September 27, 2021 - The Croatian National Security Report 2021 says Croatia is a stable democracy, but some issues which need to have an eye kept on them have been revealed.

Like any country which cares about national security, Croatia has its own intelligence agency. Croatia's Security and Intelligence Agency (acronym, or in spy terms, code name SOA) collects and analyses information in an attempt to detect and prevent the activities of individuals or groups that threaten the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of the Republic of Croatia, and/or those who aim at violently overthrowing constitutional order. Additionally, let's suppose you're in Croatia and you try threatening human rights and basic freedoms or want to endanger the fundaments of the economic system of the Republic of Croatia, in that case, you will also make it to the list of this organization.

''SOA also collects and analyses political, economic, scientific-technological and security-related information concerning foreign countries, organisations, political and economic alliances, groups and persons and other information relevant to national security,'' explains SOA's public website.

As Slobodna Dalmacija writes, SOA has so far published seven reports assessing the threats to Croatia's well being previous years. The latest reports, as Slobodna Dalmacija writes, rates Croatia as a safe and stable democracy. However, the pandemic boosted the rise of extremism and radicalism in the country, namely due to disinformation and conspiracy theories in the European and national response to this unprecedented public health crisis.

The terrorist threat in Croatia is low but not completely out of the equation.

As TCN wrote back in October 2020, a policeman was wounded on St Mark's square (Markov trg) in Zagreb (which is home to both the parliament and governmental building) by 20-year-old Danijel Bezuk, who, shortly after the incident and while on the run, took his own life.

''SOA states that the attack had the features of a terrorist assault from the extreme right spectrum and the gathered data suggest a psychological disorder of someone with a disassociative, bipolar personality. However, no type of extremism has significant basis nor public support and therefore no potential for endangering national security,'' writes Slobodna Dalmacija.

Nonetheless, more serious threats have been identified and explained.

When it comes to internal threats, corruption should come as no surprise. Criminal organisations and individuals, SOA warns, try to illegally affect public representatives.

''The attempts of corruptive influence on political, legal, economic and other processes and on public interest decision making processes are particularly worrying,'' says Slobodna Dalmacija in following SOA's report. Looking at solely external threats, the tensions between EU and Russia didn't bypass Croatia as SOA confirmed 12 state-sponsored cybernetic attacks in Croatia which came with a Russian signature.

Additionally, tensions in neighbouring countries need to be observed closely from the perspective of Croatian national security, warns SOA.

''The report states that Greater Serbian extremism is still present in certain neighbouring countries, and this is evident in their denying Croatia and neighbouring countries their territorial integrity,'' Slobodna Dalmacija reports.

Following previous TCN writing, this is clearly a reference to the tensions in Montenegro as well as Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's calls on ethnic Serbs in Croatia to raise Serbian banners in the country. When it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, radical Islam, which also questions the integrity and values of both democracy and territorial borders, is also a reason for serious concern.

If you don't look for trouble, but trouble always ends up finding you, you can learn more about the emergency services that can help you in Croatia in our TC guide.

For more about security in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

September the 27th, 2021 - An enormous amount of Croatian covid certificates have been issued to residents of the country so far, proving that the holder is fully vaccinated against the novel virus, that they have contracted and since recovered from it, or that they have had a recently issued negative test result.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in a period of almost four months, no difficulties or errors in the work of issuing Croatian covid certificates were recorded, and residents who have been vaccinated, who have proof of recovery or who have a recent negative rest result managed to get their document with ease.

EU digital COVID certificates in the Republic of Croatia are currently issued by more than 8,500 unique issuers, of which 450 are employees of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO), 4,000 employees of testing laboratories, inluding the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) and 4,500 employees of various pharmacies.

The application for Croatian covid certification is easy to use for both publishers and people who wanted to download their unique certificate themselves online. Positive experiences also resulted in increased interest in the e-Citizens (e-Gradjani) platform, whose number of users increased by 120,000 users over this period, and this time more than 600,000 of those people obtained their confirmation from the platform.

There is also great interest in the CovidGO mobile application (app), which has been downloaded from app stores more than 300,000 times to date. CovidGO is used to validate and store Croatian covid certificates in a digital wallet, and due to the growing number of requests for these certificates in everyday life, people naturally want an app that allows their document to be always at hand, securely stored in a digital wallet. That said, you can print yours, or download it and keep it on your phone without a need for the app.

The central information point when it comes to EU digital COVID certificates is still the website www.eudigitalnacovidpotvrda.hr, which has been visited by more than a million unique users since the 1st of June, 2021.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and choose your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 27 Sept 2021 - In the past 24 hours 217 coronavirus cases and 11 related deaths have been confirmed in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Monday.

There are 7,145 active cases and 720 hospitalized patients, including 97 on ventilators, while 23,204 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 400,108 coronavirus cases to date as well as 8,606 deaths and 384,357 recoveries, including 1,245 in the past 24 hours.

To date, 2,793,951 persons have been tested for the virus, including 3,016 in the past 24 hours, and 44.5% of the population has been vaccinated, including 53.39% of adults, of whom 50.15% fully.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 26 Sept, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 837 coronavirus cases and 15 related deaths have been confirmed in Croatia, while the number of active cases stands at 8,184, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Sunday.

A total of 692 persons are hospitalised, including 99 on ventilators, while 23,028 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 399,891 coronavirus cases to date, including 8,595 deaths, and 383,112 recoveries, of which 1,215 in the past 24 hours.

To date 2,790,935 persons have been tested for the virus, including 9,098 in the past 24 hours, and 44.49% of the population has been vaccinated, including 53.38% of adults, of whom 50.14% fully.

For more on COVID-19, follow TCN's dedicated page.

For more about Croatia, CLICK HERE.

September the 26th, 2021 - The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has seen Croatian schools close their doors for long periods of time and children learn from home via what has since been referred to as distance learning. Online platforms and Zoom classes became the norm for extended periods, and kids were often in and out of self-isolation in their droves as their classmates tested positive for the virus and parents became more and more desperate about things such as child care. That's all about to alter somewhat.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, has explained the changes that Croatian schools and pupils are set to face, which should take a weight off the shoulders of not only the education system and the children, but worried parents who, in many cases in the past, exhausted many resources they may not really have had.

“It isn't necessary for whole classes to go into self-isolation, it needs to be determined which kids were in close contact. A document on that topic is being prepared, and most importantly, only those students who sat at the same benches/desks, those within a radius of two metres and those who traveled longer than fifteen minutes with a student who fell ill [tested positive] will be placed into self-isolation,'' explained Krunoslav Capak at a recently held press conference during which the matter was discussed in more depth.

The document will be completed by the end of this week, but it is not yet known when it will take effect, so until then Croatian schools must continue being extra careful as infection numbers remain quite high across the country.

"The assessment should be made by an epidemiologist when they receive information from the child themselves in these cases, and it's going to be a similar thing with preschoolers. It all depends on how long the contact with the positive person has been,'' explained Krunoslav Capak.

For all you need to know about coronavirus in Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

September the 26th, 2021 - You won't be able to enter Croatian hospitals unless you have a covid certificate, regardless of who you are and even if you work there as a medic, with the exception of just one particular circumstance.

Croatian Health Minister Vili Beros has been quite clear in his recent messages issued to the country's healthcare workers - if you don't have a covid certificate proving you're either fully vaccinated or have a recently obtained negative test result, don't bother coming into work. While he has stated that testing for those who don't want the vaccine will be free for a while, that won't continue for long, and they therefore have a choice to make.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes and as N1 has since unofficially found out, aside from this being needed for healthcare workers and employees in other activities within Croatian hospitals, all hospital patients, except in cases of emergency, will have to have their obligatory covid certificate proving that they have previously contracted the novel coronavirus and since recovered, have been fully vaccinated against it or have a very recently obtained negative test result.

The profession has prepared two documents in this regard, the first is already known and has been discussed quite extensively - these are the mandatory covid certificates for employees within Croatian hospitals (regardless of whether or not they're medical staff) and the healthcare system itself, and the second concerns hospital patients coming for treatment.

As N1 unofficially learned from the Ministry of Health - everything is now ready for the mandatory introduction of covid certificates for all non-emergency patients at Croatian hospitals. Therefore, only those who have been vaccinated, have had coronavirus and have since recovered, or those with a negative test will be able to enter the hospital for examinations, scans, treatments etc.

To prove that this time he is thinking and speaking very seriously, Minister Vili Beros has warned unvaccinated healthcare workers and those who don't want to frequently test for the virus - absence from work will not be paid.

For all you need to know about coronavirus in Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 25 Sept, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 1,293 coronavirus cases and 14 related deaths have been confirmed in Croatia, while the number of active cases stands at 8,577, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Saturday.

A total of 661 persons are hospitalised, including 94 on ventilators, while 22,832 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 399,054 coronavirus cases to date, including 8,580 deaths, and 381,897 recoveries, of which 1,219 in the past 24 hours.

To date 2,781,837 persons have been tested for the virus, including 9,782 in the past 24 hours, and 44.44% of the population has been vaccinated, including 53.32% of adults, of whom 50.07% fully.

For more on COVID-19, follow TCN's dedicated page.

For more about Croatia, CLICK HERE.

September the 25th, 2021 - In a series of rules and measures that are adopted every now and then at different levels with the aim of combating the spread of the novel coronavirus, epidemiologists' instructions to Croatian fruit pickers have also appeared, Jutarnji list reports.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, an announcement appeared on the official website of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and special instructions for Croatian fruit pickers, particularly those picking mandarin oranges, have been published in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease.

''Taking into account all the specifics of the work which takes place during the mandarin harvest season, the basic division of labour would be working outdoors on plantations and then working indoors in purchasing and sorting centres,'' the statement said.

Here is the list of the epidemiological measures Croatian fruit pickers should adhere to during the mandarin harvet season:

VACCINATION

Since the vaccine was approved in 2020 and in 2021 the vaccination rollout against COVID-19 was started, as the most effective measure in the fight against this disease, we should certainly give priority to those workers who have been vaccinated and encourage those who haven't to get their vaccines.

All employees should be properly informed about all of the measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as the proper behaviour and protection measures.

People with symptoms of the disease, those who are sick and people in self-isolation cannot participate in any activities.

If a person becomes ill/develops/notices symptoms before or during their time of work, the person must not come to work/immediately stop work, go home and telephone their chosen doctor to assess further procedure.

Daily records of all employees (names and surnames, dates of birth and mobile/phone numbers) should be kept.

OUTDOOR WORK (harvesting the fruit)

Workers must adhere to basic hygiene habits during the harvest period (hand washing, social distancing) and everything listed in the ''General protection measures''.

INDOOR WORK (sorting plants)

Since this is an enclosed space where a large number of people gather together and where close contact inevitably occurs during work, the risk of possible occurrence and spread of the disease is difficult to avoid. To somewhat reduce this risk, we recommend:

Temperature measurements with a non-contact thermometre for each person when they arrive at work.

People with body temperatures of 37.2 ° C or higher that day must not be included in the work process.

In a visible place, it is necessary to post information on all of the hygienic procedures or post information with the guidelines on proper behaviour and protection measures.

At the entrance and at several workplaces in the area, it is necessary to provide dispensers with alcohol-based disinfectants not less than 70 percent with a prominent notice of the obligation for people to disinfect their hands on arrival and during work.

Work clothes must be provided to employees, and they should be materials/goods that are easy to wash and iron.

For work indoors at all work sites, it should be mandatory to wear protective masks over the mouth and nose. Masks can be disposable (surgical) or reusable (cloth masks that are properly maintained/washed).

A mask should be worn outdoors if social distancing cannot be maintained due to the nature of the activity.

Wearing gloves isn't mandatory, but it may be recommended that hands be disinfected regularly after their removal.

Large groups of people during work should be avoided, and people should make sure they try to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres between each other.

If it is possible to organise work in several shifts with a break between those shifts of at least half an hour, then that time should be used for the cleaning and disinfection of the premises.

Basic hygiene habits (such as hand hygiene and decent behaviour when coughing/sneezing) should be maintained.

Glasses, dishes and other items should not be shared with other people during lunch breaks.

Good conditions for ventilation should be ensured (the use of air conditioners and indoor heating should also be avoided as much as possible).

Sanitary facilities should have increased ventilation, cleaning and disinfecting procedures.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

September the 25th, 2021 - Croatian Health Minister Vili Beros has issued a clear message to those not wanting to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and those who don't want to frequently test for it to ensure they're negative.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Vili Beros has stated that safety has no price, and that although costs can always be discussed, safety and security will always come before anything else.

''The process around covid certification is aimed at increasing safety, and safety like that has no price. We can talk about costs, but we will insist on safety above all. We're planning to carry out testing twice a week. We don’t know what to do with those people who choose to refuse a test and also refuse vaccination. In order not to discriminate against anyone, we've introduced the possibility of testing.

It will be free at first, but it can't be like that forever. If someone doesn't want to be tested for the virus, then they will have to enter it in the records of their working hours and will not be able to attend work and will create a problem for the system and for themselves. I can't talk about further actions at this moment in time, but everything will be done in accordance with the law,'' Vili Beros pointed out.

"No responsible person should resort to forgery. As far as I know, there have been no forgeries within the Croatian healthcare system,'' added the Health Minister.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic emphasised that covid certificates cannot be forged due to their specificities. Vili Beros repeated the fact that althoug he wants to avoid discrimination, he didn't know how long the testing procedure would be free for healthcare workers who don't want to be vaccinated against the virus.

"The funds for it been secured, but I can't say what the amount is. It's known that there is sick leave control, you have to have a justification for being off work if you're too unwell, and not wanting to be tested is not yet included in the classification of those diseases,'' he warned.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including the locations of testing centres and vaccination points, as well as travel rules, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 24 Sept 2021 - In the past 24 hours 1,291 coronavirus cases and 12 related deaths have been confirmed in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Friday.

There are 8,517 active cases, including 678 hospitalised patients, 92 of whom are on ventilators, while 23,749 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 397,761 coronavirus cases to date, including 8,566 deaths and 380,678 recoveries, of which 1,377 in the past 24 hours.

To date 2,772,055 persons have been tested for the virus, including 10,201 in the past 24 hours, and 44.34% of the population has been vaccinated, including 53.21% of adults, of whom 49.96% fully.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.