ZAGREB, Sept 15, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours 151 new coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia, bringing the number of active cases to 2,107, and three persons have died, the national COVID response team said on Tuesday.

Currently, 299 patients are hospitalized, including 22 on ventilators, and 8,598 persons are self-isolating.

The death toll has risen to 230.

Since February 25, when the pandemic began in Croatia, 13,749 persons have been infected with the virus and 11,412 have recovered.

To date, 230,585 persons have been tested, including 5,571 in the last 24 hours.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

September 15, 2020 - How to implement epidemiological measures against coronavirus on city and suburban bus lines? This not at all easy task was given to members of the Zadar Civil Protection Headquarters, who for the last two weeks have been trying to bring order among many teenagers riding buses in the morning hours from suburban and other settlements.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that most do not respect anti-epidemic measures, do not wear masks, and do not maintain distance. As many pensioners ride on the same lines, the morning crowds in buses have become hotspots for spreading the virus.

Last Monday, the Zadar Civil Protection Headquarters received countless calls from worried parents and citizens warning of large crowds on Liburnija lines and the rude behavior of some teenagers who, they say, intimidate passengers on the bus by threatening to "lick their faces to give them the coronavirus.”

"Early last week, we received several reports that the situation on the buses was inappropriate and that there was a big crowd when the children were leaving and returning from school. We also received reports that the teenagers were trying to prove themselves, thus intimidating their classmates. I have to admit that bringing order to public transport has been a bit challenging.

I would dare say that this is even one of the biggest problems we had," explains Mato Lukic, head of the Zadar Civil Protection Headquarters, adding that the problem of congestion in buses arises because of students who cram into one bus.

"A driver cannot leave without children, nor do they have the authority to act as a police officer on a bus to disperse children or let someone into a vehicle. We also had problems because they didn’t wear masks. They would put them on when they passed the driver, and then when they moved to the back of the bus, they would take them off," says Lukic, noting that pensioners will not give up early morning departures to the city, so they push themselves into the bus together with high school students.

To bring order to the city buses, the Zadar Civil Protection has introduced six patrols, i.e., 12 members of the Civil Protection Headquarters who regulate the crowds in public buses.

"Immediately on the second day after the citizens reported crowds, we sent three patrols to check the buses and jump in to help the drivers. However, the initial three controls were not enough, so we sent three more on Wednesday, so now, when high school students depart for school and on their return home, the Civil Protection is on duty on the buses. Due to the introduction of Civil Protection members inside the bus, we started receiving positive reactions from citizens at the end of the week," Lukic pointed out, adding that Civil Protection members have been working in three shifts for two hundred days and controlling the implementation of decisions of the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

September the 14th, 2020 - The Croatian Constitutional Court has been given the task of deciding on whether or not the instructions being given by the National Civil Protection Headquarters during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic are constitutional and legal.

The National Civil Protection Headquarters have been the subject of a lot of conversation over the months since the coronavirus pandemic found its way to Croatian territory, with some claiming the decisions they make are illegal and unconstitutional. As such, the formal body competent for such matters has been given the final say on whether or not Vili Beros and company are allowed to set the rules as they do.

From remarks about needing to wear masks when using public transport or going shopping to all out protests in the very heart of Zagreb, the National Civil Protection Headquarters have faced a barrage of complaints from irritated citizens who would, for their own respective reasons, either prefer to not take any anti-epidemic measures or simply dispute the alleged politicisation of the team involved in passing those decisions.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 14th of September, 2020, the Croatian Constitutional Court ruled on the constitutionality of several laws and a package of 27 different constitutional complaints against measures passed by the National Civil Protection Headquarters related to the coronavirus pandemic.

At its session held on the 14th of September 2020, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia made a  decision on the constitutionality of the decisions made by the National Civil Protection Headquarters and as such the measures being prescribed by them.

The Croatian Constitutional Court clarified in a statement that it had decided that the Nationl Civil Protection Headquarters had not violated anyone's constitutional rights by making the series of decisions that they have been given the means and power to do since the outbreak of the pandemic within Croatian borders.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Sept 14, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has recorded 65 new COVID cases and three fatalities, and the number of active cases stands at 2,220, the national COVID-19 management team said on Monday.

Of the total number of COVID-19 patients, 310 are in hospitals, including 22 on ventilators. Currently, 8,217 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of the infection was registered in Croatia, 13,598 people have been diagnosed with the new disease, and of them, 227 have died, while 11,151 have recovered.

To date, 225,014 people have been tested for the virus, including 3,180 in the last 24 hours.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 14th of September, 2020, following the coronavirus-dominated 2020 tourist season, which ended better than expected for all but travel agencies, along with measures to preserve jobs and liquidity, it will be crucial to enable the implementation of the Tourist Land Act, and complete investments stopped or slowed by the pandemic. Representatives of all segments of tourism agreed with that, and they were gathered by the Minister of Tourism and Sport, Nikolina Brnjac, at a joint press conference on Friday.

By the end of August in Croatia, when taking into account all accommodation facilities plus nautical tourism, 6.8 million arrivals and 47.6 million overnight stays were realised, ie 41 percent of the arrivals and 53 percent of the overnight stays realised in the same period in 2019. Of that, foreign tourists realised 5.5 million arrivals and 38.3 million overnight stays, while domestic tourists realised 1.3 million arrivals and 9.2 million overnight stays.

The results of the enfeebled 2020 tourist season exceeded the initial predictions of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), which believed that Croatia would manage to generate only 30 percent of last year's tourism turnover during this highly unusual 2020 tourist season.

"Before us lies the realisation of the rest of the tourist year and preparations for next year, drafting a new strategic document for tourism development and a series of activities aimed at maintaining the stability of the tourism system, strengthening its resilience and speeding up the recovery process, European Union funds also have a role to play,'' stated Brnjac.

In terms of the percentage of overnight stays realised when compared to last year, the best traffic this summer was recorded in the nautical sector (70 percent), family accommodation (66 percent), but this wasn't the case along the entire coast, camps (57 percent) and finally hotels (44 percent). Weekenders made up only 3 percent less traffic than last year, and in some destinations like Vir they made up the vast majority of guests. This summer, hoteliers were under the pressure of cutting prices, which is why their income was 5 to 15 percent lower than the physical indicators, according to a survey by the Croatian Tourism Association presented by the association's director Veljko Ostojic.

"Camps had better demand, they realised 57 percent of last year's overnight stays. In addition, 4 and 5 star hotels were better filled by about 10 percent, and 5 star campsites had the best occupancy. This is a good indicator for the future development of tourism,'' said Ostojic of the 2020 tourist season. For next season, he considers it important to adopt a national safety label, which will be just as important as now.

Sean Lisjak, president of the Nautical Sector Association at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, revealed that marinas accounted for 85 percent of last year's turnover this year, but will lose 150 million euros in September and October due to border closures. The annual revenue of the nautical charter last year was around 770 million euros.

The director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic, pointed out that the CNTB's revenue this year will stand at around 200 million kuna, ie 150 million kuna less than last year, but he pointed out that it will be enough for the campaigns that are being prepared for 2021.

"The final preparations for the promotion of the post-season are underway, during which we're going to focus on the nautical offer, the continental offer, eno-gastronomy and the offer of Croatian national parks and nature parks. Throughout September, we'll conduct campaigns on our most important markets, as part of which we plan to thank all tourists for their trust when choosing Croatian destinations.

We're also working intensively on preparations for 2021, in which we'll position Croatia even more strongly as a safe tourist destination with a focus on markets that have responded best to promotional activities this year, such as Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia and Hungary,'' said Stanicic.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

September 13, 2020 - The latest official COVID-19 in Croatia weekly report has been released by the Koronavirus government website, covering September 1-7.

CIPH report for the previous 7 days and daily report for the Republic of Croatia on the 7th of September 2020. 

A total of 94 people died in this epidemic wave. Most of the deceased had significant comorbidities or were of advanced age. The average age of the deceased in this epidemic wave is 76.4 years. Thirty - eight people died on a respirator.

There are currently 22 testing places in the Republic of Croatia that perform RT-PCR analysis and collect samples. All processed samples enter national Croatian Health Insurance Institute platform, which is accessible to all county public health institutes. County public health institutes submit data about positive cases, sources of infection and hotspots as part of their daily reports to the Croatian Institute of Public Health. The Croatian Institute of Public Health collects information about hotspots, hospital treatment of COVID-19 positive persons, COVID-19 positive patients on respirators and the deceased. You can find more about the test centers on the link.

Epidemiological indicators on 7 th of September

• Cumulative 7-day rate for the Republic of Croatia: 44,3/100 000
• Cumulative 14-day rate for the Republic of Croatia: 92,2/100 000
• Counties with a cumulative 7-day rate greater than 50/100 000 inhabitants: Bjelovarsko-bilogorska, Dubrovačko-neretvanska, Požeško-slavonska, Splitsko-dalmatinska, Šibensko-kninska, Zadarska
• Counties with a cumulative 14- day rate greater than 100/100 000 inhabitants: Brodsko-posavska, Dubrovačko-neretvanska, Požeško-slavonska, Splitsko-dalmatinska, Šibensko-kninska, Zadarska
• Total number of tests in the last week: 24 924
• Share of positive tests in the total number of tests in the last week: 7,3 %
• Total number of tests and share of positive tests in total number of tests: 193 153, 6,3 %
• The number of new cases in intensive care per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 7 days: 0,4/100 000
• Number of deaths in the last week: 15
• Total death rate per 1 000 000 population: 49,2/1 000 000

Geographical distribution of new COVID-19 cases by counties
In the period from 24th of August to 7th of September all counties recorded new cases of COVID-19 disease. The highest number of new cases are recorded in the Splitsko - dalmatinska County, followed by the City of Zagreb and Zadarska County. The lowest number of new cases were recorded in Međimurska and Karlovačka County. The Splitsko - dalmatinska County also has the highest 14-day rate, followed by the Šibensko – kninska and Dubrovačko-neretvanska County.

Figure 1. 14-day rate by counties

Epidemic by weeks, from 19 th – 28 th week of the epidemic
In the period from 29 th of June to 6th of September 2020, the number of cases per week (from the 19 th to the 28 th week of the epidemic) was from 460 to 1,948 and the rate from 11.3 to 47.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. The number of tests performed per week was ranged from 7,957 to 24,722 and the share of positive tests in those tested per week ranged from 5.8 to 12.5%. During this period, the weekly number of cases and the percentage of positive tests in the weekly number of tested varied. An overview is given in Table 1.

Table 1. Overview of the number of confirmed cases by weeks, from week 19 th – 28 th

In the period from 29 th of June to 6th of September 2020, the number of cases per week (from the 19 th to the 28th week of the epidemic) was from 460 to 1948. The number of deceased varied from 6-9 and showed increase in the number compared to 22nd, 23 rd , 27 th and 28 th week of the epidemic. The share of deceased on the respirator ranged in the weekly number of deaths from 16.7-60%. The mean age of deceased was 75 years or more, except in the 21 st week of the epidemic, when the mean age of death cases was 72,7 years. The death rate ranged from 0.1 in the 19 th week of the epidemic to 0.2 in the 27 th week of the epidemic with an increase in the 22 nd, 23 rd and 28 th week of the epidemic when it was 0.4 and 0.3. An overview is given in Table 2.

Table 2. Overview of patients on respirator and deaths by weeks, from week 19 th – 28 th

Table 3 shows the incidence of the 7-day rate in the last week with a limit of 50/100 000 inhabitants, which in some countries is taken as one of the criteria in assessing the epidemiological situation. In most counties, the 7-day rate is generally stable or slightly declining, while a significant jump in the 7-day rate was recorded in Dubrovačko - neretvanska County.

Table 3. Overview of 7-day incidence rates per 100,000 population in the last week

Clinical aspects - hospitalized, on a respirator and cured in the last week
Figure 2 shows the relationship between the daily number of confirmed cases and the daily number of hospitalized cases. Number of hospitalized cases per day ranged between a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 41, while the share of hospitalized cases in the total daily number of confirmed cases ranged from 8.9% to 21.4%.

Figure 2. Overview of the daily number of confirmed and hospitalized cases (1.-7.9.)

Figure 3 shows the proportion of hospitalized in the total number of weekly cases. In the last week, 230 people were hospitalized, which is 12.7% of the total number of patients in the given period. In the same period, 18 people were put on a respirator, which makes 1% of the total number of confirmed cases.

Figure 3. Relation of the total number of confirmed and hospitalized cases (1.-7.9.)

Figure 4. Movement of the total number of cases, recovered, deceased and active number of cases from 18.6.- 7.9.

Died from COVID-19, 29 th of June – 24 th of August 2020, age and sex
A total of 94 people died in this wave of epidemics. Most of the people who died had significant comorbidities or were of advanced age. The mean age of the deceased in this wave of epidemics is 74.6 years. Thirty - eight people died on a respirator.
An overview of the situation is given in Table 4 and Figure 5.
 

Table 4. Distribution by age and sex of the deceased people

Figure 5. Age and sex distribution of deaths from COVID-19 in the period 29 th June – 31st August 2020

In the last week, 15 people died, of which 8 (53.3%) were on a respirator. The distribution by age and sex in the last weeks is shown in Table 5, and by counties in Table 6.
 

Table 6. Distribution by age and sex of the deceased people in the last week

Table 6. New ill and deceased cases in the last week and total deaths and rates

Hotspots

Continental Croatia
In the last week, new cases were recorded in all counties of continental Croatia, but mostly in the City of Zagreb, Zagrebačka and Brodsko - posavska County. The highest 7-day rates on 7 th of September were in Požeško - slavonska, Bjelovarsko - bilogorska and Brodsko – posavska County. In most counties, there is still influx of patients whose source of infection is associated with holidays on the Adriatic, and in connection with this, sick students who have returned from graduation trips are also recorded. Groupings were recorded around wedding celebrations in Bjelovarsko – bilogorska, Požeško - slavonska and Brodsko - posavska County. Smaller grouping in one company in Brodsko - posavska County was placed under supervision, as well as grouping in health care institutions in Brodsko – posavska, Karlovačka County and the City of Zagreb. Patients with COVID-19 were also registered in one institution for accommodation in social care in Sisačko - moslavačka County. In continental Croatia, a significant proportion of cases are contacts of previously patients or they are imported cases from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Coastal Croatia
Cases of ill persons have been recorded in Coastal Croatia like in all counties as well. The highest number of patients was recorded in the Splitsko - dalmatinska, Dubrovačko - neretvanska and Zadarska County. The highest 7-day rate is in the Splitsko - dalmatinska, Dubrovačko - neretvanska and Šibensko - kninska County. In the Splitsko - dalmatinska County, smaller groupings were recorded in different departments of Clinical Hospital Centre Split, as well as in different types of service activities. In that county, the disease spread from a private gathering to a city institution and a bank department, but that hotspot soon came under the control. Also, smaller groupings were recorded as part of cultural events in the Primorsko - goranska and Šibensko - kninska County. Groupings of patients associated with wedding celebrations are also recorded in several counties of Coastal Croatia (Primorsko - goranska, Ličko - senjska and Dubrovačko - neretvanska County). A smaller grouping of patients in accommodation for the elderly in Zadarska County is also under supervision. As in the continental part of the country, a significant proportion of patients are contacts of previously recorded cases.

Start of working of educational institutions and sports activities
In Croatia, on September 7, all educational institutions started working at full capacity and another school year began with all the measures and recommendations that cover the educational system and which are designed and implemented precisely to protect the health of children and all employees in the best possible way. It is expected that with consistent adherence to measures and recommendations in all circumstances, this year in all educational institutions will take place without long interruptions. We still need to monitor the epidemiological situation on the ground very closely so that all further measures and recommendations can be planned and implemented in a right time. Due to the current situation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in several educational institutions, classes will be postponed or will take place online for the next ten days, until there aren’t conditions to start teaching in the classroom.

Sport is also important for health and good psychophysical development. It is therefore planned in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports the continue of sports activities of children and young athletes and as well as professional athletes and sport clubs within sport halls that are an integral part of school facilities. Every term and every step in undertaking such activities and making decisions is closely monitored as well as their connection with the epidemiological situation and circumstances in a particular local area, county or region.

Age-sex distribution of patients in the last week
In the previous week, a total of 1,1812 people fell ill - approximately the same number of males, 891 (49.2%) and females, 921 (50.8%).
The same distribution by sex is present in most age groups, except in the age group up to 1 year where are only girls ill, age group 7-10 years (lower grades of primary school) where the share of ill girls is higher (16 or 59.3%), in the age group 11-14 years where the share of boys is higher (20 girls or 57.1%) and in the age group 15-18 years (high school) where the share of girls is higher (51 persons or 58.0%).

In other age groups, the share of patients of both sexes is the same, but there is a slight deviation in favor of women in the age groups 31-40 and 41-50 years of age, where more women became ill than men. This could be explained by the fact that women of that age are employed, are more represented in occupations that come into contact with the ill people or in the health care system, social welfare system or in those activities where they come into contact with other people (e.g. trade, tourism, public services).

By age groups, 203 children became ill and they made the smallest share (11.2%) in patients in the past week. The smallest number of ill people are children under the age of 1, a total of 4, and children in the lower grades of primary school, a total of 27. The most affected were children of high school age, 88 in total, or 4.8%.

In general, adults made the largest share in the total number of patients last week, i.e. 1399 (77.2%). A one fifth of patients (391 or 21.6%) in the last week are young adults, aged 19 to 30, which fits into the epidemiological situation where a significant proportion of patients are associated with holidays and going out to night clubs. However, as the number of patients associated with this source of infection decreases, the share of young adults decreased from one third to one fifth in the total share of patients. In contrast to previous weeks, there is a shift in the age of patients towards older age groups, so after young people aged 19-30, most patients are in the age group of 51-65 years (388 or 21.4%), followed by patients in the age group of 31 to 40 (320 or 17.7%) and 41-50 years of age (301 or 16.6%). The lowest number of adult patients is in the age group 66 and older (210 or 11.6%), although this number is not negligible, because in this group of patients is the highest number of concomitant comorbidities observed, which in COVID-19 patients are associated with an increased risk of development of a more severe clinical picture. The full view can be found in Figure 6 and Table 6.
 

Table 6. Age and sex distribution of patients in the period 1.9.-7.9.2020

Measures
Measures to maintain physical distance, maintain hand hygiene and disinfection are still in force. Also, it is mandatory to wear face masks or medical masks indoors for all health workers and professionals, employees who work in social care system and the ones who work in hospitality facilities

Decisions of the Headquarters

• June 24 - Decision about changing the Decision on the manner of organizing public transport during the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease (mandatory face mask/medical mask in public transport)
• June 26 - Decision about controlling compliance with the Recommendation for the prevention of infection with COVID-19 in the catering industry of nightclubs (control of the implementation of recommendations in nightclubs)
• June 30 - Decision about a temporary prohibition on crossing the border of the Republic of Croatia (prohibition on crossing for third-country nationals, with the exception of those with long-term residence in the EU and other listed exceptions)
• July 10 - Decision about the necessary measures for the organization of gatherings attended by more than a hundred participants during the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease
• July 10 - Decision about the necessary measure of mandatory use of face masks or medical masks for the duration of the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease
• July 14 – Decision about changing the Decision on the necessary measure of mandatory use of face masks or medical masks for the duration of the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease
• July 14 - Decision about changing the Decision on the temporary prohibition on crossing the border crossings of the Republic of Croatia
• July 31 - Decision about changing the Decision on the temporary prohibition on crossing the border crossings of the Republic of Croatia
• August 13 - Decision about the necessary measure of limiting the working hours of hospitality facilities from the category bars /night clubs
• August 21 - Decision about amendment Decision on the necessary measure of limitation of working hours of hospitality facilities from the category "Bars"
• August 22 - Decision about introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the area of ​​the City of Imotski and the Municipalities of Cista Provo, Lovreć, Lokvičići, Podbablje, Proložac, Runovići, Zagvozd and Zmijavci
• August 25 - Decision about the introduction of the necessary epidemiological measure to limit wedding ceremonies for the Brodsko - posavska County
• August 26 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Splitsko - dalmatinska County
• August 28 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Zadarska County
• August 28 - Decision about the introduction of the necessary epidemiological measure of the manner of holding events, festivals and other events in the area of ​​Međimurska County
• August 28 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Dubrovačko - neretvanska County
• August 28 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Brodsko - posavska County
• August 29 - Decision about the introduction of the necessary epidemiological measure to limit wedding ceremonies for the area of ​​Virovitičko - podravska County
• August 29 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Šibensko - kninska County
• August 29 - Decision about the introduction of the necessary epidemiological measure to limit wedding ceremonies for the area of ​​Varaždinska County
• August 31 - Decision amending the Decision on the temporary ban on crossing the border crossings of the Republic of Croatia
• August 31 - Decision amending the Decision on the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the area of ​​Splitsko - dalmatinska County
• September 2 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Sisak-Moslavina County
• September 2 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the area of ​​Požega-Slavonia County
• September 2 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the area of ​​Koprivnica-Križevci County
• September 3 - Decision about the necessary measure of enhanced control of the implementation of the Guidelines for the Prevention and Suppression of the COVID-19 Epidemic for Social Service Providers in the Social Welfare System
• September 3 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Krapina-Zagorje County
• September 5 - Decision about the introduction of necessary epidemiological measures for the Bjelovar-Bilogora County
• September 7 - Decision amending the Decision on the necessary measure of limiting the working hours of catering facilities in the category "Bars"

CIPH recommendations

• Recommendations for the prevention of COVID-19 infection in the activity of multiplex cinemas in shopping malls
• Instructions for the implementation of the state matriculation exam during the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) autumn deadline - August and September 2020
• Supplement to the recommendation for the prevention of COVID-19 infection in the catering industry of nightclubs
• Possibilities of conducting extracurricular classes related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Instructions for prevention and suppression of the COVID-19 epidemic related to the work of preschool institutions, primary and secondary schools in the school year 2020/2021.
• Recommendations for manufacturers of textile masks intended for schools
• Guidelines for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic in student dormitories with regard to the COVID-19 epidemic in the school year 2020/2021.
• Recommendations for the operation of dance schools during the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19)
• Recommendations for the operation of art schools during the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19)
• Priorities for testing for SARS-CoV-2, on contact handling, completion of isolation and self-isolation (Consolidated revised recommendations)
• Diseases and health conditions that may increase the risk for more severe forms of COVID-19 disease
• Selected health and organizational issues related to the work of preschool institutions, primary and secondary schools in the school year 2020/2021
• Recommendations for teaching at higher education institutions in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic with the application of anti-epidemic measures
• Organization of rest and food - Work of preschool institutions, primary and secondary schools in the school year 2020/2021 - additional clarifications

Recommendations and measures on global and EU level

Europe
On 10 th of August 2020, ECDC released an updated version of the risk assessment.
 
ECDC has additional documents and information available:
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/covid-19-pandemic
The number of cases and the 7-day cumulative incidence of COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide can be found on the ECDC dashboard.
 
Austria
Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz.
 
Netherlands
Government of the Netherlands
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
 
Germany
Rober Koch Institut
 
Slovenia
(gov.si)
National Institute for Public Health 
 
United Kingdom
gov.uk
NHS
 
World
WHO provides comprehensive information and documents
WHO COVID-19-Dashboard
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Epidemiological Update and Weekly Operational Update i Weekly Surveillance Report:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/weekly-surveillance-report


Sources of information

• https://www.hzjz.hr/
• https://zdravlje.gov.hr/

Information about the global epidemiological situation
More about COVID-19 in other countries can be found and learned on the ECDC website
The WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Commission and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Health Policy have at their disposal the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor (HSRM). There is information available about European countries and ways to respond to this epidemic. The focus is on health systems and public initiatives. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

There will be no new economic closures because the domestic economy couldn't survive another ‘lockdown’, and funds and positive expectations that will not reduce consumption could play a key role in getting out of the crisis faster, these were some of the key messages expressed by Croatian exporters at a recent convention held in Zagreb.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes on the 12th of September, 2020, half a year after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Croatian exporters, policy makers and experts are becoming cautiously more optimistic about the future of the domestic economy, believing that the worst is over and that there will be no new economic closures, and that stronger growth rates await us in 2021.

the impact of the coronavirus crisis was a topic of discussion at the 15th Convention of Croatian Exporters in Zagreb. Initially pessimistic about the scale of the coronavirus crisis, Marijana Ivanov, a professor at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, is more optimistic today.

''I don’t think we'll return to pre-coronavirus levels quickly and easily even though I'm not as pessimistic as before. The pandemic will leave profound effects globally. I believe that recovery will take the form of the letter K: some activities will recover faster, and others will be followed by a decline,'' said Professor Ivanov. She added that it is fortunate that the decline in exports of goods wasn't that strong, but she warned that, like everything else, the figures should be taken with a grain of salt, noting that the recovery in August no longer has the same dynamics as before, and we're now entering an uncertain autumn. She believes that the economy cannot survive another ‘lockdown’ and that consideration should be given to redefining self-isolation measures, the costs of which are borne by people and businesses who are already all experiencing lower incomes for the most part.

Let's unburden the economy

The first spring wave of the coronavirus was successfully thwarted at Solin's AD Plastika, a company that was awarded the Golden Key for the best large exporter back in a much more stable 2019.

The company, which employs 3,000 people and generates about a billion kuna in annual revenue, is working at full capacity again after the lockdown, fulfilling its obligations, and speaking about the future, the company's leader Marinko Dosen pointed out that there are no plans for possible cuts. He bases his optimism on the fact that everything they do is in line with deadlines and contracts. When asked what they need from the state as a company, Dosen didn't hesitate too much: “We need to work on the burden placed upon us. Today we have a negative spiral of an expensive state and a small base that fills the budget. The state has reacted fantastically this year, selective measures are still needed for help,'' he stated.

The President of Croatian Exporters, Darinko Bago, praised the government's measures for preserving jobs, assessing them as timely and well-designed, and gave an excellent assessment of the central bank's measures for preserving financial stability.

''I'm optimistic about the pandemic, we'll dance with the epidemic like a bear until the vaccine comes, then it will become our past, but it's important that people who make investment decisions are aware of the "fragility" of the situation and will work on things so such incidents no longer affect the world,'' said Bago. He sees a role in getting out of the crisis faster in venture capital funds, which are lacking in Croatia because banks are afraid of losses in uncertain circumstances. ''We have to develop funds if we want to be a country that wants to get out of this crisis, there are pension funds that have to act in this situation,” Bago noted, highlighting an example of the importance of institutional investors in the US.

Speaking of expectations, central bank governor Boris Vujcic said he is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. "I'm a realist. I think what I state based on the numbers is the best possible assessment of the real situation. Lately they have started calling me an optimist, probably because the atmosphere has been created to lead people to believe that things will be much worse, but I don't believe that. We see a strong recovery in industrial production and construction, with a sharp decline in services, but that decline is smaller than we expected in the spring,'' said Governor Vujcic, expecting 6 percent GDP growth next year, reaching the level of economic activity in 2015 after that.

Optimism, but also caution...

The Croatian National Bank's main man also attended the 15th Convention of Croatian Exporters and pointed out that banks in the current crisis (unlike the one which struck back in 2009) aren't the cause of the problem but are instead part of the solution, emphasising with satisfaction their good capitalisation and liquidity.

"Banks have secured moratoriums in line with the regulatory changes we've made possible, but they can't be asked to lend if they estimate they won't be able to collect the loan," Vujcic warned.

''There are countless examples in the world where negative forecasting has perpetuated negative activities. We also had "geniuses" here who said that everything is awful and that 400,000 unemployed people are waiting for us this autumn. Things should be positive, but realistically positive about the future, although there must be objective criticism. We have 22 billion euros at our disposal from the EU in the next seven years, we must see it from that perspective,'' stressed the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Coric.

"In the coming period, Croatia needs to take a somewhat more liberal view of production by banks. With the support of institutions such as HBOR and HAMAG-BICRO, we can increase the capacity and increase the competitiveness of Croatian companies,'' added Coric Such thinking is shared by his colleague from the Faculty of Economics, who is also a political opponent, SDP economic strategist Josip Tica.

''The key thing is to enable the formation of expectations. "If people's expected income decreases, then they reduce their consumption, and that shock moves through the entire economy through the postponement of consumption and investment, which reduces GDP," explained Tica.

In the conditions of record high liquidity in banks, he believes that what is missing for the successful transfer of money into the real economy are partial guarantee schemes.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Sept 11, 2020  - In the last 24 hours, 5,549 tests have been conducted for coronavirus in Croatia and the national COVID-19 crisis management team reports 190 new COVID cases.

There are now 2,430 active cases, including 327 patients who are being treated in hospitals, and 26 of them are placed on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, three COVID positive persons have died, bringing the country's death toll to 211.

Since 25 February when Croatia reported its first case of the coronavirus infection, 13,107 people have tested positive. Of them, 10,466 have recovered to date.

 A total of 210,805 tests have been performed to date.

 Currently, 8,720 people are self-isolating.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

September 11, 2020 - There are reasons to be optimistic about our fight against COVID-19, Dragan Primorac, a world-renowned professor of genetics and forensic sciences, said today on Croatian national television, warning about the vitamin D levels in Croatian population. 

'We breathe in between a hundred thousand and a million microorganisms each day, but we rarely get sick. The strength of our bodies is much bigger than we mention. For instance, vitamin D plays a crucial role. Some studies have shown that people with low vitamin D levels get respiratory infections much more often. During this pandemic, a team of scientists found that many people suffering from COVID-19 had low vitamin D levels', Primorac explained. 

He thinks we can help our bodies a lot to fight infections - by exercising, having quality food, resting... Hours of sleep also help our immune systems. He adds that we know much more about the disease now than we did when it first appeared, so there's reason to be optimistic. He stresses that, although we're a Mediterranean country, the low levels of vitamin D are a frequent occurrence in Croatia: he says we don't spend enough time in the sun, we're over-dressed, and vitamin D is very important. He wants everyone to spend more time outdoors and in the sunshine.

He explained that there are 321 vaccines in the pharmaceutical trials pipeline already, while 32 of them are in one of the three phases of the clinical trials (as of yesterday, nine of them are in phase three of clinical trials). However, he highlights that it's most important for the vaccine to be safe and that the experts in the field of vaccinations say that we can expect to have such a vaccine available sometime during next spring or early summer. 

He finds it worrying that people suffering from other problems are less inclined to see the doctor and that the COVID-19 pandemic shouldn't stop treating other, more deadly diseases. He also stresses the idea of separating those individuals with high viral loads, which are truly infectious. At the same time, we should allow people with low virus count, who cannot infect other people to live their lives normally and not put the unnecessary strain on the health system. 

He gives three scenarios for the future of this pandemic: the first is that the virus will simply disappear from the human population, the second one is that it will appear from time to time, and the third scenario is that the virus will continue to live within the human population, just like the common flu. He concludes by saying that we shouldn't live in fear, but be optimistic if we just make some adjustments inside our heads, which will allow us to live and function normally - while being cautious.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Friday 11 September 2020 - As part of the national campaign Tjedan Odmora Vrijedan (Holiday-worthy week) there will be Luxury Hotel Rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October. We're signed up! But will others follow?

Luxury Hotel Rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October? Idemo (let's go)! In an interview given to dnevnik.hr, assistant mayor of Dubrovnik Jelka Tepšić has confirmed that many businesses in and around Dubrovnik are prepared to sign up to the national Tjedan Odmora Vrijedan (Holiday-worthy week) initiative.

The campaign, conceived by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, has set aside a week – well, actually just over – in which they are encouraging all within the tourism sector to offer a 50% discount. Covering two weekends, from Friday 16 October to Sunday 25th October, the offer should see some luxury hotel rooms, fabulous meals, and transport carriers offering premium products at half the price. If they sign up.

Luxury hotel rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October sounds like a good deal. And it is. During a typical October, visitors are still enjoying the sunny streets of the Old City in Dubrovnik. A luxury hotel at that time would usually cost €200 per night. Because of this year's extraordinary circumstances, those rates are currently €113 per night. Dnevnik.hr, therefore, estimates luxury hotel rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October.


View of the islet Lokrum from Dubrovnik © visitdubrovnik.hr

Dubrovnik is a special case within Croatian tourism. In recent years it has benefitted from its ability to extend its season beyond that which other Croatian destinations can. This is due to its world-famous attributes and excellent marketing. However, being a city linked mostly by charter flights and large cruise ships, it has suffered greater this year than destinations traditionally visited by road users. It's understandable that they would want to optimistically join the initiative.

Some in the tourism sector seem less keen on the initiative. They regard October as too late in the season for such a scheme. Their pessimism may be justified. It has been a much more difficult month to promote for places other than the special case of Dubrovnik – the sea is beginning to see a drop in temperature and in continental regions, the early mornings and evenings in October may necessitate a hoodie and long pants.

But, that's not to say that such destinations couldn't benefit from attracting, in particular, domestic visitors during the initiative week. That is if such homegrown tourists have any holidays remaining. Only time will tell just how widespread the industry will embrace the initiative, and just how beneficial it will be.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.