ZAGREB, April 8, 2020 - The number of people registered with the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) as of Tuesday has exceeded 150,000 and over the past three weeks alone 21,649 registered as unemployed, 20,071 of whom lost their jobs.

On March 16 there were 134,717 registered as unemployed while on April 7 that number increased to 150,308, which is an increase of 15,591 or 11.6%, HZZ data forwarded to Hina on Wednesday indicates.

The HZZ notes that due to the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus epidemic, evidence was being kept on a daily basis of people registering or being erased from the unemployment register, particularly those who lost their jobs.

Data indicates that in that period 21,649 people registered as being unemployed, of whom, 20,071 had lost their jobs.

At the same time 6,314 were struck from the register, of whom 4,684 had found jobs.

According to daily data on the HZZ web site, currently there are 150,372 unemployed people and 7,994 advertised vacancies.

The HZZ informed that as of Tuesday it had received 95,211 applications from employers for support to save jobs in those activities affected by the epidemic, which encompasses 559,000 workers, and that more than HRK 700 million had been paid out in support.

The HZZ said that it planned to pay out wage support for March by April 10 for all applications submitted by midnight Tuesday.

HGK analysts estimate government's measures should slow jobless growth

Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) analysts estimate that the first direct measures to preserve jobs, which initially envisaged aid in the amount of the minimum wage (HRK 3,250 for March), subsequently raised to HRK 4,000 for April and May, without the payment of contributions, should slow the jobless growth by enabling employers to keep more workers.

"Since HZZ data show a slowing down of the daily growth of the unemployed over the past three days, one can conclude that the adopted measures have stopped a higher unemployment growth for now. According to the latest information, 94,000 employers have requested that aid for about 550,000 employees, therefore a little over one third of all employed," the HGK said in a press release.

More economic news can be found in the Business section.

April 8, 2020 - More signs that perhaps it is time to say Goodbye Season 2020, as American Airlines and Qatar Airways shelve all plans for Dubrovnik this year. 

One of the most bizarre things in my world at the moment (and with so much weird stuff going down, it has to be bizarre to even get a mention at the moment) is the lack of understanding in some quarters that things have changed, perhaps (or more likely, probably) forever. 

Less than 2 weeks ago, on March 25, 2020, I wrote an article called Hope v Reality: Will There Be a 2020 Tourist Season in Croatia? The article got a lot of attention, and it was also carried by leading Croatian portal Index.hr (thank you! - you can see the Croatian version here).

One of the points I made in that was that people were on different stages of understanding around the globe about the pandemic, with people demanding I tell them if their flights were going to be ok in April. As if I run the airlines. 

That was then, and the world has changed several times since March 25. But still the questions fill my inbox. Will Ryanair be flying in May? Is my Jet2 flight in June going to be ok?

I have no idea if and when this pandemic will pass, and how the world will look from the other side. Optimists (and I include myself among them) hope there will be a late season, even if the summer is lost. Here is what the airlines think - this from ExYuAviation:

American Airlines has cut its international summer schedule by 60% to match a sharp drop in demand due to the coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak. The carrier’s seasonal service between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik, which was to run between June and October on a daily basis, has been suspended for the entire summer season. “Nobody is booking travel”, Vasu Raja, American’s Senior Vice President for Network Strategy said. “If we can reduce our capacity this summer, we can reduce our expenses”, he added. In total, American is suspending 25 summer seasonal flights until 2021. It will focus on services into London Heathrow and Madrid, where passengers can connect to flights on its partners British Airways and Iberia, respectively.

In the same article, ExYuAviation also reports that Qatar Airways has also postponed its planned Doha to Dubrovnik route until May 17, 2021, and Air Baltic similarly from Vilnius. And the news from Germany is hardly encouraging either...

The ever-reliable ch-aviation portal, whose main subsidiary office is in Zagreb (see TCN feature story last year), talked about the reduction of capacity of another important player in the Croatian low-cost market - Eurowings - in Lufthansa Group confirms Germanwings closure yesterday.

In tandem with its capacity rationalisation, Eurowings' headcount is also expected to be reduced in line with the reshaping of its network to focus on short- and medium-haul routes. As such, Eurowings will reduce the overall number of aircraft it contracts. In the short-haul segment, an additional ten A320-200s are planned to be phased out while its long-haul business, which is run under the commercial responsibility of Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt Int'l), will also be reduced.

It should be noted that it is not all doom and gloom from the budget airlines with flights to the region, as Wizzair plans to restart operations in three locations in former Yugoslavia (although not Croatia at this point) in May, pending government approval. 

Minister of Tourism Gari Capelli, who is fond of talking numbers and percentage increases at every turn, was a little more downbeat in his assessment of how things will pan out - read more in Tourism Minister Predicts Revenue Plunge, Regardless of Summer Season.

So is it Goodbye Season 2020, or is there still some hope?  Most people will be much further along the path of understanding of the current realities than they were two weeks ago, but here are the main factors to consider when assessing if there will still be a season:

• Even if all this is over by June, so many people will have lost their jobs that the market of tourists is going to be much smaller. 
• Competition from countries like Italy, Greece, Egypt and Turkey will be INSANE - and Croatia never does well on price. 
• There will be much fewer flights, even for those who are happy to jump on a plane and mix with others. 
• Not so many people will have holiday time anyway, as many have been forced to take their holidays now as companies rationalise their losses. 
• There will be big patriotic campaigns from governments (including Croatia) to holiday at home and support domestic tourism - the French in France, the Italians in Italy etc.
• SO many tourism businesses in Croatia and elsewhere will go bankrupt that there will be an inevitable disruption in the tourism infrastrucure. For example, a hotel group going under would leave a destination without hotels. 

I really wish things looked brighter, but when the big airlines are taking decisions in early April to postpone all until next year, perhaps we should all start to face up to the reality of Goodbye Season 2020.

For those looking for direction on planning for post-corona tourism and how that might even look like, I highly recommend the excellent recent series by Zoran Pejovic from Paradox Hospitality on post-corona tourism. 

April 8, 2020 - Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on Total Croatia News, with Johann David Go from the Philippines/USA in Zagreb as the 33rd contributor.

Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication. 

But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? A new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. So far we have heard from expats in Croatia from Romania, USA, Ireland, UK, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Singapore, Holland, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Latvia, China, Honduras, Hungary, Moldova, South Korea, Japan and Germany. Next up, Johann David Go from the Philippines/USA.

If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below Johann's interview.

Hi I'm Johann Go from USA/Philippines. I have been living here in Croatia for the past almost 4 years. Many people ask me why I would come here to live and work when the US has so many opportunities. My answer is because I know this is where God has me for now and the summers I get to work at a camp and school years working with young people are far more fulfilling than anything. 

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

I am actually doing really well. After 3 weeks of being mostly at home, I have finally some sort of rhythm in my life. Not ideal but it works. The best part was I recently got a roommate from the UK and so that has been a blessing to have someone to experience this with. Constantly being at home isn't easy and the constant thoughts of how family is doing in the US and in the Philippines isn't easy, knowing that if something does happen, I may not be able to just hop on a plane and go. Being an extroverted-introvert, quarantine life hasn't been all that hard. I enjoy the more relaxed-not-rushing-into-the-next-thing lifestyle. The hard part was getting to the recognition stage where this is what life will look like for now. In order to keep sane, I and at times with my roommate, we prepare for our summer bods(pray for our downstairs neighbors...), catch up on Pandemic:How to Prepare for an Outbreak (Netflix if you didn't catch that), read books that I have started since 2018, trying to be the next Martha Stewart (keyword... TRY), and try new things, etc. 

When did you realize that corona was going to be a big issue?

Right off the bat (pun not intended), when China's numbers were growing. I knew something was not right and with my distrust towards China news... I was kind of not too optimistic about it. When the numbers went up in Italy, we all knew at that time that it was something more serious than just a China problem. 

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Funny thing was a good Croatian friend just asked me about this, this morning. The situation is terrible but I am grateful. In the beginning when Italy's numbers went up, I was really frustrated with the Croatian government because of the slow reaction to adding measures to the country. But as time went on, I became more and more satisfied and now to a point of really impressed with how the government of Croatia has handled it. There was a week or so when I was in a crisis mode as well of whether I should stay or go back home. I drove expat friends to the airport and each time, that made me question my decision to stay. I don't judge other people's choices because each one had their reasons and I respected that but I kept asking myself why I am staying.  My family lives in the big cities of New York City and Manila in which the virus can spread quickly with how dense it is. We know how New York City is the epicenter of it all and being far from family has been hard. I am writing to you now here in my apartment in Zagreb. I don't feel safe all the time but I know this was the safest place to be to ride out the virus. 

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

In light of what I am about to say, I would just like to point out that it is easier for us to sit and complain about what we think should/should not happen based on our expectations. It is not easy for governments, health workers, companies, or individuals to make decisions that have long-term impacts in a time like this. So I am grateful for those who step up and make those calls for us and also give grace to them. 

Compared to the US and the Philippines, what is Croatia doing right... in my eyes, as I have said, I am very satisfied in terms of measure with what is in place. But considering the economic impact, that I have not much to say other than to help and support one another in a time like this. I heard friends frustrated with the government because of the long-term consequences. It is easy to blame authorities for not looking out for the little ones but my prayer is that the ones in power would be really selfless in a time like this because the nation is really running when the people are functioning well. I believe Croatia has done well thus far and has prepared the health system to have beds, ventilators, etc ready for a spike in cases, quarantine is being enforced as much as they can, and the information flow has been consistent and constant. Svaka cast! 

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

This is one I believe the US needs work on. Not having a united front as to what the government's stance is on the virus brings distrust and misinformation to the general public. Croatia early on gave power to the crisis management team and that allowed communications to be clear. Whether the government is united or not, it gives the people confidence that the information is coming from one source and that is what we follow! Thank you Bozinovic, Beros, Capak, Markotic, and many others! 

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?

Home workout equipment. 

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis.

To take things one day at a time. We often worry too much about what the future may hold and what we would like to see ourselves to be in 10 years but I realized that we are not guaranteed more than the present. To entrust it to God and live a life that displays that.

We are all approaching this virus for the first time and many of us have never lived through this big of an epidemic. Because of that, people react to crisis in different ways. We need to extend grace to one another in times like this. To the government, neighbors, employers, employees, friends, families, and to ourselves. 

Thanks, Johann. Stay safe and see you on the other side.  

TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out COVID-19 here in Croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Corona Foreigner

If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe. 

Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber's new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert's guidelines below 

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE

The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).

There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words

In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).

How to do it with your cell phone? First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.

After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.

One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.

The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.

When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.

The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).

After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of April, 2020, in addition to the much loved Dolac market located in the very heart of Zagreb, the markets in Kvatrić, Trešnjevka, Špansko, Prečko, Jarun, Gajnice and Utrina will also be opened.

Zagreb's popular Dolac market has begun operations today, with all the measures required to reduce the spread of coronavirus firmly in place. Ten ''cottages'' have been set up on Dolac market from which Croatian OPGs are selling their fresh local products, and benches are set up, which have been placed five metres apart.

Customers can then come and buy what they need from the sellers in limited numbers with mandatory hand disinfection in place, with a maximum of one hundred people being allowed to be there, writes Vecernji list.

As previously mentioned, in addition to Dolac market, there will also be other popular Zagreb markets open in Kvatrić, Trešnjevka, Špansko, Prečko, Jarun, Gajnice and Utrina. The new cottages from which Croatian producers will sell their products will be open from 08:00 to 13:00, where the marketplaces are operating outside, while closed markets will allow for sales to take place from the benches.

On Kvatrić market, OPGs will sell their products from six cottages, on Trešnjevka market, from five cottages, and in Špansko, from two cottages, and everything will be done under the principle of cottage - one OPG.

The Green Market is becoming a drive-in. Vertical and horizontal signage has been installed, cars will enter through the carriageway, and sellers will be to the left and to the right. In front of them will be a ''showroom'' of sorts with their products on display already packed, and in each box will be what they have pre-prepared, that is, what they currently have in their gardens.

When the buyer chooses a product or products he wishes to purchase, he will turn off from the lane, and the seller, who will be three metres away from the buyer at all times, will pack the package into the boot or place it on the back seat of the buyer's car.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for more on coronavirus in Croatia.

April 8, 2020 - Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on Total Croatia News, with Sara Dyson from Texas but currently holed up in Split, as the 32nd contributor.

Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication. 

But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? A new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. So far we have heard from expats in Croatia from Romania, USA, Ireland, UK, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Singapore, Holland, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Latvia, China, Honduras, Hungary, Moldova, South Korea, Japan and Germany. Next up, Sara Dyson from Texas in Split. 

If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below Sara's interview.

Hey, I’m Sara from Texas. I’m currently (and usually) working from home in Split. This has been my home since 2012. I like margaritas and getting caught in the sun.

I do a few things:

• Advise people on how to move to Croatia, particularly as it relates to immigration, citizenship and healthcare
• Build websites for small businesses
• Operate a Game of Thrones Tour (currently very quiet)

You can reach me on Facebook or on my site expatincroatia.com

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

It’s touch and go, every day is different. Some days I feel like I’ve accepted this new reality and am excited about using this time productively, and on others days I find myself still stuck in the 5 stages of grief.

Some days I look forward to the innovation and new ideas that will birth from this strangely quiet, distraction-free environment. Other days, I hope if I click my heels three times, I’ll return to Kansas. Not Kansas, Kansas, but the world before the virus tornado carried us away. I keep toggling between denial and acceptance, with a dash of anger and bargaining sprinkled in.

I usually work from home and have been called a hermit on a number of occasions, so this “should” be the same old, same old for me. It isn’t. I miss hugs and human contact and having sunny coffees and conversations without the risk of someone’s face freezing.

The biggest impact on my sanity has been the lack of pazar. Usually, I’m shopping every couple days on the pazar near my house, chatting with my favorite vendors and ending it with a coffee at my local spot. The supermarket is not a substitute as their produce is often rotten. I really miss fresh produce, but I’m starting to see farms setting up delivery options. Just today, I noticed a new produce stand pop up in a retail space that has been vacant for 2+ years. Truly excited to see how local farms adapt to this pazar-less era.

I am keeping pretty busy these days. Between writing for ‘Expat in Croatia’ and building websites, I’m neck-deep Monday through Friday. My only free time is on the weekends, which is when I go full analogue. With the phone on airplane mode, I work on a garden in my lođa with the help of a robot from Latvia. It’s not really a robot, but it does help cancel out my tendency to kill plants. I’ve got cherry tomatoes, cucumbers (hopefully), dill, oregano, green leaf lettuce, basil, jalapenos, cilantro and even rhubarb. Radishes are my next hurdle.

I’m also doing a lot of magazine reading, like in the good ol’ days. I bought a lifetime subscription to Rolling Stone magazine when I was 16-years-old. Whenever I’m in the States, I pick up 2 years-worth at the PO box, bring them over the ocean where they proceed to collect dust. Now, there is finally time to catch up on what Radiohead was doing in 2017.

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business?

I think the government is doing a decent job of implementing of a variety of economic and tax relief measures quickly. It is proof that government can function and be effective.

The measures don’t apply to me, but I have seen them help businesses owned by friends and partners, which is good.

However, it’s not all about the measures. They are going to help in the short term, but Croatia has a long-term economic disaster on its hands. For too long, Croatia has viewed tourism as its golden goose with a solitary mission of bleeding tourists dry. That short-term vision of gimme, gimme, gimme and unnecessarily high taxes are why things are so critical now.

A country cannot sustain on one industry alone. The biggest problem with tourism in Croatia is that it unnaturally increases the cost of living for Croatians, while not serving the Croatian community at all. The most successful businesses are the ones that operate year-round and are supported by locals as well as tourists.

I hope that the pandemic inspires change within the government and among residents to create new opportunities, technologies and businesses that serve Croatians and that can be exported to other parts of the world.

When did you realize that corona was going to be a big issue? 

On March 9, I heard from a reader who thought we should do a post called “Should I cancel my trip to Croatia due to coronavirus?”. At the time, there were only 12 cases and the government seemed to be doing a decent job of delaying the impact here so it seemed reasonable. Croatia had barely been touched.

Within 3 days, things had changed dramatically so I took the post down and washed my hands of it (see what I did there). Just a month later, we are in a new world.

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

I am impressed with how the government is handling this crisis. In particular, I’m glad they launched koronavirus.hr, which has all the latest information and everything we could possibly need to know about it.

As far as the people, there are still too many still not staying at home. I’m not referring to those going to work or those that have a purpose for being outside or those just taking a walk or those that need space from an abusive family. I’m talking about the clusters of twenty-something Splićani acting like it’s just a snow day. For the safety of your parents and your baba, please go inside, or at least fan out. Dva metara!

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

It is night and day. My motherland America is FUBAR. The US government is led by the most unqualified person to ever be in office (I say that fully aware that there is currently a town in Texas with a goat as a mayor).

While most countries in the world including Croatia have one centralized government leading them through this crisis, America does not. The US has a decentralized government, which gives significant power to the 50 states. The president “could” make a national policy of how to combat the pandemic, but he chooses not to. The president is only concerned about his poll numbers and blaming Obama, so he’s leaving it up to the individual states to decide what to do about the virus.

The 50 states are all doing different things, because they all have different beliefs on the basic facts about the virus and how to handle prevention, spread and treatment. Last week, the governor of Georgia said he just found out that people can transmit the virus without having symptoms. FACE PALM.

People can drive or fly into other cities, counties and states whenever they want. Without one cohesive direction for the entire country, the US will continue to rack up infections and deaths. America now has more cases of any country in the world with a significant lead, nearly 5X what China has alone. We’re #1! We’re #1!

It’s concerning. My entire family and many of my friends live in the US. Some live in states taking it seriously (California, New York) and others live in states that are still debating basic facts (Texas, Florida). I feel safe here, but they are definitely not safe there and there is not a single thing I can do about it. Many aren’t even taking it that seriously because they don’t know they need to. Why would they when their governments aren’t treating it like a big deal?

So yes, Croatia is a doing a much better job. There is one national policy that applies to everyone and it is paying off. Non-essential businesses are closed, people can’t gather in groups of more than 5, we are constantly reminded to keep a distance of 2 meters, and there is no intercity travel. These are all things the US is not actively doing at the national level.

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

The Croatian president makes clear, focused statements about what the government is doing to protect the nation. Updates are made to koronavirus.hr multiple times a day.

The US president dementia rambles until he grows tired of yelling at reporters. The web site the US government launched is pathetic in comparison to Croatia’s. The site barely has any content and most links just go to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) web site. The CDC, a national agency, only just started recommending people wear masks at the end of last week.

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.

Freshly sharpened knives.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

At this moment, I feel very lucky that my income is diversified. On more than many occasions in the past year, I’ve actively sought to consolidate and only have one job instead of three. Right now, I am super grateful that I didn’t consolidate. This job variety is keeping the lights on, considering my tour business just issues refunds these days. These weird circumstances changed the perception of spreading myself a bit thin from being a negative into a silver lining.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT OTHERS

People are extremely capable of adapting to new circumstances, even when those circumstances are unimaginable. Because the whole world has been affected by the pandemic, it can be easy to think it is the only thing happening and that life has stopped, but that is not true, not for everybody at least.

Real life has continued. People are still working. Babies are being born. New ideas are being thought up. People are passing away for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with coronavirus. Recently, the mother of a client of mine passed away due to natural causes. Because of the pandemic, most of the family couldn’t come to the funeral so they Facetime-d it out to relatives across the country. They adapted. We are all adapting in our own way.

Thanks, Sara. Stay safe and see you on the other side.  

TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out COVID-19 here in Croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Corona Foreigner

If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe. 

Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber's new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert's guidelines below 

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE

The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).

There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words

In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).

How to do it with your cell phone? First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.

After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.

One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.

The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.

When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.

The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).

After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ZAGREB, April 8, 2020 - Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrović said Wednesday that by midnight Tuesday 94,000 employers had applied for a government measure to rescue jobs for 550,000 workers and would be paid by April 15, adding that Croatia had managed to escape the worst case scenario when it comes to preserving jobs.

Aladrović told Croatian Radio that under the said measure, the government, instead of employers, will pay workers a HRK 3,250 wage for March and HRK 4,000 for April and May, adding that so far approximately HRK 760 million has been paid out.

All payments should be made by April 15 at the latest, Aladrović said.

The fiscal effect, given the fact that the state will pay out contributions for March, April and May for all beneficiaries, is estimated at between 9 and 10 billion kuna.

The measures are aimed at preserving jobs at this point I would dare to say that we have succeeded, Aladrović said.

The minister also said that pensions and social welfare allowances were secure.

More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

April 8, 2020 - Arena Hospitality Group and Kamgrad have teamed up to buy room sanitation devices for the Pula General Hospital. 

Following the recent donation of LCD TVs and meals, i.e., lunch packages for hospital staff at Pula General Hospital, the Arena Hospitality Group is giving additional assistance to the Pula General Hospital, and thus to the local community and population.

Namely, HRTurizam reports that in cooperation with the hospital and their expressed need, together with its long-time partner Kamgrad d.o.o., one of the leading domestic companies in the construction sector, has decided to finance the purchase of medical equipment, i.e., UVDI-360 room sanitation devices to combat COVID-19 infection as efficiently as possible. The total amount of HRK 362,500 will be financed in the ratio of 50%/50% between Kamgrad and Arena.

The UVDI-360 room sanitation device is the best-selling device of its type in the world, Europe and Croatia, and is a standalone wheeled starter equipped with 4 UV-C bulbs with the 360-degree operation and infrared motion sensors. The device comes with its own software with time management capabilities and a remote control capable of turning the device on for a distance of at least 15 m.

"I am happy that we can continue to help the hospital and the community in which we live," said Arena Hospitality Group CEO Mr. Reli Slonim, adding that he is proud and grateful for the efforts of AHG employees who have worked hard to help prepare food for staff, and cleaning and maintaining the hospital space. “I would also like to thank the Kamenski family who has committed themselves to support the purchase of the much-needed devices for the Pula hospital, and I am pleased that our cooperation over the years has reached a level where we can collectively be of help during difficult times. I want to believe that the device will not have to be used much in these circumstances, that these difficult times will soon be behind us and that we will return to our happy and healthy everyday lives."

“In these extraordinary and difficult moments, we especially appreciate the efforts healthcare professionals are making in treating their patients, so we are pleased that with this donation, we can help Pula General Hospital continue its excellent work. We also thank our long-term partner AHG for your support and cooperation, and we hope that together, even after these extraordinary circumstances cease, we will continue to cooperate and assist all those in need,” said Kamagrad director, Mr. Domagoj Kamenski.

And with this donation, AHG and Kamgrad reaffirm their social responsibility and commitment to the shared well-being of the local community in which these businesses operate and employ the locals.

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

April 8, 2020 - Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on Total Croatia News, with TCN boss Paul Bradbury, originally from the UK and now in Jelsa on Hvar, as the 31st contributor.

Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication. 

But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? A new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. So far we have heard from expats in Croatia from Romania, USA, Ireland, UK, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Singapore, Holland, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Latvia, China, Honduras, Hungary, Moldova, South Korea, Japan and Germany. Next up, me. Several people contacted me, asking if I would write my experienes from Jelsa on Hvar, so here it is. 

If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below.

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

Well I can't say life is dull. 

We are doing really, really well, and I am so proud of and grateful to my amazing three girls.

When school closed down for a fortnight recently, we had a big decision to make. Did we stay in our house in a village in Varazdin, or head back to Jelsa on Hvar, where our previous home turned holiday home, turned cancelled bookings was a much better option. Dalmatian sun, the terrace, the Adriatic. 

Of course, if we were to go to the island, we would have to employ strict self-isolation. The reality was that this was going to take longer than 2 weeks for sure, perhaps two months, perhaps longer. To be cooped up in the house in the village near Varazdin, or to at least be able to enjoy the sun, the terrace and the view of the Adriatic. 

We held a family summit, and we all agreed - let's go to Hvar. 

(The evening ferry to Sucuraj and last glimpse of the mainland. Who knows when we will see it next?)

And from that moment, family unity has been magnificent, and I am so proud of all three of them. Mum managed somehow to pack everything up and squeeze it into the car, not knowing how long we would be gone. We have everything we need. We drove to Drvenik to try and make the ferry to Sucuraj, and with Taliah's GPS updates, we made it with 7 minutes to spare. 

And since then, I have not met anyone outside the family, chained to my laptop on the couch for 16 hours a day on average, with 30 priceless minutes by the sea to rescue my sanity. 

The girls have been magnificent, and it can't be easy for them, especially now that online schooling in Croatia is the new norm - a totally new concept (and you can see their impressions of online schooling in the video interview they did, above). 

(No gin and tonic but plenty of lemons)

There are seven of us in our self-isolation unit. My wife and kids are with me in our apartment, and my sister, mother and father-in-law below. The three ladies are doing incredible things in the kitchen, and my punac is bringing amazing produce from the field where he works all day. This has brought us much closer as a family, and morale is high. No attempted murders to report - yet. 

Professionally, it has been a tsunami of events, emotions and experiences (as it has been for everyone, so there is nothing exceptional about my story). I lost every cilent I had, 100% of them, in three days, and Adsense and the family field is keeping us alive at the moment. But I think that particular curve has flattened, as yesterday, we got our first new client! I lost a lot in 2008, but as I have almost nothing to lose this time, this will not affect me as much as others. And I look at other, dear friends who have worked much harder than me and built up fabulous businesses, with textbook planning and execution. But the corona effect didn't make it into the textbooks of business planning. 

Mentally, I am very strong and focused, and I need to be. The fantastic support network of the girls, the Dalmatian sun streaming through the windows, and that precious 30 minutes by the Adriatic each evening are all essential, as are three online stress relievers. The irreverent messenger chat with my two fave TCN ladies, Dani and Lauren, is where we all let off steam, the chat between Lauren, myself and the Jurgen Klopp of science, Igor Rudan, fills me with joy and my belly with laughter. Igor truly is the funniest man I have never met. 

And then there is the Facebook wall of Marko Rakar, whose combination of hilarious memes and brutal truths about what is coming make for addictive viewing, and I check in twice a day. 

And I certainly need that support network to keep our three news portals together in Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia. In addition to the crap we are all going through, I have one writer who had suspected corona and got tested (thankfully negative), another whose elderly mother has just caught it, , having to reduce staff due to no income, threats from the authorities forcing me to unpublish an article they didn't like (which subsequently appeared on other Croatian portals 2 days later - and are still live) with the promise of fines, trying to keep tabs on the mental health and stress of my writers who are being unbelievable in their dedication and application, a writer resigning a few days after the earthquake. And dealing with the abuse and inflamed emotions of our readers at a time like this, where the loose use of a word (which happens when you are chained to your laptop from 05:00 until 22:00 apart from lunch and that 30 mins by the sea) is taken as a personal attack by someone. 

(One of the pillars which keeps me sane - 30 mins a day)

I am used to being responsible for everything in Croatia, from Bleiburg to Hajduk not winning the Champions League, but this is a VERY challenging time to be a writer, and I have to think about every word I publish (which has never been my style). Add to that the fact that corona has changed language. I posted a story about a 'super positive Moldovan wedding planner under quarantine on Murter.' The only association with the word positive these days is not a happy one, someone pointed out. You can read more in Realities of Running an English News Portal in the Corona Era.

But overall, I am doing great, and I am focused on trying to give the many, many people depending on TCN the very best and most accurate news, which is only possible due to my two amazing teams - at home and my TCN colleagues. 

Oh, and I am growing a beard for the first time in 25 years. 

It looks terrible. 

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business?

Unlike the last question, I don't have much to say on this one, as I have not had time to look into it in detail. I will qualify for 3250 kuna a month for the next two months I understand, but my friends from Glas Poduzetnika (Voice of Entrepreneurs) made their feelings known by demanding the resignation of the Minister of Economy, as well as highlighting the fact that an alarming statistic that 93% of private businesses in their group will go bust within 3 months without significant help. And how does the Mighty State of Uhljebistan respond? The chart below is private-sector job losses since the start of the crisis (source Index.hr last Friday) on the left, public sector job losses on the right. It is why I believe that North Korea and Uhljebistan and the only true corona-proof states in the world (and yes, this is an attempt at humour to prove a point - have to be careful with my words).

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

I started following the story in mid-January, and I asked Iva to do a piece on January 25, 2020, our first coverage, What is Croatia Doing to Prevent the Spreading of the New Coronavirus? This was three days before King Vili became Health Minister. Interesting reading, isn't it? Forrest started his excellent daily updates the next day, and we were fully informed. 

Like many, I misjudged the seriousness of corona. We came out with the first ever corona map of Croatia on March 9 (thanks to my amazing wife). Back then, there were just a few cases in Rijeka, Varazdin and Zagreb. I was aware of the panic and anxiety that was out there about flights and tourism. And so I thought it would be helpful to the tourism industry to show the situation with the airports, as well as the surrounding countries, which all had very few cases and no deaths. The readership was huge on this article, second only to the Zagreb earthquake breaking news I published 15 mins after it struck. The big discussion was whether or not to include the horror show of Italy in the map. As the aim of the map was to clarify and reassure, I decided to keep Italy off the map. In hindsight, that was probably a bad call. 

On March 22, I posted this on Facebook, which explains my timeline. This is the article mentioned - From Shanghai to Seoul to Zagreb: Why I Felt Safer in China.

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

I feel that I am in the safest place in Europe right now, in terms of the health threat (not so sure about the economic apocalypse which is coming). Who would have thought that the Croatian government could pull this off so superbly? And in our fascinating series interviewing expats from all over the world on how they are coping in Croatia (30 submissions so far), I don't think there is one who feels less safe in Croatia than they would be back home. You can see the series here. 

I will be contributing to the fund to build statues of Vili and Alemka on Ban Jelacic Square when all this is over. But I also think it is important not to forget just how lucky Croatia was to have such a corrupt previous Minister of Health (let's add the word alleged here, in these sensitive times), and there should be a third statue for the investigative journalists whose stories on the erstwhile minister's property portfolio led to his replacement by King Vili. It should not be forgotten that while the former minister was holding press conferences in which he told us he was paying his lawyer 500 kuna an hour to help explain he had done nothing wrong, a bus full of Chinese tourists, including 18 from Wuhan, had arrived from Milan and was taking in the sights of Plitvice Lakes, Zadar and Dubrovnik.  

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

 Yeah. Next question. 

(TCN media HQ)

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

I have been an aid worker in many hot spots in my career, including arriving 2 weeks after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. I have never - ever - seen a crisis management and communications performance that comes close to what the National Civil Protection Headquarters is putting out. It is beyond impressive. And I would add to that the outstanding contributions from scientist Igor Rudan, whose texts are among the best on the Internet on corona. I have to pinch myself sometimes that I am in a fun chat with him and Lauren, as he is advising the Prime Minister and Health Minister on how to keep Croatia safe. And then to see that not only is Lauren now his official translator, but Igor insists the English version of his texts appear on TCN first. Thank you Sir - for everything! You can read Igor's texts here.   

If the government could apply this transparency and open communication to its other ministries in the post-corona era, what a country Croatia could be. 

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?

The fridge at one of my favourite restaurants in Croatia - Durina Hiza in Varazdinske Toplice. Thankfully, owner Nikola Bozic is bringing the fridge to us with this outstanding steak delivery service. He is coming to Split on April 17, so I need to figure out a way to get my order to Jelsa from there. Check out the new delivery service here - it will grow and add more quality local producers. I hope it becomes the future of how we food shop in Croatia. 

I was missing my blogging bathrobe, until I mentioned that this to my wife. She then opened a drawer and produced it. Quite how she managed to put EVERYTHING we needed into the car at very short notice, I will never know. Amazing woman - thank you, wife. 

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

That I am not very good at growing a beard.

About others, I have learned a LOT, but perhaps best not to elaborate here. I already have a special talent for inflaming emotions. Suffice to say that I have a clear idea of who I do - and who I don't - want to hang out with on the other side. And some of the don'ts have really surprised me. 

I suppose the most important thing I have learned is that when you have two foundation rocks such as my amazing family and my amazing TCN team, everything else is easy to deal with. Thank you both. 

TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out COVID-19 here in Croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Corona Foreigner

If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe. 

Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?

Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.

What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)

When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue? 

What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?

Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?

What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?

What's the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.

One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis. 

TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber's new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert's guidelines below 

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE

The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).

There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words

In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).

How to do it with your cell phone? First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.

After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.

One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.

The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.

When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.

The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).

After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc with the global economy, and the Croatian economy is no exception despite the excellent results the country is having in fighting the virus.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 7th of April, 2020, as many as a third of persons who are residents of Croatia and who pay pension insurance, will get a part of their salary, and in some cases the entire monthly amount from the state budget this month.

As of the 5th of April at noon, 86,746 Croatian employers had requested job preservation support for about 506,000 of their workers, according to a report from Novi list. If workers who are seeking government-paid salaries both the state or local budgets, as well as those working for public or communal companies are separated from the total, it seems that private sector employers have sought support for almost half of their workers. It will be 3,250 kuna for March, 4,000 kuna net for April, with the state paying 1,460 kuna in contributions.

This means that for more than half of the amount of the average salary in Croatia in April, which amounts to about six and a half thousand kuna and which previously cost employers more than ten thousand kuna, will be covered by the state.

Considering that the payment of taxes and contributions has been delayed, and the fact that such fees will be written off entirely for some employers, this means that employers currently have to allocate just over 2,500 kuna to pay the average wage to their workers. The state will give a total of around 600 million kuna to Croatian employers. In addition, the Ministry of Finance had received 77 thousand requests for the deferral of contributions and income tax as of the 5th of April, 2020.

These measures have apparently, at least for the time being, prevented the massive layoff of workers due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. As of the 5th of April, according to the Croatian Employment Service (CES), there were 147,980 unemployed people, which is 10,003 more than there were back at the end of February.

The number of unemployed persons increased by 7.2 percent in just over a month, while in the past few years, the number of unemployed would traditionally start to decline due to employment in the pre-season, in preparation for summer. However, if the state had not passed the measures it has, given the freezing of economic activity, that figure would probably be in the hundreds of thousands. The real situation with people who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus epidemic will be better seen in June if the government decides against extending the duration of the aforementioned economic measures.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for all you need to know about coronavirus in Croatia.

Many Croatian companies are stepping up and doing their bit in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with numerous generous donations going to hospitals up and down the country from big names determined to secure medical facilities equipment they need. Karlovac General Hospital is yet another hospital to receive very welcome extra funds.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 7th of April, 2020, Heineken Hrvatska (Croatia), the second largest brewer and one of the leaders in corporate social responsibility in the Republic of Croatia, announced today that it will donate a massive 370,000 kuna to Karlovac General Hospital.

Thanks to this donation, the largest and most important medical institution in Karlovac County will acquire the additional equipment needed in the current fight against the rapidly expanding coronavirus. More specifically, a new respirator, monitor and video bronchoscope will be purchased to enhance Karlovac General Hospital's existing facilities, especially its intensive care unit. The remaining funds will then be used to buy personal protective equipment, such as face masks and gloves, which are currently in demand.

''I want to thank our excellent neighbour, Heineken Croatia, for joining us in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The donated equipment will not only help all of our existing patients who have respiratory problems, but will certainly serve the hospital for many more years,'' said doc. Prim. dr. sc. Ervin Jancic, the director of Karlovac General Hospital.

Heineken Croatia is otherwise a leader in promoting health and safety and is constantly finding ways to improve the quality of life in the local community in which it operates.

''Heineken Croatia is a partner of our Karlovac and Karlovac counties, as well as a friend to our employees, their friends and their families. That's why we strongly empathise with the community in which we operate. We're aware that health and safety should be a top priority for everyone, and we've decided to make an additional contribution to ensuring that. These are difficult times, but we'll overcome this crisis together. When the current battle with the pandemic is over, we'll be even more connected and closer than we were before,'' said Odin Goedhart, CEO of the company.

The Karlovac brewery has also taken an additional step in supporting and solidifying those most involved in the fight against coronavirus. Therefore, both the state and local civil protection staff received a donation of nearly 600 litres of premium Heineken 0.0 non-alcoholic beer, which will help their members stay hydrated even in this challenging situation.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for more on coronavirus in Croatia.