March 20, 2020 - HNK Ivan pl. Zajc Rijeka reacts to the coronavirus crisis with an online program. 

The Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka won’t let the corona crisis take them down, and instead has reacted with an online program including morning poetry, ballet, and fairy tales at bedtime.

HNK Ivan pl. Zajc Rijeka writes in full:

"In the circumstances of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Rijeka Theater decided to act responsibly and in solidarity with its audience, citizens of Rijeka and the wider community, especially those most vulnerable, either because of their age or because they are on the front line of defense against the COVID-19.

As is well known, the theater is unimaginable without the public gathering of a large number of people, and in essence, theater is social contact and collective experience of a theater act, which is why we had to cancel our programs among the first.

Also, due to the specificity of the theater work, some of our ensembles cannot continue their regular and usual work, because their action and creation involve gathering more people(orchestra, choir) and physical contact (ballet ensemble).

Nevertheless, we decided, until all the work in public institutions was banned, to reorganize and harness all our creativity so that we could continue to work and act responsibly and in solidarity. Therefore, we announce that we are creating a program called “Zajc with You" that will be available through Youtube and social networks.

From Friday, March 20, as long as we are allowed to work, "Zajc" begins with its online program of the following content and schedule:

1. Morning selfie poetry

At 8 am every morning, one actor in Croatian or Italian drama will read poetry for you. One song every morning!

2. Aria at noon

Every day at noon, the soloist of our opera ensemble will perform one aria with personal dedication.

3. “Zajc with you" - fairy tales for bedtime

Actors of Croatian and Italian Drama will tell your children a bedtime story at 8 pm every night.

4. Ballet insomnia

In the evening, at 10 pm, the program “Zajc with you" will be concluded with a short dance video: ballet practice, solo, choreographic fragments ...

Of course, during our online presence, all non-at-risk Theater employees work from home or in the Theater building, respecting all security measures, and are preparing a program to start as soon as we are allowed to open our doors to our audience. All employees are ready to extend the duration of this and start the new theater season early, all in order to realize all of the planned program this year. "Zajc" is a theater that has always been and will be here because of the citizens of Rijeka. Because a city without Theater is like a city without identity. A city without a theater is not really a city.

All information about canceled performances that were on sale can be obtained at the box office (tel. 051 / 337-114, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). For most programs, we already offer replacement dates in May, June and July, and if the offered replacement terms do not match or do not exist, you can earn a refund for tickets purchased by April 14 at the box office.

Box office hours: Monday to Friday 9 am - 3 pm, and Saturday 9 am - 1 pm."

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

Coronavirus is taking public health and the global economy by storm and spreading mercilessly, causing a previously unthinkable amount of problems for both people and businesses, and the costs will just keep on adding up for months to come, but it isn't all so bleak for one Sisak company.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 19th of March, 2020, although the extent of the damage this situation will cause to the economy can for the moment only be estimated, there are also companies that are unlikely to even feel the effects of the coronavirus crisis, but will actually experience growth during these harsh conditions. One of them is Mozon from Sisak, which deals with ozone technology, which, after fluoride, is the strongest known oxidizer and is widely used in disinfection.

As explained by Zdravko Medved, the director of this Sisak company, ozone breaks down chemicals to basic, naturally occurring particles and is now widely used in the air and water disinfection industry.

"Ozone technology offers many benefits - it's effective at room temperature, it leaves no chemical traces (ozone is converted into oxygen), and it provides greater guarantees against pathogenic bacteria and other micro-organisms such as viruses.

Furthermore, the regular use of ozone saves on the use of chemicals, energy and water. In medicine, it's used as a sterilising agent for operating rooms, hospitals, dispensaries and waiting rooms,'' says Medved, adding that other extremely important uses of ozone should also be mentioned - as a water and air steriliser, in cooling and heating systems, in industrial plants, in post-fire restoration, in chemical synthesis, in soil maintenance, in ecology, in wastewater disposal, etc.

Ozone deactivates the SARS virus extremely quickly and efficiently, and various studies in the world have proved that to be true. Back in 2011, Zdravko Medved began cooperation with an international team of experts who wanted to extend the application of ozone to the area of ​​Southeastern Europe

"Scientists who are actively researching coronavirus have learned that viral particles can be dangerous for up to nine days when remaining in a space outside of the human body. Ozone is generally superior to other disinfectants because it reacts with all particles in the area while other disinfectants cover their share of the ''pest'' spectrum.

''Most scientific efforts on the effects of ozone have focused on the propensity of ozone to separate lipid molecules. Indeed, once a virus's lipid envelope is fragmented, its DNA or RNA nucleus cannot survive,'' explains Medved.

From this Sisak company, they point out that research has shown that precisely where large numbers of people from different parts of the world fluctuate, and that these areas of frequent human movement are an ideal place for the spread of pathogens by harmful airborne microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi).

Therefore, they say, ozone is currently in high demand across the world and is very regularly used in the disinfection of various spaces where there is a great fluctuation of people - hospitals, ambulances and public transport, hotels, halls, convention centres, cafes, bus stations, trains, airports, schools, kindergartens, retirement homes, gyms, changing rooms, and so forth.

One of the world's busiest airports, more precisely the one in Dubai, has injected ozone into its very central air-conditioning system so that all buildings are enriched with this oxidant, while the airport in Shanghai is cleaned with ozone-enriched water.

This Sisak-based company came to ''life'' about ten years ago when Medved began collaborating with an international team of technology and innovation experts who wanted to expand the use of ozone into Southeastern Europe.

"Soon, the need to set up a company that would carry out all the activities in the region emerged, which is how Mozon came to be. We're continuing to cooperate with the world's top experts, but we also have our own laboratory and facilities in Sisak where we test and develop our products. We cover the whole region, and in addition to Croatia, we mostly work in Slovenia,'' Zdravko Medved stated.

Mozon states that they are able to partner with companies to offer ozone application solutions ranging from domestic use to use in large industrial plants.

Ozone is most widely used in Croatia for water disinfection since the water from water pumps is loaded with heavy metals and the chlorine doesn't help. Additionally, all water bottlers use ozone to disinfect their bottles and their other equipment. When it comes to space disinfection, this Sisak company mostly works alongside hotels, public transport companies and pharmacies.

Thus, in Croatia's southernmost city of Dubrovnik, they disinfected the entire public transport fleet which belongs to the company Libertas-Dubrovnik, just over the border in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Medjugorje, they dealt with accommodation and social facilities, and in Zagreb, they created the conditions for the transition from the old chlorinated pool water base to the new ozone disinfection base.

This current, ongoing situation with the coronavirus is also new to them, but they stress that they are fully prepared and have already offered their help to the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

"We've been getting a lot of inquiries over recent days about disinfecting all sorts of spaces, but part of our capacity has been made available to combat the spread of this virus. Just for comparison, the Italian region of Veneto has ordered the disinfection of all public transport vehicles including vessels in Venice, offices and other city premises are being ozonised, while in the city of Taranto in the Puglia region, all of the schools are being treated with ozone as part of a coronavirus prevention programme. Its wide-spread secret lies in the fact that it is the strongest natural disinfectant and no harmful by-products remain after it is used,'' concluded the director of this Sisak company.

For more on Croatian companies, follow Made in Croatia. For rolling information about coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, March 19, 2020 - Former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said on Twitter on Thursday that she was in self-isolation and observing rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Grabar-Kitarovic had recently returned from the United States. She said in a Facebook post on 8 March that she had delivered a speech at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government on the many challenges facing Europe.

More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 19, 2020 - The Homeland Movement party's leader, Miroslav Škoro, on Thursday proposed introducing a minimum wage for everyone except for socially vulnerable groups, pregnant women and new mothers, as well as healthcare workers, given the economic crisis in the country.

"Until the crisis ends, minimum wage for everyone," Skoro wrote on Facebook, proposing that it should apply to the government, presidents, former presidents, everyone in the state administration and state and public companies and institutions.

"Enough with the fake solidarity at the expense of employees in the private sector," Škoro said.

More news about Miroslav Škoro can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 19, 2020 - The GONG nongovernmental organisation has said that measures being introduced by the Croatian government and most countries to alleviate the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic must not be misused, must be in line with the Constitution and must be in force only during the pandemic.

Restrictions that are being introduced must be motivated solely by reasons related to public health and they must be implemented in line with the Constitution, the NGO said on Thursday, underlining the importance of respect for rights and procedures in crisis situations.

As for Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović's announcement about the introduction of an information system for tracking infected persons and persons in self-isolation and other information solutions, GONG said that it raised the question of possible abuse and the need for supervision.

"The rule of law and civil liberties must not be forgotten due to the fear of infection. Restriction of individual rights and freedoms (Article 17 of the Constitution) requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority. If the parliament stops working, the prime minister and the president of the republic take over. Such measures must be proportionate and precisely defined," GONG said.

More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

March 19,  2020 - The City of Split announces measures to help citizens and entrepreneurs during the corona crisis. 

In line with national efforts to combat the economic damage caused by the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), Split Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara is bringing a set of measures to help citizens and entrepreneurs affected by the National Civil Protection Headquarters’ decision to stop work. 

Under the Decision of the National Civil Protection Headquarters on prohibiting certain economic activities from today, March 19, 2020, the following applies:

1. Suspension of all foreclosures in the form of halting forced collection within the next 90 days for business entities

2. Suspension of all enforcement by stopping forced collection in the next 90 days for citizens

3. Deferral of utility payments for 90 days for business entities

4. Deferral of utility payments for 90 days for citizens

5. Following the Ordinance on the operation of kindergartens, the price of kindergartens during their suspension is reduced by 50% for all categories

6. Following the Rulebook on Extended and Full-Day Residence in Primary Schools, parents will participate in a fixed amount of HRK 250 per month, and a participation fee of HRK 25 per day during the suspension will not be charged

7. Co-financing of interest costs on loans for craftspeople and small businesses for micro-liquidity loans and COVID-19 working capital loans for small and medium-sized enterprises, up to a maximum of 1% interest

8. City companies Čistoća Split d.o.o. and Vodovod and Sewage d.o.o. delay the payment of services to all natural and legal persons for 90 days. The invoices will be sent regularly, but due in 90 days.

Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara will propose the following measures, based on the Decision of the National Civil Protection Headquarters on the prohibition of work on March 19, 2020, for certain economic activities:

9. Exemption from lease payments for public areas not in use per the Decision of the National Headquarters on prohibitions, i.e., in the sectors covered by the Decision on prohibiting labor

10. Exemption of lease payments for business premises owned by the City of Split and for premises owned by the City of Split, given to the management of Splitskoj obali d.o.o. and to the Public Institution Sports Facilities, when not in use per the Decision of the National Headquarters on prohibiting labor

According to current estimates, the effect of this package of measures is around HRK 150 million over the next three months.

Additional measures have been considered and are being prepared to assist vulnerable groups of the population, especially towards citizens over the age of 60, which will require an increase in the budget.

Even though the possibility of paying utility bills with a delay of three months has been introduced, the City asks citizens, given the burden on the expenditure side of the Budget and the number of initiated city projects, to fulfill their obligations following their capabilities by paying electronically.

For the stated liabilities for March, no refunds will be made, but an offset will be made with future payments for the period after the measures are abolished.

Also, depending on the development of the situation, Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara will make a timely decision on the duration of deferrals.

“Considering the economic importance of this health pandemic and in order to mitigate the negative effects of the crisis, we have prepared this set of measures on the delays and the exemptions we propose to the City Council, not wanting to wait for the pandemic to end, and already addressing the consequences that will be reflected in the tourism and the economy as a whole. We have to, and that's why we are acting now," emphasized Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara, and once again urged citizens to responsibly comply with all instructions of the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

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

''There's no reason at all to worry, except about this part where we must first and foremost protect older people so that we don't get in a situation in which we end up overloading our health system,'' said the Croatian Interior Minister.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 17th of March, 2020, the Croatian Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, commented during a press conference of the National Civil Protection Headquarters on which powers the headquarters would have.

The latest press conference which covers the decisions which have now officially been passed and adopted by Parliament can be read by clicking here.

''As Health Minister Beros said, we can announce a decision that will try to limit the movement of older people, that is, to make sure that they don't leave their apartments or houses without urgent need to do so. This is a job we will start with immediately,'' the minister said, presenting new information on violations of self-isolation, the punishments/fines for breaking self-isolation can be read here.

"Secondly, we'll tighten control as we've already done when it comes to people properly adhering to self-isolation rules. To date, the system has received 533 such notices, and 93 people violating this decision have been identified and will be sanctioned,'' Bozinovic said.

"It's important to bear in mind here that the economic activities of the state, not only those here in Croatia, must not stop, but they must be carried out in such a way that they don't contribute to the spread of the virus, and at the same time, they must function, and we'll also do all we can in order to keep those activities going. There's no reason to worry, except in this part where we must first and foremost protect our older people so that we don't end up getting into the situation of overburdening our health system,'' noted the Croatian Interior Minister.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for rolling infromation in English about the coronavirus outbreak in Croatia. We also provide daily updates on travel, statistics, entry and exit procedures and much more.

Many are asking just what a measure allowing for a delay in payment of Croatian sojourn tax is supposed to result in, considering the fact that there are no tourists to pay it owing to the coronavirus outbreak.

As Dora Koretic/Novac writes on the 19th of March, 2020, for days, the entire tourism sector had been anxiously waiting for the government to finally present measures to help the vulnerable businesses (which can be read here), but when they finally arrived on Tuesday night, the real sector was once again convinced of how poor the state apparatus' grasp of the domestic economy really is.

The first targets were the measures proposed by the Ministry of Tourism, which, to the surprise of many tourism professionals, decided to help the sector by delaying the payment of Croatian sojourn tax and various tourism membership fees for businesses and renters, limiting working hours, delaying the payment of land concession fees, and some other things.

''What's the point of delaying the payment of Croatian sojourn tax? If there are no guests, then there's no fee to be paid anyway, so it isn't clear what they wanted to achieve with this measure. The whole of Croatia is laughing at this, we expected that our ministry would take this situation seriously and put some measures in place that would help the sector when it's on its knees,'' stated a tourism expert was angry who wanted to remain anonymous.

What most disappointed the entire tourism and hospitality sector was the fact that the measures that offered the most hope for businessmen - those regarding job preservation - weren't sufficiently elaborated on after Wednesday's presentation to make businessmen understand their criteria and the options available to them, not to mention the fact that they will obviously still have to wait around.

''Tourism employers need a measure of support for job preservation right away, and it's obvious that we'll have to wait for the end of the week to see any elaboration on this measure. Many other European countries, such as Denmark, have immediately come up with concrete measures to help preserve their workforce, and it's equally important that this be a priority for the Croatian Government.

It's absolutely essential for them to respond immediately and to assist companies that need to decide how to regulate employment in these circumstances straight away, because they employ workers and have no income to finance their salaries. It's especially important to take into account the specificity of tourism when defining the criteria for the implementation of this measure,'' said the director of the Association of Hospitality and Tourism at HUP, Natali Komen Bujas.

Examples that the state could follow from across the European continent were numerous: Austria has prepared 20 billion euros for part-time work, the German Government has announced that it will cover up to 60 percent of net wages in part-time work, the Netherlands also extended the short-term rules of employment, and the United Kingdom has announced the possibility of a refund to small and medium-sized companies/enterprises and employers.

Although the Croatian Tourism Association said that they welcomed in principle all measures that are aimed at maintaining the liquidity of the country's companies, its president, Veljko Ostojic, said that the sector needs these measures to be put into function immediately.

''They must come into force immediately, they need to be clear and concrete, and now after they've finally been presented, it's clear that it will take everyone a week to understand them and to know the criteria of who can use them and just how they can be used,'' warned Ostojic.

One of the controversial points in the package of measures is the many delays that are foreseen, which is causing some skepticism in the sector. The issue of the payment delays for Croatian sojourn tax is just one confusing and seemingly senseless measure.

''We're taking these measures about delays solely as temporary measures, because it's quite clear that the sector will fall to its knees and that some concrete money will need to be injected into it. We need concrete measures, we want explanations of how they can be used and by who. I expected that we'd know all this by today, and now it turns out that concrete moves are still yet to be done,'' said Ostojic.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for rolling information in English about coronavirus in Croatia.

March 19, 2020 - Acclaimed journalist and filmmaker Robert Zuber and the team from the Rab Film Festival have launched a new collaborative platform called R+, with an initial hot topic - coronavirus. 

I have a few heroes in Croatia, from all walks of life. People who inspire with their genius, or dedication, or passion. Sometimes all three. 

Among them is a filmmaker and journalist called Robert Zuber (or more correctly now that I don't have to shorten the name to fit the title restrictions, Robert Tomic Zuber). We were introduced by a mutual friend, Andreas Wil Gerdes, last year, and have become good friends and journalist colleagues since.

Robert is the driving force behind the first Rab Film Festival, the only investigative documentary film festival in Croatia, with partners including the iconic Sarajevo Film Festival. 

This year's edition of Rab Film Festival, like everything else in the world right now, is on hold. But rather than sit and do nothing, Robert and his partners have some up with a new collaborative medium which can also tell your stories. Rather than me try and explain it, here is how the R+ team introduce the project.

R+

In moments of fear, anxiety, and frequent malicious fake news, we offer you a space opposite to despair.

We are witnessing great initiatives, people helping each other, streaming concerts, theatre plays, films, video stories with great messages. But, because they are scattered all over the Internet, often many of these great stories do not reach many citizens in these not-so-great times.

That is the idea behind R+. To be the one place where you will be able to express yourselves creatively, share your stories, experiences, search for information, and hear some less apocalyptic perspective while respecting the seriousness of our emerging everyday life.

R+ as of today is your platform, join us, use it, watch it, contribute to it yourselves. One by one, for each other, to preserve what is our essence - to be first and foremost human.

© Created by RAFF Film Festival on sincere emotion, valid information and determination not to give up on the bright sides of our everyday life.

A video welcome from Robert Zuber. 

And with coronavirus the hot initial topic...  

This is Rome.

Isolation lunch on the island of Rab.

Message to my generation by film director Nenad Puhovski.

Initial partners include Rab Film Festival (RAFF), AL Jazeera Balkans, Vecernji List, Radio 808, Exrey, and Kud Nikud. I hope that TCN will shortly be part of the project as well. 

All videos are with English subtitles, and you can learn more about the bilingual project from the official website here, including details on how to get involved.  

A great initiative. For the latest on the coronavirus crisis, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

What we can all do. 

As the Republic of Croatia introduces strict measures on cafe, bar, restaurant and hotel closures as the coronavirus epidemic continues, the silver lining of this cloud is the fact that the good hearts of many across the country are being revealed. Skolska Knjiga is doing its bit.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of March, 2020, Skolska Knjiga (School Book), the Edward Bernays University College and dr. sc. Damir Jugo decided to make a helpful book on crisis communication management free and accessible to everyone.

The book is published in Croatian and contains the basic determinants of crisis communication management, and at the time of the current coronavirus pandemic it is also useful as a practical tool for just about everyone, particularly for entrepreneurs, business directors, artisans, healthcare professionals, schools, colleges - anyone in need of more detailed information on handling and dealing with proper communication during a crisis.

"During this crisis, it's up to each of us to think how and what we can do to help, no matter how small this contribution may seem. Skolska Knjiga and the Edward Bernays University College, as publishers, and I, as the author of Crisis Communication Management, have decided to make this book free and fully accessible on the Skolska Knjiga online platform. If we only help one school principal, craftsman, entrepreneur, communicator or student, then we've done a good thing,'' stated doc. dr. sc. Damir Jugo.

The book Crisis Communication Management is a unique university textbook that professionally deals with the field of crisis communication. It is available in Croatian language, and you can download a copy of the book for free on the Skolska Knjiga online platform.

For more on the coronavirus outbreak and its effects on Croatia, follow our dedicated section for rolling information in English as we get it.