 200 German marks or placed in prison for up to 30 days, Levak says.

The situation, according to the government, should be improved by a bill on unacceptable behaviour on the Internet which should regulate and define accountability for content published online, Levak says. "Although its adoption was announced in September 2019, it hasn't been adopted nor is there, as far as I know, a draft."

Renowned attorney and media law expert Vesna Alaburic calls for caution in amending legislation which regulates freedom of expression only due to a rise in fake news.

She says the spreading of fake news in itself must not be subject to any restrictions in a democracy if it does not cause serious harm which would justify restricting freedom of expression and punishment.

The fact that spreading fake news which disturb the peace and tranquility of citizens is punishable as a misdemeanor in Croatia is enough, Alaburic adds.

For decades, penal codes included disturbing the public and spreading fake news as offences which were used for score-settling with political opponents or those criticising the authorities, she says, adding that those provisions were removed after strong criticism.

Alaburic says the current legislation is good in principle and she has reservations about the possibility of adopting a law on unacceptable behaviour on the Internet.

Alaburic: Only courts should rule on violations

She says she is not familiar with that initiative and that only courts should rule on violations. "Self-regulation can be used to establish certain rules of conduct but in that case it's important to ensure judicial oversight."

Popovac warns about problems if that law is adopted, notably the possible establishment of a kind of Internet police which would oversee "unacceptable behaviour."

He says it is necessary to be cautious in formulating provisions because freedom of speech, press, publishing and expression is the foundation of a democracy. Once something is banned, when censorship takes hold, there is no going back, he adds.

We should focus more on media literacy and educating new as well as older generations for "driving on the Internet," and we are doing that, he says, underlining the exceptional importance of journalists and professional media during the coronavirus pandemic as well as the fake news infodemic.

"The commitment of all media employees who constantly reported and are reporting is fantastic. They have always been on the scene, consciously risking infection. Together with the medical staff, whose contribution has been the largest, the contribution of journalists and other media employees was and remains crucial," says Popovac.

ZAGREB, October 11, 2020 - A three-hour rally called the Festival of Freedom was held in Rijeka on Saturday at which participants questioned coronavirus prevention measures and reiterated their demand for people's freedom.

Organisers said they were for a well-argued and comprehensive scientific debate involving experts in all fields, not just epidemiologists.

Those who think differently from the official narrative should be respected, organisers said, calling on experts to talk about the damage caused by the restrictions.

The police said about 200 people took part in the rally and that there were no incidents.

ZAGREB, October 11, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 508 new cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, as well as seven fatalities, and the number of active cases on Sunday stands at 2,818.

According to the national COVID-19 response team, 384 COVID patients are being treated in hospitals, and 26 of them are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, 20,440 people have contracted the disease, and 324 of them have died, while 17,298 people have recovered, including 345 in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 14,363 people are self-isolating.

To date, 358,515 people have been tested for coronavirus, including 4,989 over the past 24 hours, the press release said.