August 14, 2020 - Croatian skiers Filip Zubcic and Istok Rodes have tested positive for the coronavirus. 

HRT reports that Zubcic and Rodes were soon to start preparations with the rest of the Croatia ski team in Switzerland, but are now forced to spend 14 days in self-isolation.

The Croatian skiers felt their first symptoms during fitness training in Delnice. At first, they thought it was a virus, but were tested just in case.

"I felt a little weaker, had a mild fever and headache and I thought it was some kind of summer virus. However, as the coronavirus is current, and we needed to travel with the rest of the national team, I decided to get tested so as not to endanger everyone else," Zubcic said. 

The new World Cup season should start a week before planned, i.e., October 17, with the women's giant slalom in Sölden, Austria. The day after, a giant slalom is scheduled.

The races were moved forward after the Austrian Ski Federation requested and obtained permission from the International Ski Federation (FIS) to ensure the best possible safety conditions for the competitors.

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

August 14, 2020 - Director of the Civil Protection Headquarters and Assistant Interior Minister Damir Trut spoke about COVID-19 in Croatia. In an interview on Thursday evening, he explained why the Headquarters decided to tighten measures for cafes, bars, and nightclubs, and revealed just how many foreign tourists were infected in the country.

"The situation prompted us to make that decision. The infection comes from the Adriatic and young people are most affected, so it could be concluded that the most important factor could be nightclubs and cafes," he said as a guest for Dnevnik Nova TV, as reported by Index.hr.

Asked what will be achieved because the corona does not know the time, he replied:

"Yes, the corona does not know what time it is, but we have reduced the working hours by six hours and thus the possibility of infection."

He explained that the inspectors would control all activities and events throughout Croatia, and these are, in addition to clubs and cafes, weddings, and other events where more than 100 people are in one location.

He also said that people usually do not adhere to social distancing, but that they should also not be too harsh in sanctions.

“It’s like that in those locations, with alcohol and music, so people forget about keeping a distance,” he said.

When asked what he recommends, he answered:

"The recommendation is that the epidemic is here and among us, we have relaxed over the summer and we need to become aware of that. We need to be responsible so that it does not spread."

He also revealed that about 50 foreign tourists were infected in Croatia, and some had already returned to their countries.

Recall, Croatia recorded 180 new cases on Thursday, by far the most in the country since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic.

So far, counting Thursday, Croatia has had more than 100 new infections in one day seven times. To date, the record day was July 11, with 140 newly infected, yesterday was the second-highest in terms of the number of newly infected - 130, and on July 15, there were 126.

Croatia first recorded more than 100 new cases on July 10. There were 116 newly infected at the time. The same number was recorded on July 18.

Now, for the seventh time, Croatia recorded over 100 newly infected people in one day - as many as 180 - and Thursday was the worst day since the beginning of the epidemic in Croatia.

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Alemka Markotic, who has become a real household name since the appearance of the new coronavirus in Croatia, commented on how the health system plans to differentiate between coronavirus and flu in autumn. She also touched on the Russian vaccine and stated that scientists learned through the media that the vaccine had suddenly appeared.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 13th of August, 2020, Croatia recorded its second biggest increase in newly infected persons over the last few days since the beginning of the pandemic. A large number of young people are among the new patients. Due to the new situation, measures for nightclubs are being tightened, and inspections will be intensified.

There will be celebrations of the Assumption throughout the country over the weekend, and when it comes to how the national headquarters plans to keep the situation under control, a reporter from Dnevnik Nova TV asked Dr. Alemka Markotic, the director of the ''Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

"It's good that there are not too many hospitalised people, but it isn't good that the numbers are increasing, because with increasing numbers, more severe forms of the disease can also appear. The tips are the same ones we've been repeating for months now - maintain a distance and keep up your hygiene. "The moment people think the numbers are smaller, they start relaxing," said Alemka Markotic.

She pointed out that there is nothing new in the recommendations for the operation of nightclubs and that everything has already been communicated with the owners of such facilities. Being indoors carries an increased risk and therefore it is better for everyone who can work outdoors to do so, she added.

Alemka Markotic also commented on the Russian vaccine and stated that scientists learned through the media that it had appeared. Expert data on the research behind the vaccine are lacking, she emphasised, especially data on the most important part, the third phase, in which the vaccine should be tested on thousands of people, so that we know that it is effective and we can become acquainted with any possible side effects.

She added that currently six vaccines are in the final stages of clinical research, two are from China and four come from other parts of the world.

Once a vaccine for the new coronavirus becomes available, preference will be given to people who are at the highest risk of serious illness and death if they contract the disease, and to healthcare workers, as well as those who are more exposed to the virus due to the nature of their work.

As for the beginning of the school year, Alemka Markotic said that the plan is for all children to go to school and to monitor how the situation develops as it goes, so that they can react quickly if an infection occurs.

"So far, according to scientific research and studies, it seems that children, especially the younger ones, aren't particularly significant carriers of the COVID-19 disease, so we expect children to go to school regularly," she said, adding that there is a slightly higher risk in high schools, because children of that age have typically already started going out and doing more adult things without the supervision of their parents.

If a child becomes infected, epidemiologists will assess each situation separately, she pointed out, because the possibility that the infection did not occur at school cannot be ruled out.

When asked how Croatia will differentiate coronavirus from the flu and virus in the autumn, when flu usually starts making its rounds, she replied: ''Clinically, it will be difficult to distinguish between the two, but doctors and the health system will do their best to define which disease it is. It will certainly be advised that those with milder respiratory problems stay at home, and that those with more severe symptoms come to the hospital,'' said Dr. Alemka Markotic.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

The Slovenian Government will introduce a red list for those countries where the epidemiological situation has significantly worsened, and for all those who enter that country from countries that are on the red list, a 14-day quarantine is mandatory.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 13th of August, 2020, Jelko Kacin, the spokesman of the Slovenian Government for coronavirus, stated that Croatia could very easily be end up on the Slovenian Government's red list due to the large increase in the number of infected people, the Slovenian media reports. According to the media in Croatia's neighbour to the north, Kacin is worried about the latest data from Croatia in regard to the number of newly infected people.

On Wednesday, Jelko Kacin told 24ur that the Croatian numbers could add to those infections that were recorded in Slovenia which were actually imported from Croatia, N1 reports.

"Then those Croatian numbers are much higher," Kacin commented. The key fact is that they test less than us, he pointed out, adding that tourists do not trust the Croatian health care system and that they prefer to return to their homeland if they get sick during their vacation.

Kacin believes that this will certainly have negative consequences for Croatian tourism in the future. He added that Croatia "could quickly find itself on the red list" because there is too much contagion among tourists.

"It should be emphasised that a large percentage of Slovenes behave extremely responsibly even when on vacation," the Slovenian Government spokesman said. However, he is worried about the data coming from Croatia in recent days.

"What saddens me is the fact that Croatia will change the law on infectious diseases, but only after August the 20th," Kacin said. The holiday season will be over before the measures are actually implemented.

For more on coronavirus and relations between the Slovenian Government and the Croatian Government, follow our politics page.

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August 13, 2020 - Croatia recorded 180 new cases on Thursday, by far the most in the country since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic. The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, commented on the situation and announced new measures for COVID-19 in Croatia.

"We have to keep in mind the fact that we have given in to all social and economic activities and we have given in to tourism and we are very successful in that. We have more than 800,000 people on the coast and we expected an increase. This is a higher number and, of course, we are concerned, but we hope that with our new measures, we will be able to suppress that figure and reduce it to an acceptable level," Capak said, as reported by Index.hr.

In a statement for Nova TV, he revealed that a new measure would come into force on Friday - restricting the work of clubs and cafes. Thus, bars and clubs will work until midnight.

"Yesterday we announced that the epidemiological service with the sanitary inspection could temporarily close clubs. Today, the Headquarters decided that will take effect tomorrow, and limiting the working hours of nightclubs, bars, and cafes will be valid for the next 10 days," Capak explained, and added that clubs will not be able to work after midnight.

"I have to point out a few related facts about these 180 newly infected. It is an even younger age group than yesterday, averaging 31 years. Most of them can be connected with gatherings on the Adriatic coast," Capak said. He added that the competent inspections would continue to control the work of caterers.

"As far as Slovenia is concerned, we are not on the red list. We spoke today with those responsible for the epidemiological situation in Slovenia," revealed Krunoslav Capak.

So far, counting today, Croatia has had more than 100 new infections in one day seven times. To date, the record day was July 11, with 140 newly infected, yesterday was the second-highest in terms of the number of newly infected - 130, and on July 15, there were 126.

Croatia first recorded more than 100 new cases on July 10. There were 116 newly infected at the time. The same number was recorded on July 18.

Now, for the seventh time, Croatia recorded over 100 newly infected people in one day - as many as 180 - and this is the worst day since the beginning of the epidemic in Croatia.

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

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ZAGREB, Aug 13, 2020 - In the last 24 hours 180 new cases of the coronavirus disease have been reported in Croatia, the number of active cases stands at 811 and one person has died, the national COVID-19 response team said on Thursday.

This is a record-high number of new cases in a single day since the outbreak of the epidemic.

Of the active cases, 115 are undergoing hospital treatment, including 10 who are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case of the infection was detected in the country, 6,050 people have contracted the disease, 161 of them have died and 5,078 have recovered.

Currently, 2,752 people are in self-isolation. To date, 133,493 people have been tested for the virus, including 1,201 in the last 24 hours.

August 13, 2020 - At an extraordinary meeting on the coronavirus on Wednesday, Italy introduced new measures for travelers returning or in transit from four countries, including Croatia.

24 Sata reports that according to Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, for all those who have been to Croatia, Greece, Spain or Malta in the last 14 days, it is mandatory to have a negative coronavirus test when entering Italy, and only one that is not older than 72 hours is valid. The second option, Corriere reports, is that everyone who returns, but does not have a negative test with them, or has not been tested, must do so in the next 48 hours in Italy.

You can find the official decision by the Italian Health Ministry at this link.

Italians are recording more and more cases of coronavirus infection that are connected to tourist centers, and as Il Fatto Quotidiano reports, Italy has recorded as many as 41 imported cases in the last three days.

This news comes just two days after the Embassy of Finland to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Holy See announced that Finland would introduce a mandatory 14-day quarantine and obligatory COVID-19 testing for travelers coming to Finland from Croatia.

Recall, on Wednesday, the National Civil Protection Headquarters of Croatia reported 130 new coronavirus cases, and the number of currently infected (active cases) in Croatia on Wednesday was 686.

There are 117 patients in hospital, of which eight are on a ventilator. There were no fatalities in the last 24 hours.

Since February 25, 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 5,870 people infected with the new coronavirus have been recorded to date, of whom 160 have died and 5,024 have recovered.

There are currently 2279 people in self-isolation. To date, a total of 132,292 people have been tested, of which 1,604 in the last 24 hours, announced the Headquarters on Wednesday. 

Thirty-five health workers are actively ill, and 140 are in self-isolation.

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Things have very much picked up in the economic sense when compared to the dire months of March and April, when the coronavirus pandemic got its claws into Croatia and lockdown saw the amount of issued bills drop by an enormous amount as spending took a downhill turn, but we're far from out of the woods yet. 

The tourist season might be faring better than we could have ever hoped back in spring when dire predictions for the travel and tourism sector across the world were published everywhere, but that doesn't mean that things are looking up financially as many of the traditional ''big spenders'' in Croatian tourism are struggling to get here as air travel remains interrupted for many.

As Novac/Gordana Grgas writes on the 12th of August, 2020, while the Croatian coast has been full of guests throughout August so far, data from the fiscalisation system shows an increase in consumption, but it also shows just much weaker it is than the comparable period last year due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. In total, since the second part of February 2020, the number of issued bills has decreased by a discouraging 28 percent, and the monetary figure on those same bills has decreased by 19 percent.

In terms of Croatian tourism, more precisely in the activity of providing accommodation and food preparation and serving, in the same period, a much larger decrease in the number of issued bills is visible - 44 percent, and the monetary amount on those same bills has dropped by an extremely concerning 50 percent.

The first days of August, however, show that the tourist season is now very much in full swing. Namely, according to the latest data published on Monday by the Tax Administration, last week (from the 3rd to the 9th of August) compared to the same period back in 2019, a decrease in the number of bills issued of 21 percent and a decrease in the monetary amount of 15 percent are visible across all activities, and in tourism, a reduction in the number of bills of 26 percent was seen, with the monetary amount standing at the same number. Last week, 1.3 billion kuna was earned, and now 985 million kuna has been earned.

For more, follow our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - In the past 24 hours, there have been 130 new cases of the coronavirus infection in Croatia, and currently there are 686 active cases, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

There are now 117 COVID patients in hospitals, and eight of them are placed on ventilators. There have been no new deaths in the last 24 hours.

Since the first confirmed case of the infection on 25 February in Croatia, a total of 5,870 persons have been diagnosed with the coronavirus infection, and of them 160 have died, while 5,024 have recovered.

Currently, there are 2,279 persons in self-isolation. To date, 132,292 persons have been tested for, including 1,604 in the last 24 hours.

"There are currently no significant new hotspots. What is characteristic is that people are returning from their holidays, and a lot of young people have become infected. The average age of new coronavirus patients is 34, these are predominantly younger people who have mostly been to different gatherings and places where young people have fun," Croatian Public Health Institute head Krunoslav Capak said.

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The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made us all rethink how we do things. An array of new certificates and ratings have come to be, from ''COVID Safe'' establishments to others, and one very well known Croatian company, Sapiona from Osijek, has seen their products receive a certificate attesting to their effectiveness against the new coronavirus.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 12th of August, 2020, since the appearance of the new coronavirus, Saponia has confirmed itself as one of the first producers to begin with the production of disinfectants and provide institutions and citizens with the necessary means for their health protection. Over recent days, the products from the BIS HANDYSEPT and ARF DEZI-CLEAN line have received another certificate of quality - a certificate of effectiveness against coronavirus.

''This extremely important certificate is the result of the work of Saponia's development team and we have once again proved that products of the highest standards of quality and efficiency are being developed in Croatia as well,'' stated Sapiona according to a press release.

After testing in laboratories “J. S. Hamilton ”, the third largest European laboratory for testing food, animal feed, water, cosmetics, and the microbiological cleanliness of facilities and water sampling, Saponia disinfectants (BIS Handysept - for hand disinfection and Arf Dezi Clean speed and universal - for the disinfection and cleaning of water-repellent surfaces) and the whole group of BIS products (for the disinfection of the hands of healthcare professionals, food industry workers and all those who handle food for human consumption in some way…) received a virulence certificate against the new coronavirus.

''So far, our products have had proven antimicrobial efficacy at the level of 99.999 percent, which is also important in preventing the spread of the new coronavirus, but with these test results, we can rightfully and responsibly communicate that these products also have an antiviral activity, which is the most important thing at the moment for our customers and consumers,'' pointed out Dajana Mrcela, President of the Management Board of Saponia.

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