July 22, 2021 - The Croatian Events Industry says they should not be the culprit for new cases in Croatia, as over 100 outdoor events have been held so far with zero cases reported. 

The Voice of Entrepreneurs Events Industry Committee sent a reaction regarding the statements of tourist associations and epidemiologists about the recommendations to cancel events due to the danger of spreading coronavirus, all to prolong the tourist season, reports HRTurizam.

They point out that they understand that the current epidemiological situation certainly deserves attention and caution and responsible behavior of all citizens, especially those who represent the organizers of events, concerts, festivals, and gatherings attended by a large number of people.

Event organizers are aware of the complexity of the situation and in this regard are ready to responsibly apply all applicable epidemiological measures, and in particular to ensure that all visitors attending the events fall into one of three categories - vaccinated, tested, or recovered from Covid-19, according to the Events Industry Committee and added:

"Precisely because of this readiness, responsibility, and commitment, the organizers of events and employees in the event industry can no longer remain silent and watch the constant appearances of individual epidemiologists and local headquarters leaders who do not give up on spreading hysteria around the event industry segment. It is impossible not to react to contradictory information, raising unnecessary panic and unargued provocation of festivals, concerts, parties, nightclubs, and the like. Namely, if the valid measures prescribe that it is possible to gather without measures, provided that all visitors meet the above conditions, such events should be encouraged, not stigmatized. The events industry is the only industry in Croatia that in parallel with the introduction of COVID certificates applied the same without a transitional period and time of adjustment, and many concerts and festivals were canceled because they sold tickets under current measures from June that did not include the application of COVID certificates," stated the Events Industry Committee.

They also emphasize that the implementation of COVID certificates at events is one of the main motivations for the younger population to be vaccinated. The events industry as such, aware of the situation and problems, is probably one of the activities with the highest employee vaccination rate in the country. If the freedom of young people to assemble in compliance with the prescribed measures and the application of COVID certificates is called into question, they fear that many will wonder why they would be vaccinated at all.

Since June 2021, when the decision came into force allowing cultural events to be held again in compliance with epidemiological measures, over a hundred concerts, events, and open-air festivals have been held without a single recorded COVID-19 infection, so as an industry they wonder why they are constantly declared the main culprit and problem of the pandemic.

It should be emphasized that major cultural events and festivals, such as INmusic festival, Ultra Europe, Fresh Island Festival, Sonus Festival, Advent, Sea Star Festival, and many others that brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to Croatia, were canceled for the second year in a row.

Therefore, the events industry calls on the National Civil Protection Headquarters to make additional efforts to coordinate the implementation of existing measures, promote responsible behavior and vaccination.

"We want to point out that together we are in this difficult situation and that without cooperation, mutual respect, and responsible behavior of all citizens it will not be possible to wait for the day when we will be able to live and work again as before the pandemic. In this sense, we believe that it is necessary for both of us to work on raising awareness of responsibility and to isolate the actions and actions of irresponsible individuals, from whichever side they come from. In addition, we invite and ask the media to invite the other side for an opinion and statement when transmitting the statements of individuals whose goal is to close one complete branch and industry. In these difficult times, the only thing we ask from all involved entities is to be responsible and take care of common health and existence," concludes the Voice of Entrepreneurs Events Industry Committee.

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

July 22, 2021 - Interior Minister Davor Božinović announced that new restrictive measures would be introduced on Monday, applying to the "orange" Adriatic Coast and that EU digital Covid certificates would be a criterion for participating in events on the Croatian coast. 

"They will refer to the Croatian Adriatic according to NUTS regions, that is, the part that is currently in orange and where the incidence is growing, although not as in other countries in the Mediterranean. Croatia is holding up well compared to others. However, the numbers are growing, and we have to do something to prevent at least some events from turning into super-spreaders," Božinović told Dnevnik Nova TV, as reported by Index.hr.

He explained that all gatherings of more than 50 to 1,000 people would have to be organized so that local headquarters and county headquarters take responsibility for their organization, while the EU digital Covid certificate is a criterion for entering the event.

“I am sure, if this is respected, that we can practically continue normally this summer, but under control,” he pointed out.

As for the numerous festivities and fairs held throughout the Adriatic, which bring together many people, Božinović explained that the point is to register these festivities and local headquarters with county officials to decide whether they can control them and whether they will let it happen. If the two headquarters do not agree and there have been such cases, then the National Civil Protection Headquarters will decide.

Božinović said that it is in the country's interest for as many tourists as possible to come to Croatia and create conditions so that they feel safe and so that the infection does not spread too much.

In addition, he stated that weddings also have their own epidemiological framework.

"Anything over 15, now it will be practically unlimited in Dalmatia, but weddings can be 200, 300 people at most. So a Covid passport is a high guarantee that everything will go well," said Božinović.

He also commented on sports competitions, stating that they will allow spectators to come with Covid certificates. He added that these measures should take effect on Monday.

Stricter conditions for British tourists

In addition, it was announced today that British tourists would have more difficulty entering Croatia.

All Britons, Russians, and Cypriots must have a negative test to cross the Croatian border, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or have contracted the virus.

As far as tourism is concerned, this could have the greatest impact on the expected increased arrival of the British on the Adriatic. As a reminder, practically all measures have been lifted for them since Monday, making it easier for them to travel. Meanwhile, Portugal and Spain, the traditional destinations of British tourists, have ended up on the red epidemiological list, making entry into those countries difficult, and several measures have been introduced. Therefore, a significant number of Britons are expected to come to the Adriatic. In Britain, the Delta strain has spread significantly in recent weeks, despite high vaccination coverage, especially among young people. Therefore, there is a danger that the number of infected people in Croatia will increase, which would negatively affect the tourist season.

For these reasons, all Britons, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, will need to show a negative PCR test.

The CNIPH published the news, which is transmitted in its entirety below.

"To protect health and prevent the spread of COVID-19, additional epidemiological measures have been introduced, which are applied when crossing the border into the territory of the Republic of Croatia to prevent the introduction of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Furthermore, due to the above, there was a quarantine obligation for arrivals from the Republic of South Africa, Brazil, Zanzibar, and India for a period of 14 days, which a negative PCR test can shorten after 7 days.

Since the Delta strain was imported from India, it has now become dominant in the European Union. The list of countries for which quarantine is mandatory remains the Republic of South Africa, Brazil, and Zanzibar. For persons coming from India, the mandatory quarantine after crossing the border is abolished. Instead, the obligation to present a negative test result on SARS-CoV-2 is introduced within 48 hours when crossing the border if it is a rapid antigen test or within 72 hours if it is a PCR test, regardless of whether the person has contracted COVID-19 or has been vaccinated.

Due to the worse epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and the Russian Federation, as an additional measure for all persons coming from these countries, a negative SARS-CoV-2 test performed in the home country, regardless of vaccination status or recovery from COVID-19, is required before entering the territory of the Republic of Croatia.

The change will be published on the CNIPH website and will take effect on Monday, July 26, 2021," the CNIPH said.

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

July 22, 2021 - With the overall struggle to get Croatians to take the coronavirus vaccine, it is often overlooked regarding Roma people COVID-19 vaccination in Croatia.

Despite coronavirus infections being low at the moment, the situation is tense. On July 5, as TCN reported, only 35% of the Croatian population was vaccinated as the Delta strain spreads globally and in the country.

"Unfortunately, we aren't satisfied with the percentage of vaccinated people we hoped to have. We all wanted to vaccinate more than 50 percent of the total Croatian population during June, but sadly our numbers in that regard are much lower. Only about 35 percent of the total Croatian population has been vaccinated, which isn't enough for them to be calm and to be able to live according to the old normal,'' said epidemiologist Dijana Mayer back then. This was punished with the Croatian coast no longer being in the green, and without bigger vaccination interest, things can turn red. As TCN wrote, there are 5-6 Positive Cases at Split Airport every day, and new measures are introduced to British tourists as the Delta strain is booming there (but in a less fatal manner because of vaccines). Stricter measures, in general, can be excepted by the end of the month in Croatia too.

Fortunately, things got better in July. As reported on Wednesday, „Croatia administered nearly three million vaccine doses. Thus, 1.6 million people have received at least one dose of vaccines against COVID-19, and 1,388,674 have fully been vaccinated (1,349,652 have been double-jabbed plus 39,022 who have received a single-dose Jannsen vaccine), and this makes up 41.24% of the adult population“.

But, disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines is vividly spread (just as disinformation about COVID-19), leaving Croatian fact-checking site Faktograf knee-deep in debunking work. Many Croatians sadly believe the fake news of the anti-vaxxers, and the situation culminated to the point where the Croatian officials (as officials in many other EU countries that also struggle with anti-vax propaganda) seriously discuss obligatory vaccination. Will it happen? Some politicians are up for it, others no, but overall, the situation is uncertain as the fourth infection wave approaches, and the season could potentially be in jeopardy in mid-August, as 24 Sata writes.

COVID-19 vaccine © Pixabay

In summary, there are currently more vaccines in Croatia than there are people interested in. It's hard to believe how things progressed from the start of the year when we witnessed a delay in vaccine shipments, outrage by the public when people such as Zagreb University Rector Damir Boras received the vaccine ahead of time and schedule. From the malfunctioning Cijepi se (Vaccinate yourself) website where you had to register for an appointment (which took forever to get) to a family doctor being able to sign you up, all the way to be able to take a shot without an appointment today, vaccines truly became accessible for everyone. There were even buses bringing vaccines and performing vaccinations in remote villages. So vaccines are for everyone to take, but is it really so?

Nothing in the world is perfect, and neither is Croatia. From time to time, we can see that some groups in Croatian society do get discriminated against or suffer negative stereotypes. For example, with significant progress in accepting the LGBTQ community, sadly homophobic attacks still happen. The tensions with the Serbian minority vary from the day-to-day political agenda, but it is safe to say no one has it worse than the Roma people in Croatia.

As TCN previously wrote, following the 2020 report by Human Rights House in Zagreb, Roma people in Croatia are still facing many obstacles in achieving their rights, which include employment, access to services, and adequate living standards, and there is still segregation in the education system too. Either perceived as thieves, criminals, beggars or completely ignored in Croatia, the question of how many Roma people in Croatia received the vaccine and how many Roma people want the vaccine in the first place, can't be left aside, as it shows how much the vaccine rollout truly is fair for every citizen in the country.

Disinformation crippled 80% of those willing to get the vaccine

Veljko Kajtazi, a member of the Croatian parliament, elected as a representative of the Roma community, says that official research of percentage of vaccinated Roma people hasn't been conducted, but he frequently goes „to the field“, and sees that the situation isn't good.

„If 45% of the Croatian population is vaccinated, I can say that Roma people are a very small percentage of that number“, commented Kajtazi, then on a relevant number of vaccinated people.

He supports the talk of obligatory vaccines and finds disinformation and fake news regarding vaccines to be the cause of low interest.

Veljko Kajtazi, screenshot / Hrvatska radiotelevizija

„Roma people have a very social culture, love gatherings, and live in big families. When the pandemic started, I cooperated with authorities in ensuring that social distancing measures are respected in Roma settlements and that we educate people on the dangers of coronavirus“, recalled Kajtazi.

While Roma people can be found living anywhere, the majority is often ghettoized. An example is in Zagreb, where the Kozari Bok neighborhood on the east side of the city is famous for its big Roma population. When looking outside of the capital city, there are many Roma villages and settlements which count more people than other Croatian villages.

One such place is Piškorovec in Međimurje, which the Lupiga news site referred to as „the biggest Croatian ghetto“. Their article detailed both living in Piškorovec and tensions with the nearby town of Čakovec underlining incidents and division between Roma and Croatians (as Roma People are often perceived as thieves or beggars).

„Last year 80% of Roma people wanted to take the vaccine, but today, they are scared and believe various conspiracy theories. People are not informed, and social networks spread so much disinformation“, Kajtazi pictured how wishing for a vaccine turned sideways.

In the end, he added that he is regularly in contact with the government and institutions to provide information on vaccines to the community. Katja also hopes the vaccine buses will come to Roma villages too.

Questions for HZJZ

The lack of information, geographical isolation, and the overall achievement of social rights (such as health insurance) like other Croatian citizens that the Human Rights House in Zagreb expressed in their report left a lot of open questions regarding Roma people vaccination. Particularly, are there any statistics on how many people vaccinated that the health officials might have, what is the mood towards vaccines in Roma communities in their view, and can buses come to isolated areas to vaccinate Roma people? The inquiry was sent to the Health Ministry and to the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ). Health Ministry very quickly forwarded the inquiry to the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) as these questions are part of their domain. The health ministry even forwarded the questions directly to the HZJZ headmaster Krunoslav Capak himself and other close associates on e-mail addresses not visible on the HZJZ website. But, HZJZ hasn't responded yet. Whether I tried to remind them and ask when can they answer via e-mail or phone calls, none left a response (although a phone call with HZJZ PR service confirmed there are experts in HZJZ that deal with the health of vulnerable social groups, which includes Roma People).

When the answer that can be expected for the moment remains unknown, but TCN will publish HZJZ's response when we receive it.

In the meantime, as we can see, despite vaccine skepticism being strong, there is nevertheless a slow but steady daily rise of vaccinated people in Croatia. 

Let's hope for the sake of public health that disinformation and fake news that turn people away from the vaccines will lower its influence on all the cultural groups and identities you can find in Croatia.

Editor's note: HZJZ response

Learn more about travelling to Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic on our TC page.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 21, 2021 - New travel rules will take effect from Monday, as all vaccinated British tourists entering Croatia must also present a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country. The same rules apply to tourists from Russia and Cyprus. We're bringing you the details. 

A major change is being introduced to enter Croatia. All Britons, Russians, and Cypriots must have a negative test to cross the Croatian border, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or have contracted and recovered from COVID-19. The change takes effect next Monday, reports Index.hr.

The basis for the changes is the Decision on the temporary prohibition and restriction of crossing the Croatian border, which states that the CNIPH determines the list of countries to which additional rules apply.

The CNIPH has added the United Kingdom, Russia, and Cyprus to the list of countries that require a PCR test not older than 72 hours or a rapid antigen test not older than 48 hours, which was expected.

The CNIPH published the news, which is transmitted in its entirety below.

"To protect health and prevent the spread of COVID-19, additional epidemiological measures have been introduced, which are applied when crossing the border into the territory of the Republic of Croatia to prevent the introduction of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Due to the above, there was a quarantine obligation for arrivals from the Republic of South Africa, Brazil, Zanzibar, and India for a period of 14 days, which a negative PCR test can shorten after 7 days.

Since the Delta strain was imported from India, it has now become dominant in the European Union. The list of countries for which quarantine is mandatory remains the Republic of South Africa, Brazil, and Zanzibar. For persons coming from India, the mandatory quarantine after crossing the border is abolished. The obligation to present a negative test result on SARS-CoV-2 is introduced within 48 hours when crossing the border if it is a rapid antigen test or within 72 hours if it is a PCR test, regardless of whether the person has contracted COVID-19 or has been vaccinated.

Due to the worse epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and the Russian Federation, as an additional measure for all persons coming from these countries, a negative SARS-CoV-2 test performed in the home country, regardless of vaccination status or recovery from COVID-19, is required before entering the territory of the Republic of Croatia.

The change will be published on the CNIPH website and will take effect on Monday, July 26, 2021," the CNIPH said.

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

ZAGREB, 21 July, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 4,205  tests performed for coronavirus, 4.5%, that is 191 have turned out to be positive, Croatia's national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 838 active cases, of whom 122 are hospitalised patients including 13 placed on ventilators. Also, 3,409 people are self-isolating.

In the last 24 hours, there has been one more COVID-related death, bringing the death toll to 8,244.

Since the first registered case of the infection with this novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, as many as 2.2 million tests have been conducted, showing that 361,950 people have caught the virus. Of them, 352,868 have recovered to date, including 91 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Vaccine roll-out developments

Croatia has to date administered nearly three million vaccine doses. Thus, 1.6 million people have received at least one dose of vaccines against COVID-19, and 1,388,674 have fully been vaccinated (1,349,652 have been double-jabbed plus 39,022 who have received a single-dose Jannsen vaccine), and this makes up 41.24% of the adult population.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 21, 2021 - Will strict measures in Croatia return by the end of the month? High-risk gatherings are in question. 

Less than two months after most measures were eased, new, stricter measures are increasingly likely to await us in Croatia. As Jutarnji List unofficially learned from a source close to the National Civil Protection Headquarters, new measures are being prepared, which should enter into force before the current measures expire and which have been announced to last until July 31.

Although it is not strictly said what the measures would refer to, it is most likely related to gatherings considered the riskiest for transmitting the virus. After the entire Croatian coast was marked orange a few days ago, which is a kind of warning, the Headquarters seems to have decided to move in the direction of tightening measures to ensure the season lasts as long as possible.

Namely, Jutarnji List reports that it is almost impossible to avoid a larger increase in numbers, and they also do not want to stop the season. Therefore, they are trying to find the best possible balance between the pandemic and the season, in fact, two incompatible poles.

They expect that more tourists will enter Croatia than the local population, so it is unrealistic to expect that some will not be infected. The plan is to prevent large hotspots because this would almost automatically lead to putting Croatia "in the red," and thus, we would become an epidemiologically undesirable destination.

An additional problem is created by the new Delta strain, which has become dominant and spreads rapidly. Although the numbers in Croatia are still stable, on Tuesday, it was about three percent positive compared to those tested, so the epidemic is considered to be under control. However, we are still seeing an increase in those infected.

An additional fear is the complete opening of Great Britain, which, despite the high percentage of vaccinated, is recording a significant increase in the number of patients. Therefore, it can be expected that this number will also increase with the abolition of epidemiological measures.

Some European countries have already tightened the conditions for Brits crossing the border, and Croatia is expected to do the same.

In particular, British tourists will no longer cross the border if they have not been tested. Unlike the current practice of testing only those who have not been vaccinated or have not recovered from Covid, a mandatory test should also be introduced for the vaccinated.

Although the most desirable tourists are vaccinated, the fact is that they can be asymptomatic carriers of the virus, which is a problem in Croatia where vaccination is still insufficient, especially in Dalmatian tourist hotspots.

Experts believe that it would be good for Britons who have not recovered from Covid or have not been tested to spend 14 days in self-isolation in addition to taking the test. But, as Jutarnji learned from a source close to the Headquarters, this is not considered because Croatia would be left without guests. Namely, there is almost certainly no one who can afford two weeks of self-isolation in addition to their holiday. 

Bernard Kaić, head of the Epidemiology Service of Infectious Diseases at the CNIPH, was asked if British tourists were a threat.

"Of course, they are, like anyone else who comes to the country. Many guests enter Croatia, and, logically, the virus is transmitted in a pandemic," says Kaić.

According to data from Tuesday, there were 146 newly diagnosed cases, of which almost 60 percent were in Split-Dalmatia County (34), Zadar County (26), Šibenik-Knin County (11), and Dubrovnik County (15).

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

July 21, 2021 -There are 5-6 positive cases at Split Airport every day, the director of the Split-Dalmatia County Teaching Institute for Public Health, Željka Karin, said on the TV program "Good Morning, Croatia" Wednesday morning. 

Split-Dalmatia County was happy to open its doors to guests, but this also led to an increase in the number of infected people. The director of the County Teaching Institute for Public Health commented on the current situation in Split-Dalmatia County, reports HRT.

"We were looking forward to the tourists, but the situation needs to be controlled, so they need to come with COVID certificates. There are also suggestions that they have tests when entering the country, given that the Delta variant predominates not only in England but also Croatia," said Željka Karin as a guest on the show. 

She also pointed out that they have a checkpoint at the airport to control the situation very well both when tourists enter and leave Croatia. 

"At that point, we discover 5-6 tourists a day who have a positive rapid test. So we immediately put them in self-isolation, and we confirm this result with a PCR test. Then, after 10 days, we retake the swab, and the tourist can continue their journey," said Karin.

She referred to the current situation in Split-Dalmatia County.

"The situation is not worrying, but it is not satisfactory either. Our numbers are growing, and the number of hospitalized has increased. Therefore, epidemiological measures should be strengthened because until we get vaccinated, and the vaccine starts to work, the infection will spread," she said, emphasizing the importance of adhering to epidemiological measures and reducing gatherings.

Mate Melvan from Split Airport also spoke about the Delta Variant and the arrival of British tourists for Slobodna Dalmacija.

"The fact is that the British market at Split Airport has always been the strongest, but this year during the spring, many lines that have been operating for years were removed from the flight schedule until July 19. So far, only Croatia Airlines and British Airways have flown several times a week.

After the measures were lifted in Britain, airlines have started to return some of those canceled routes. However, there can be no question of any mass arrivals, because by the end of July we will have only 40 flights from Britain to Split, and in the pre-pandemic years there were more than 100 per week. So, everyone who is now heading to Croatia again still has a bunch of canceled flights, and that is not even close to normal traffic to Split," said Mate Melvan.

As the British can only arrive in Croatia by plane, we should not believe they will spread the Delta variant in Croatia, says Melvan.

"Everything that is now in the flight schedule was agreed and announced three or four weeks ago, and we now have five airlines from Britain and another in August. Some of them have only one flight, and some are just starting to operate in August. That is why there is no panic about it, because about 60 planes land in Split every day, and three or four of them are from Britain, with an occupancy of about 60-65 percent of the passenger cabin," Melvan explained on the fear that the Brits will increase cases. 

The testing center at Split Airport worked from:

Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00,

on Saturdays from 07:00 to 17:00,

on Sundays from 08:00 to 16:00.

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

July the 21st, 2021 - I think it's safe to say that everyone is sick to the back teeth of colours, traffic light systems, and the words testing and quarantine. The advent of the vaccine was supposed to put a gradual but certain end to all of this, and it leaves one wondering when everything will become normal again. Some things make little sense, and Istria being on the ECDC orange list is just one in a long line.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, numerous reactions, but also fears for the height of the summer tourist season were caused by the decision of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to mark the Croatian coast with orange on the now almost Godly coronavirus map.

Protests against the criteria according to which ECDC designates high-risk regions were the loudest of all in Istria, from which experts and politicians said that they had a favourable epidemiological situation and that they were victims of other more irresponsible Croatian counties.

Namely, the ECDC divided Croatia into four regions - northern, Pannonian, Adriatic and the City of Zagreb. There was an initiative aimed at the ECDC to change the criteria and apply to individual counties, but it seems that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control isn't even thinking of changing their current practice. The total lack of logic shows obviously when Istria is placed on the ECDC orange list, when, at the time of writing, there were no new cases, much less hospitalisations or deaths.

''Such a decision was agreed at the level of EU member states last year during the German presidency. Observing each unit separately wouldn't be practical, as it would mean that 1,500 regions need to be treated as being in the European Union, while with this methodology there are 330,'' the ECDC told HRT.

It's worth reminding ourselves of the fact that the ECDC monitors the fourteen-day incidence of new cases of coronavirus infection per 100,000 inhabitants and the percentage of positively tested persons, and according to these criteria, the coastal part of Croatia is shown in orange. Continental Croatia is still very much green.

On the map of Europe, most countries are in green, and in the red are Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Malta and Cyprus, as well as parts of Greece, Belgium and Denmark. Apart from the Croatian coast, parts of France, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Belgium, and the whole of Ireland are also all in orange.

For more, follow our travel section.

ZAGREB, 20 July, 2021 - In the past 24 hours, 146 coronavirus cases and three deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Monday.

There are 739 active cases, including 121 hospitalised patients, 11 of whom are on ventilators, while 3,573 persons are self-isolating.

To date, Croatia has registered 361,759 coronavirus cases, including 8,243 deaths and 325,777 recoveries, 89 of which in the past 24 hours.

To date, Croatia has tested 2,223,324 persons for the virus, including 4,612 in the past 24 hours.

Also, 2,930,768 vaccines have been administered and 39.3% of the population has been vaccinated, including 47.2% of the adult population.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 19, 2021 - The 2021 Croatian tourism season is in danger, according to German media, as the coast moved to orange, masks are hardly worn, and few citizens are vaccinated. 

The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) published an article on the problems caused by the pandemic for the tourist season in Croatia. They state that in Croatia there is a fear of a short tourist season, reports Index.hr.

"Croatia, whose economy depends on tourism more than any other EU country, is worried about the continuation of the summer season. The country is facing a 'battle to save the season," the newspaper writes. The country's tourism sector has been upset since the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) last Thursday switched the previously green corona status of Croatia's coastal areas to orange," FAZ writes.

ECDC data, showing the situation from the previous two weeks, is actually a warning, according to the German daily. There is a fear that the entire Adriatic coast will "turn red".

"It threatens the success of a tolerably good season so far. So far, Croatia has reached about 75 percent of the tourist level in the last pre-pandemic summer of 2019," states FAZ.

"The general mood was optimistic because the number of infections was low until recently, and the fact that the incidence is currently higher than in the comparable period of 2020 indicates a new seriousness of the situation."

Interior Minister Davor Božinović warned that the authorities take the guidelines on prevention seriously. It is about preventing the loss of control, the German paper points out.

"There is little readiness for vaccination in Croatia. Only 46 percent of the population has received at least one dose so far. The supply of vaccines has long since exceeded demand. Almost 400,000 doses have already been given to other countries, of which 240,000 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The government has also decided that from now on, uninsured people and foreigners can also be vaccinated for free," writes FAZ.

Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said the new orange status was an additional warning.

"Brnjac called on all employees in the tourism industry, but also the travelers themselves: 'Be reasonable, get vaccinated, and pay attention to epidemiological measures.' Meanwhile, Brnjac also demands that the ECDC take a closer look at Croatia and assess the Croatian coast. Dissatisfaction with the new classification comes especially from Istria, which has significantly lower incidence values ​​than Dalmatia, but it does not appear in ECDC statistics and maps, because there the Croatian coast is recorded as a whole," the article reads.

In the meantime, some regions in Dalmatia have announced stricter measures to combat the virus.

The mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, referring to the large increase in the number of infected people, announced sanctions for those who do not pay attention to respecting epidemiological measures in their restaurants.

"In everyday life, of course, things in Croatia are still quite loose. No one in the bars asks for tests or vaccination certificates, wearing masks is interpreted very casually in many places. Masks often only function as a fashion accessory that casually stands under the chin," concludes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

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