June 14th, 2021 - Commenting on the reaction by Health Minister Vili Beroš, who left a cafe on Sunday because the waitress wasn't wearing a mask, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that a decision adopted in October 2020 by the national COVID response team regulates wearing a mask for personnel in hospitality.

"In my opinion, Beroš acted the only way a health minister could. If anyone is obliged to point out protective measures against the epidemic while it still lasts, then that is the health minister," Božinović underscored on Monday in Zadar, where he opened the police offices for the person charged with the implementation of safety measures during the 2021 tourism season.

Asked by reporters about the fact that the waitress claimed that she had respiratory problems, which was why she could not wear a mask, Božinović added: "Unfortunately had she said that straight away, I'm certain we would not be talking about that today. As far as I am aware, she has a doctor's certificate. I don't know that wasn't said straight away. The minister would have accepted that because he is a doctor," said Božinović, who is also the head of the national COVID response team.

Asked about several concerts announced where no special measures will be imposed, Božinović said he wasn't aware of these events.

"But if they do exist, that is the responsibility of local civil protection teams. The national team cannot be expected to know and take account of every single event," he said, adding that several possibilities are planned for the event industry if the epidemiological situation continues to improve.

He underscored that "the lower numbers should not lull us into a false sense that the virus doesn't exist."

"We need to avoid risky situations. It has already been confirmed that six people became infected during the celebration of the basketball victory in Zadar last week. The epidemiological institute and all relevant services have to locate their contacts and see how to stop those numbers because when you observe the numbers, then it is obvious that there are more infections in Zadar county than other Dalmatian counties," he said.

Health Minister Vili Beroš on Monday denied claims on social networks that he was two kunas short on his tab when he walked out of the cafe after the waitress who served him wasn't wearing a mask. When asked about the incident by reporters, Beroš replied, "Do you think that a government minister would owe two kunas to anyone?"

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June 14th, 2021 -  Croatia Coronavirus Update has registered 18 new COVID cases in the past 24 hours while 13 COVID patients people have died, the national COVID response team reported on Monday.

The number of new cases was 25 fewer than last Monday when 43 new cases were identified. Currently, 404 COVID patients are hospitalized around the country, with 26 of them on ventilators.

There are 847 active cases in Croatia, while 6,012 persons are in self-isolation.

Croatia has registered 358,581 cases of the novel crisis since the first case was identified in February 2020, while the death toll has climbed to 8,152. A total of 349,582 have recovered from the contagion.

A total of 2,080,792 people have been tested for the virus, 2,082 of whom were tested in the past 24 hours.

So far, 1,412,939 people have received at least one dose, while 725,883 have received both doses.

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

June the 14th, 2021 - Marija Bubas, Krunoslav Capak's assistant at the Croatian Institute of Public Health, has spoken out about the current vaccination process and even discussed the controversial topic of rewarding vaccinated people and punishing those who refuse it.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Capak's assistant Marija Bubas was a recent guest on N1 televizija/television, during which she commented on fan zones where people can sit and watch the ongoing EURO 2020 matches en masse.

"I didn't hear anyone ask these people if they were vaccinated or not. I think this is a great opportunity to introduce covid-certificates or any other acceptable evidence for participation in an event. Among the unvaccinated population, we have those who cannot receive the vaccine because they're under the age of 12, those who cannot receive the vaccine for their own individual health reasons and those who don't want to be vaccinated. Although I don’t know what they're waiting for, as there are enough vaccines. We get vaccinated to protect our health first, but also the health of those who aren't vaccinated. These fan zones are proof that people are eager to socialise and live the way they remember before the pandemic struck. But they must be aware that one of the basic tools for this is the vaccine,'' said Marija Bubas.

Marija Bubas hopes that as soon as possible, covid-certificates will be introduced at events where a larger number of people gather together.

"Everyone who isn't vaccinated is a reservoir for the spread of this disease. If you're vaccinated, in some way you prevent the spread of the disease, and of course it's guaranteed that you will not have a more severe form of the disease if you manage to catch is, you're guaranteed life because a more severe form of the disease can often be followed by death,'' said Bubas.

She stressed that there are enough vaccines in Croatia, but that we cannot yet say that we're satisfied with the number of people vaccinated.

"There really are more than enough vaccines, over 2.6 million doses have arrived in Croatia, and over 2.1 million doses have been utilised, but still not enough for us to be satisfied. 42 percent of the adult population is now vaccinated. I think we should hurry up a bit with vaccinations in all age groups. The Pfizer vaccine is registered for age 12 plus. That would be my message to parents, teenagers from 16 to 18 are also eager for a normal summer, high school graduates are eager to pass their high school graduation and then take their entrance exams, instead of taking the entrance exam in autumn because then they probably won't have access to all of the universities they might want to attend. My message to them is to get vaccinated, and don't be in two minds about it,'' said Marija Bubas.

Has a country-level decision been made about the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine?

“I'd like to answer this question because I think it was miscommunicated all the time and led to fear among the population of AstraZeneca. It's the second most used vaccine in Croatia. Fortunately, people have recognised the value of vaccination, and I hope that AstraZeneca will continue to be used as an equally valuable vaccine as any other. We want to have a normal summer, we want to have tourists on the streets, in restaurants, we want to hold cultural events… Vaccination is a prerequisite for all this,'' answered Marija Bubas.

How can we speed up the vaccination rollout? Should Croatia reward those who get vaccinated or punish those who don't?

"No. I think we just have to raise security in public spaces to an even higher level, especially because of the spread of new variants/strains in our surroundings, which are present in low numbers in our country. We can raise this level by asking for a certificate of vaccination for people to be able to participate in certain things. For what we expect from the summer, from the season, for socialising, I think that the guarantee of safety is a certificate of vaccination,'' concluded Marija Bubas.

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

June the 14th, 2021 - The Croatian covid bus doesn't quite sound like a vehicle you'd be too quick to board from the name alone, but this new way of continuing the vaccination rollout across the country is likely to do very well indeed.

The administrative processes around getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus have caused general levels of interest to drop. In typical Croatian fashion, the registration process was mired in problems, with the cijepise platform infamously collapsing and having many question marks hanging over its head. Now people who don't have HZZO or a GP, of which there are a great many, are struggling to register to get vaccinated.

The Croatian covid bus will work to get as many people vaccinated as possible by travelling to numerous areas across the nation carrying vaccine doses and administering them there and then.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, vaccination from the Croatian covid bus is set to begin today in the continental Virovitica-Podravina County, and the Minister of Health, Vili Beros, and the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, were present at the promotion of this brand new method of vaccination.

This new method of vaccination via the Croatian covid bus in Virovitica-Podravina County will be implemented from the 14th to the 18th of June. On Monday, the June 14th, the vaccination process will be carried out in six places in that particular continental Croatian county: Stari Gradac, Otrovanec, Velika Cresnjevica, Turnasica, Spisic Bukovica and Busetina, N1 reports.

The Croatian covid bus will, as has been previously agreed, tour the areas of the counties it will remain in for a while and stay for a certain amount of time in smaller places, some of which don't have any health facilities in their area at all.

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

June the 13th, 2021 - Croatian home coronavirus tests kits have found themselves on the shelves of various shops, and not only in pharmacies.

One of the biggest issues people have faced throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been testing. Whether it be the long waits for something unpleasant or the fact that they've had to part with quite the significant sum of money just to have a swab rather uncomfortably shoved up their nose - it hasn't been a popular process.

The costs of tests has been varied, but the average is around 500-700 kuna just for a nasal swab/PCR test which is deemed ''the gold standard'' for detecting the presence of the novel virus, as well as for being allowed to board a plane and travel to many countries. Now, as the epidemiological picture across Europe begins to improve as the vaccination rollout picks up its pace, rapid antigen tests are also commonly accepted for travel, and they're far cheaper.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatian home coronavirus tests, named the Boson Rapid tests, are designed to quickly determine the SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen in a person's anterior nasal swabs within the first seven days of symptom onset.

These at-home tests are very easy to use as they require no additional equipment or special training, and the results are available within 15 to 20 minutes following the test having been performed, with an alleged impressive accuracy of 98.72 percent. 

These Croatian home coronavirus tests will relieve pressure not only on existing testing centres but also on people's pockets, as they're a lot cheaper than the ''gold standard'' PCR tests typically performed at testing sites. 

A list of dm stores across the Republic of Croatia offering these over-the-counter Croatian home coronavirus tests and their accompanying addresses are available here.

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

June 12, 2021 - Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac has revealed 16,000 Safe Stay in Croatia users and more than 60% of tourism workers vaccinated in Croatia so far. 

HRTurizam reports that the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac held meetings with the directors of county tourist boards and representations of the Croatian Tourist Board (CNTB) to discuss preparations ahead of the summer season and the results of activities aimed at recognizing Croatia as a safe tourist destination.

In recent months, Croatia has been working intensively on several activities to make the tourist system ready to welcome tourists. From the Safe Stay in Croatia project to the setup points for testing tourists, co-financing tests, and vaccinating tourist workers, Brnjac emphasized.

"As of today, the Safe Stay in Croatia project has more than 16,000 users, and we are delighted with that, but now all facilities that have been awarded the national label and protocols apply, and the Ministry must begin increased control. All directors of tourist boards should be engaged to make tourists feel as safe as possible in their destinations, especially in terms of encouraging tourist workers to vaccinate and adhere to measures and establish additional testing points. The government is continuously working on all the preconditions for a safe and successful season in Croatia, in which its partnership with the county tourist boards is essential. Only with the coordination and responsibility of all stakeholders can we remain competitive this year as well," said Minister Brnjac during the meetings.

During the meeting, the directors of representative offices in key markets especially pointed out that the Safe Stay in Croatia project had an excellent response in emitting markets, which recognized Croatia as a destination that focuses on safety and takes all measures to ensure that their guests have all the necessary services available in today's travel conditions. It was emphasized at the meetings that it is crucial to maintain and improve the current favorable epidemiological situation. In this context, it is essential to increase the vaccination of the population and tourism workers.

Namely, one of the most important factors in choosing the destination of many tourists in the security segment is the data on the vaccination of the population and employees in tourism and activities related to tourism. So far, more than 60 percent of employees in Croatia have been vaccinated not only in the tourist system but also in activities that are part of the travel chain, from carriers, employees in airports, marinas, and others. 

In addition, since the possibility of simple and affordable testing is an integral part of the trip, they also discussed the continuation of setting up additional testing points depending on the needs and increased tourist traffic. So far, about 350 additional testing points have been set up throughout Croatia.

Furthermore, the current trends related to measures to facilitate travel, i.e., crossing borders and increased demand from numerous markets, were also discussed. Croatia or parts of Croatia and its counties have been removed from the list of high-risk countries in Austria, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and Slovenia in recent days.

Yesterday, by a new decision of the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters, entry into the Republic of Croatia for persons coming from the Schengen area, who are vaccinated with two doses of vaccine, will be allowed to enter as soon as they are vaccinated with another dose, and will not have to wait 14 days.

"This is extremely important news for Croatia, given that the German market is one of our most important markets because German tourists are the most numerous guests in our country," said Brnjac and added: "I believe that with this new travel facilitation, German tourists will choose our country even more as it is an ideal destination, but also how this decision will be an incentive for other countries that have not yet done so, to declare Croatia safe for travel."

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

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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June 12, 2021 - What will entering events with Covid passports in Croatia look like? The latest. 

Covid passports from Saturday can also be used as tickets for cultural and sports events where epidemiological measures do not have to be adhered to, the National Civil Protection Headquarters decided. 

All organizers of concerts, festivals, performances, and sporting events can choose to organize events that can only be attended by those who have been vaccinated with two doses at least 14 days ago, those who have had Covid in the last six months, and people who have a negative test no older than 48 hours. Events can be organized without checking the Covid status, but then they have to apply all the rigorous measures: mandatory masks, distancing, one guest per four square meters, etc.

Jutarnji List thus learned from the National Civil Protection Headquarters the details of how to enter events with Covid certificates. The organizer will have to report the event and the number of people waiting. They will register to organize the event with Covid certificates. Visitors will have to show a document at the entrance proving that they have one of the conditions. This can be a Covid certificate or a certificate they have received from a doctor.

They must also be prepared to show an identification document, which confirms that the certificate they have is theirs. The National Headquarters explains that, since they attend voluntarily, visitors voluntarily agree to show the document, and the organizer is obliged to use it only for the purpose of reporting to the authorities to check the status of visitors.

This is actually a test phase, i.e., a period in which organizers and citizens learn about the new rules, and on the other hand try to show citizens, especially younger ones, that vaccination is the most effective and cheapest way to have fun. From the beginning of July, Covid confirmations will no longer be just an option, but a condition for organizing all major and risky events, adds Jutarnji List. 

Although new variants of the virus pose a threat, Europe, including Croatia, has a good epidemiological situation. In the last 24 hours, 134 new cases of infection were recorded, and the number of active cases is 1207 in total. Although the number of hospitalized and patients on respirators is decreasing, there are still those who have to go to the hospital. A total of 456 patients are in the hospital, and 44 patients are on a respirator. Thirteen people died.

"Last week we had 1,056 patients, and this week 814, which is 22.9 percent less. The current incidence is 67.6. It is the lowest in Istria, and the highest in Međimurje County. According to the 14-day incidence rate in the EU, Croatia ranks 12th and is lower than the European average. The mortality rate is 1996, which puts us in 21st place on the EU scale," said Krunoslav Capak, director of the CNIPH.

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

June 12, 2021 - In case you missed it, the vaccine rules in Croatia changed on Friday as well, and waiting 14 days after your second dose is no longer needed to cross the Croatian border for EU citizens.

The Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters decided on Friday on the temporary prohibition and restriction of border crossings and thus changed the border crossing measures for citizens of European Union countries, i.e., countries and/or regions of the Schengen area and countries associated with the Schengen area, reports HRTurizam.

The new decision will allow entry to the Republic of Croatia for people coming from the Schengen area, who are vaccinated with two doses of vaccine, as soon as they are vaccinated with the second dose, and will not have to wait 14 days.

With the new decision, cafes can now work up to midnight, but still only outdoors, not indoors.

"This is primarily about the working hours of catering facilities, but also other activities that have so far been limited to 11 pm. From tonight, midnight on June 12, they will be able to work up to midnight. This includes catering facilities, bakeries, casinos, slot machine clubs. This also applies to public events, gatherings, and manifestations," said Davor Bozinovic.

It was pointed out at the press conference that the Council's recommendation would be that Covid recovery is recognized plus one vaccine dose for Covid confirmation to be obtained. For European confirmation, it is a PCR test and one dose, and in Croatia, it can be an antigen test plus one dose.

More than 2 million doses of vaccine have been used.

On Thursday, June 10, 2021, 55,960 doses of vaccine were used, of which 16,250 were the first doses. Thus, the total number of vaccine doses used reached 2.04 million, while 1.39 million people were vaccinated with at least one dose.

The highest coverage of vaccinated with the first dose was achieved in the City of Zagreb (40.2% of the total population, or 48.8% of the adult population), and the completed vaccination was achieved in the highest coverage in Sisak-Moslavina County (22.3% of the total, ie 26, 8% of the adult population).

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

June the 11th, 2021 - The controversial issue of Croatian ''covid passports'' is being talked about more and more lately. As decisions surrounding their implementation begin, could attending Croatian events only with the presentation of a valid vaccination document become a reality? The topic is already being discussed surrounding football match spectators.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the European Parliament voted on the introduction of digital covid-certificates yesterday, which will be in official use throughout the European Union from the 1st of July, 2021. Croatia has already introduced this certificate in its own national system, and in one single week, despite many issues, more than 100 thousand people successfully had theirs approved for use.

In addition to making the process far easier when crossing EU borders as the pandemic continues, the plan is for this certificate to serve as proof of having overcome COVID-19, having been vaccinated or having a negative PCR test for other purposes, such as entering Croatian events such as concerts.

As the Croatian events sector is finally beginning to feel some optimism after a long time, and it seems that covid-check verification will be integrated into the ticket sales process.

"Yesterday we did an analysis and we saw that in the last month the number of tickets sold is three times higher compared to the same period last year. This shows some serious optimism,'' said Berislav Marszalek, the owner of the platform for the mediation in ticket sales for RTL Danas/Today.

There will soon be more optimism because the ''old way'' of attending Croatian events such as performances and concerts is closer than ever to returning. In that sense, without needing to adhere to epidemiological measures, people will be able to attend as they did before the pandemic, as long as they have proof of their recovery from the disease, proof of vaccination or proof of having a negative PCR test result. A person's digital covid certificate will be scanned along with their ticket.

“The goal is to integrate the tickets, meaning checking those tickets with checking those covid passes so that the process is quick, easy and in all done one place. We don't want to slow down the process further at the entrance,'' explained Marszalek.

This is a proposal from the Croatian events industry that has been sent to the Croatian Institute of Public Health through the Ministry of Culture. The first rehearsal concert without measures has already been arranged, but the options for its realisation are still on the table.

"There were, in accordance with the conversations we had with the community, some proposals for a concert at Jarun, or one at the Zagreb Arena. Exactly where and what the first concert will look like is hard to say now. What does it depend on? This primarily depends on our talks with the CNIPH on when we'll be ready to register these covid passes,'' said Kresimir Partl, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Media.

A decision by the end of the week?

“The National Civil Protection Directorate is currently considering passing these national rules for the use of digital covid certification and I guess we'll have some sort of national solution for that by the end of the week and then we'll be able to discuss where and how the concerts would be organised. I hope that we'll know something more about it on Friday,'' said the director of the CNIPH, Krunoslav Capak.

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

June the 11th, 2021 - Much to the likely delight of many who are sick of parting with their hard earned cash for having swabs shoved up their nose, a new Croatian Public Health Institute price list for the various coronavirus tests currently in use has been published.

One of the biggest practical gripes people in Croatia have had since the very beginning of the pandemic back in spring 2020 has been the sheer cost of testing for the novel virus. Many can't understand how on Earth a swab being swirled around up their nose can cost them 700 kuna, which is no small amount. Not to mention waiting in lines for the pleasure of it all.

PCR testing has become the norm ever since the pandemic began, and it's difficult to come across anyone anymore who hasn't had to be tested for some reason or another, be it for travel, because of them having been in contact with a positive person or for admittance to hospital. The amount some institutions, such as the Andrija Stampar Institute in Zagreb, have earned on these tests has been an eye opener for many.

New Croatian Public Health Institute price lists will likely bring relief to the pockets of many who still need the tests for various reasons, such as travel, if they haven't yet been vaccinated.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as of the 16th of June 2021, based on a decision made by the Governing Board, new Croatian prices of microbiological tests, which are provided at the request of legal and natural persons, will come into force at the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

It's important to note that these new testing price lists refer exclusively to testing prices at the Croatian Public Health Institute, nowhere else, and are as follows:

A test for SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) - 390.00 kuna per unit/test.

A serological test for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection - 200.00 kuna per unit/test.

A rapid antigen test for COVID-19 - 150.00 kuna per unit/test.

The aforementioned prices do not apply when a person is tested for the novel coronavirus based on a referral issued by a doctor, which remains free of charge.

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