September 07, 2020 - This year will surely remain in our memory, mostly not very beautiful because most of us associate it with the coronavirus, layoffs, and getting used to the 'new normal'.  But not everything is so black, at least not for Nikola Jurković, a graduate from Metkovic, who has great reasons to celebrate.

Years of work, effort, and study paid off, and the result of all this is enrollment in one of the world's most prestigious universities, Harvard University. He will pause the academic year due to the epidemic, but he is launching an interesting project through which he will try to help future graduates enroll in American universities, reports Srednja.hr

A very small number of Croatian students decide to continue their education after high school at one of the foreign universities, and even fewer of them manage to get into one of the world's most prestigious universities. One of them is Nikola Jurković, now a former graduate of the Metkovic High School.

It is ranked the third best university in the world

Nikola will study at Harvard, the world's third-best university according to the Times Higher Education rankings. 

'I knew I'd be sorry my whole life if I didn't at least try. Some colleges are better than others, and I don’t see why my geographical location should limit my choice of colleges. In addition, studying in America opens many more doors than studying in Croatia. I decided to aim for the best possible, so whatever happens, happens' - Nikola begins his story.

During his schooling, this excellent student participated in numerous school and county knowledge competitions. He says that he competed most seriously in physics, from which he participated in two national competitions and the European Olympics. He also participated in the state of logic and several hackathons.

And at the final examination, he achieved excellent results - he wrote higher levels of compulsory subjects and Physics. In the Croatian language, he received a grade of four, and similarly in other exams. However, an excellent result on the final exam was not decisive for Harvard enrollment - the Croatian final exam is not even taken into account when ranking candidates.

'The process for Harvard is the same as for most of the better American colleges. At the beginning of the school year, I wrote standardized tests and an English language exam. Of the standardized tests, I wrote the ACT (general test) and SAT Subject Tests (electives) in physics and higher levels of mathematics. By the New Year, I had sent applications to colleges. I applied for college scholarships in January, did interviews in February, and got results in March. An important part of the application was the engineering portfolio, where I documented various projects I worked on in the high school STEM group Acervatio. It was all over before graduation, so it didn’t affect enrollment. I just had to go through it to officially finish high school', Nikola explains.

He pauses for a year because of the epidemic

In the first year, he will not have to choose a study direction, it comes only later. Nikola says he is not yet sure in which direction he will go, but his main interests are physics and mechanical engineering, especially in the context of the space industry.

Although he got into Harvard several months ago, he is still not moving to the United States. He decided, due to the current epidemiological circumstances, to pause for a year, and he also told us what his student life there would look like.

'Because of the coronavirus, I had the choice to work all year online from home or take a break for a year. I decided to take a break, so I’m going to America next fall. This year I was offered a full scholarship with pocket money and covered plane tickets, which means that my costs would be lower at Harvard than if I had decided to study in Croatia. Almost all students live on campus, and I will, if the pandemic is reduced by then, be one of them. In the first year, you live in a freshman home and eats at Annenberg, a canteen often compared to the Great Hall of Harry Potter. Inside it looks like a cathedral. I have always loved to travel, and I have a lot of the most beautiful memories from trips where I met people from other parts of the world. I will miss the Neretva valley, but I still can't wait to leave', Nikola points out.

He launches an interesting project on YouTube

The whole process of applying to foreign universities is perhaps the biggest 'obstacle' due to which many do not even dare to study abroad. That is why Nikola decided to help future graduates clarify their doubts about applying to American universities. How different - than through a video tutorial on YouTube.

'When I applied, I went directly into the unknown. I had no idea what the entries looked like, and during most of the process, no one helped me. I have a feeling that most, like me a year ago, are completely unfamiliar with the process of enrolling in American colleges, and don’t know where to start. I decided to make these videos so that it would not happen again, and so that future graduates have a place where they can easily get answers to their questions without the need to contact a counselor. They are not there to replace advisors, but to be the first step in understanding the process. I plan to make five videos on enrollment for now and am currently working on a third, which is about the applications themselves at the end of the first semester. For the animation, I use Manim, made by Grant Sanderson. At the end of the enrollment, I had a nice experience with EducationUSA (BiH because Mostar is closer to me than Zagreb), which provides free counseling, and I would definitely recommend that you contact them if you are considering enrollment',  Nikola advises.

And for all those who want to enroll in one of the world's best universities, but may be afraid of the distant and unknown, Nikola has a message:

'Do not be afraid, and do not limit yourself! If you want to get the best college possible, then I recommend you try to apply to American. Take a look at the world rankings to see which ones are the best, go to their websites and see if you like them. It may seem strange and unknown now, but a year ago I was in exactly the same position as you. Think about the chances of breaking in, winning, and investing in the enrollment process, then calculate for yourself if it is profitable. If you look at enrollment as a bet, it may be the best bet you’ll make in your life. If you have any questions, take a look at my videos, email me, or contact a consultant. Good luck! - says Nikola.

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ZAGREB, Sept 6, 2020 - A total of 225 new coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia in the past 24 hours and one person has died, the national COVID-19 response team said on Sunday.

The number of active cases has increased to 2,758 and 296 of them are hospitalized, including 21 on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case of infection with the novel virus was confirmed in Croatia, 11,964 people have been infected, of whom 198 have died and 9,008 have recovered. Currently, 8,964 people are in self-isolation.

To date, 191,360 people have been tested, including 3,509 in the last 24 hours.

New measures for Bjelovar-Bilogora County

At the suggestion of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Bjelovar-Bilogora County, the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia adopted a Decision on September 5th on the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for Bjelovar-Bilogora County.

The decision applies from September 7th, 2020, and limits the number of people at wedding ceremonies to 50, at other private ceremonies to 20.

Also, the number of persons who may be present at funerals is limited to 50. Carmine can be held only in a family circle with a maximum of 20 people, and condolences must not be expressed through close contact.

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ZAGREB, Sept 6, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic on Saturday commented on a protest in Zagreb against COVID restrictions, saying that protest is a democracy but that the fact that the protesters stood outside nursing homes was idiocy and disastrous.

He was responding to questions from the press on Rab island if the rally in Zagreb was a festival of democracy, as the participants claimed, and if he considered any restrictions contentious.

"From day one we have been saying that the elderly and the sick are the ones we must care for, not teenagers, my generation. To go outside retirement homes and say that corona is a child's play, which I saw they did, is a disaster... If they are protesting against masks, that's okay."

Speaking of restrictions, he said, "One should be more disciplined than usual, that's the only measure."

Asked what he would tell people who claimed that coronavirus did not exist, Milanovic said ironically that they were "very fine people."

Asked what would happen if the virus entered kindergartens and schools, he said children and youth were the least at risk. "It's time they finally go to school because this has been going on too long."

Milanovic and Slovenian President Borut Pahor were on Rab for the 77th commemoration of the liberation of inmates from the Kampor fascist concentration camp.

"The banality of evil," he said of the WWII camp. "This wasn't a typical extermination camp. This was a camp where you bring Slovenians and Croats because they crossed you for some reason, not just because they are Slovenians and Croats, and leave them to die in a year, you don't feed them. That's the banality of evil. Somebody watched that, those guards, for a year."

Asked if he and Pahor discussed bilateral topics, Milanovic said, "We talk all the time... about the situation in the region, everything that goes on around us. About the right-wing in Europe. I don't mean traditional Christian values but... I don't like the words 'anti-European policy' because that means nothing, but there is a number of leaders and politicians in Europe who see the enemy in everything."

Asked if he and Pahor talked about the reopening of borders given that Slovenia put Croatia on the red list of COVID countries, Milanovic said there was a reason why Slovenia did that.

"The number of daily cases of infections increased because almost a million foreigners arrived in Croatia in July and August so that we could make money. That's not surprising. That's the price we consciously paid both as a state and as a society, and we should finally accept that... Let's not be surprised that almost a million foreigners passed through Croatia, leaving their money here, socializing, forming crowds, and that some got infected. But that's the price of the risk we were all willing to take. Slovenia's reaction was expected, that will change."

Asked if he would ask Pahor that Slovenia apply the regional COVID model towards Croatia, like Germany, Milanovic said, "He doesn't decide on that, just as I don't in Croatia."

He said they often spoke on the phone. "The topics are political, concerning the region, the Balkans, the eastern Balkans."

Asked if he heard the appeals from the ruling HDZ, the minister of defense, the parliament speaker, and the prime minister that he should be more rational with military resources, Milanovic said he did not. "Since I'm the commander in chief, I'll decide what's more rational, if they really said that. We are being very rational."

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 5th of September, 2020, a proposal for an amendment to the Ordinance on the exemption from paying tourist tax for individuals providing hospitality services in a household or on a family farm has now been sent to e-counselling/e-savjetovanje. Just who can apply for this new Croatian coronavirus measure?

Taking into account the special circumstances caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that have negatively affected the work of private renters and family farms (OPGs), the Ministry of Tourism and Sport sent an e-consultation recently to propose an amendment to the Ordinance on the exemption from paying tourist tax.

"Tourism is extremely important for the entire economy of the Republic of Croatia. From the very beginning of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Government of the Republic of Croatia has adopted measures to enable the preservation of jobs and the liquidity of the economy. The measures presented by the Prime Minister at the session held on September the 3rd, 2020, provided the most important preconditions for the continuation of healthy tourism in the uncertain days and months ahead of us. Bearing in mind the specific role of private accommodation in the Croatian tourist offer, we want to help the most vulnerable private renters and family farms with the measures in the amended Ordinance, and we believe that this proposal will enable the better and more successful preparation of the entire sector for tourism in 2021,'' said Nikolina Brnjac.

The amended ordinance, which is in essence a new coronavirus measure would completely exempt renters who, owing to the previous decision on the termination of the provision of hospitality services, and those who did not have any registered overnight stays in 2020, from the payment of tourist tax. The same ordinance will exempt a person from the area of ​​the City of Zagreb, Zagreb County and Krapina-Zagorje County from paying the tourist tax for those capacities located in buildings that were damaged in the earthquake and were marked unusable (with a red mark) or temporarily unusable (with a yellow mark).

"Given the extremely challenging year during which there was a significant decline in tourism activity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, this regulation seeks to further mitigate the negative consequences for those renters who failed to realise tourist traffic and decided to deregister their capacities, and who would, otherwise, in accordance with the regulations in force from 2020, have been required to pay a lump sum. This ordinance will significantly help in the further implementation of the competent legal norms that regulate the payment of tourist tax,'' said the director of the Main Office of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic.

In order to avoid the collection of tourist tax from persons who will be exempted as a result of the the amended ordinance and reduce the administrative burden to the system, for taxpayers who aren't exempt from payment, the deadline for the payment of the remaining debt has been moved to the 30th of September 2020.

For taxpayers who don't meet the criteria for this new coronavirus measure which regards the full exemption from having to pay tourist tax, there are no legal obstacles to the payment of the tourist tax.

It's worth mentioning that since the outbreak of the ongoing pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport has also adopted an ordinance on the deferral or total exemption from the payment of tourist tax for persons providing hospitality services in households or on a family farm (OPG).

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As Croatian children finally begin preparing to go back to school and not study from home, many questions have been running through the minds of concerned parents. Just what does a child in coronavirus self-isolation mean for a working parent?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 5th of September, 2020, Dijana Vuksan from HZZO explained to N1 something that has more than likely been on the minds of many parents are children finally begin returning back to school - what happens in situations if a child becomes infected with the new coronavirus or is prescribed a measure of self-isolation?

"If the competent epidemiologist determines that a child must go into coronavirus self-isolation, a parent is entitled to compensation of their salary during their temporary absence, which is charged to HZZO from the very first day. In case the child is younger than three years of age, then a parent is entitled to salary compensation in the amount of 100 percent of the determined base, and if the child is older than three years of age, then in the amount of 70 percent of the determined base to the maximum prescribed amount of 4,257 kuna,'' stated Dijana Vuksan.

This is the former [way of doing] sick leave, she added: “The compensation in the case of care, ie coronavirus self-isolation of the child and the isolation of the parents, will be the same. The maximum monetary amount is 4257 kuna. If the parent is not assigned self-isolation but only the child is, then their doctor will determine the case of temporary impediment due to the child's care. "

It is then sick leave based on the child's illness, she explained further. However, if the need for parental isolation is subsequently determined, the cause changes, but the compensation remains the same. "It isn't an obligation but a parent's right. If they can organise babysitting or they can manage to work from home, then they don't necessarily have to use the right to this salary compensation,'' Vuksan pointed out.

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September the 6th, 2020 - After having recently added Zadar County to its list of risky ''red list'' zones, Germany has its eye on three other potential Croatian red list counties.

Going from one of the countries in Europe with the best epidemiological picture to quite the opposite with the arrival of the summer tourist season, Croatia's situation with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has become much more serious in a relatively short period of time. As such, numerous European countries have placed either Croatia as a whole on their respective red lists, or, in Germany's case, declared certain counties no go areas.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 5th of September, 2020, if the number of newly infected people in these counties continues to grow, they could easily be declared risky, according to reports from the German media.

So far, Germany is the only country to have created Croatian red list counties as opposed to simply placing the entire country on its red list and causing enormous issues for travel. The Dalmatian regions of Sibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia and Zadar counties have now all been declared risk areas, but these might not be the only Croatian red list counties we're going to see.

Germany's Federal Office for Foreign Affairs notes on its official website in its epidemiological report for Croatia that the number of infections has recently risen sharply in Pozega-Slavonia, Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the capital, Zagreb, Fenix magazine reports.

This remark doesn't yet constitute a warning against travel for German nationals and other residents of Germany, but these areas are currently being specifically monitored. If the number of newly infected people in these counties continues to grow, they could easily find themselves on the same list as the aforementioned three Dalmatian areas, write the German media.

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ZAGREB, Sept 5, 2020 - Hundreds of people rallied in Zagreb's main square at 5 p.m. on Saturday for the anti-COVID Freedom Festival protest in response to coronavirus prevention measures.

They carried banners which read "Take off the mask, turn off the TV, live life to the fullest", "COVID is a lie, we're not all covidiots", "Parents and children are inseparable", "Better the grave than to be a slave", "Free life is our power", "Normally, period" and "We believe in the strength we have".

The festival was organized by the Rights and Freedoms initiative. Participants arrived by bus from Dubrovnik, Split, Sibenik, Zadar, Rijeka, and Istria.

Since COVID-19 appeared, unprecedented measures which restrict fundamental rights and freedoms have been imposed, and our goal is to preserve the achievements of a democratic society in which one cannot tolerate decision making based on panic and propaganda or on copying instead of examining, the organizer said.

They insist on the preservation of human rights, freedoms, knowledge, solidarity, and mutual respect, and wish to say that health is psychical, physical, emotional, and mental, not just the corona level.

In the morning, participants organized events accompanied by music outside nursing homes, where they asked residents to open their windows and balconies to hear that they are not forgotten and to cheer them up with music and messages of encouragement.

Police say the rally has been announced

Zagreb police told Hina they were notified that a public rally called the Freedom Festival would be held and that they would see to it that it proceeded safely.

Assistant Interior Minister Damir Trut said on Friday the protest's organizers committed to adhering to all epidemiological measures stipulated by the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

The medical association says the festival is deception and demagoguery

The Croatian Medical Law Association (HUZMP) said on Friday it was appalled by the announcement of the Freedom Festival because, according to a press release, it was a protest against individual and societal health organized under the slogan of freedom and that this meant it was about deception and demagoguery.

"At a time when the world is facing the highest ever numbers of coronavirus cases and dead when hospitals in Croatia are quickly filling up with everyday hospitalizations of new patients, the HUZMP is appalled by the announcement of a so-called freedom festival," the press release said.

What freedom of speech are we talking about and who will cultivate it if there is no general safety and health, and who will enjoy freedoms if the processes and institutes of medical science, prevention, and treatment are being belittled, the HUZMP asked.

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ZAGREB, Sept 5 (Hina) - The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Croatia has increased by as much as 110% in the past 15 days, Jutarnji List daily said on Saturday, adding that the growing number of severe cases is worrying.

Although the actual figures do not seem so terrifying, because 135 people were receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19 on August 21, while their number on September 4 was 283, the trend is a serious cause for concern, the newspaper said.

The number of active cases in this period jumped by 47%, which is more than half the increase in the number of hospitalized patients, as the number of active cases rose from 1,841 on August 21 to 2,703 on September 4.

A further cause for concern is the fact that the share of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Croatia in the total number of infected people was 7.33% on August 21, while on September 4 it was 10.5%, Jutarnji List said, adding that the number of deaths in the said period rose from 169 to 195.

These figures are not surprising given that Croatia has been seeing negative trends for days now, and it was only logical that this situation would also affect the hospitals, which were not under too much strain this summer despite the constant presence of the virus. This was mostly due to the fact that symptoms of the disease were milder than those seen during the first wave of the epidemic from March to June, and the fact that people spent much more time outdoors, Jutarnji List said. 

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September 5, 2020 - After Germany, Austria, and Slovenia placed Croatia or Croatian regions on the red list of countries risky for travel, a new blow has come, as Switzerland includes Croatia on the red list.

EZadar reports that according to the Swiss Federal Office of Health, Croatia will be included on the red list from Monday, September 7, 2020. Besides Croatia, Switzerland has included Ukraine and San Marino on the red list. Belgium and Luxembourg were removed from the list.

So, what does this mean? 

People arriving in Switzerland from the countries on the red list are required to go into quarantine. A negative test result does not exempt travelers from the mandatory quarantine requirement. More information can be found here.

Let us remind you that Germany put Sibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia, and Zadar counties on the red list over the last month. EZadar mentions that three more counties could be added to this list - Pozega-Slavonia, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, and the City of Zagreb. 

Travelers from Germany are not banned from traveling to these areas, but the country suggests passengers reconsider their plans. In addition, it allows passengers to cancel trips at no additional cost. 

Declaring an area risky in Germany means that those returning from vacation must be tested for coronavirus and remain in self-isolation until they receive a negative test result.

Unlike Germany, Austria and Slovenia included the whole of Croatia on the red list. Prime Minister Plenkovic asked Slovenia's neighbors to reconsider the German model and to include only some parts of the country on the red list. 

Recall, Croatia remains on the UK quarantine as well, after it was added on August 22, 2020. 

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September the 5th, 2020 - At the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Croatia was among the European countries with the best epidemiological picture and the Croatian health system was performing excellently despite the extra burden. Richer European countries, such as Italy and the United Kingdom, had a dreadful picture and it seemed that Croatia would continue on a good path. Then the tourist season arrived and things went south.

Tourism makes up 20 percent of Croatia's GDP and as such, sacrifices had to be made in order to rescue the enfeebled economy and allow visitors when many other countries were not letting anyone but citizens and permanent residents in. The quick rise in the infection rate in Croatia sadly saw many countries, including the UK and the Netherlands, followed by Austria, place Croatia back on their red lists and warn their citizens against travel. 

It has been stated that the ''summer symptoms'' of the new coronavirus are somewhat milder than they are likely to be in the autumn, and as the colder months quickly approach, worries for and from the Croatian health system grow. A new coronavirus hospital, set up at Dubrava Hospital, has already received seventeen patients, one of whom was a young man with an undisclosed chronic condition.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of September, 2020, there were no patients in the covid department of the Dubrava Hospital on Sunday. As of Friday, there were already seventeen such patients, as Ivica Luksic, the coordinator of hospital treatment for people with coronavirus, told HRT yesterday morning.

''The trend isn't good, today we have seventeen patients here, two are on a respirator, so since the beginning of this week we have come to seventeen patients.

We need to get serious because this trend of an increasing number of hospital patients and those on respirators is not good, we can't enter the autumn like this because the Croatian health system will be overloaded,'' explained a concerned Luksic.

"I'd like to tell everyone to remain responsible, the virus is here, it is among us, and life must go on, but by adhering to basic measures we can significantly improve this situation," he said.

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