ZAGREB, 10 Jan 2022 - The unemployment rate in the European Union (EU), the euro area, and Croatia in November dropped to its lowest level since March 2020 and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by Eurostat released on Monday.

The European Union's unemployment rate, measured by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) methodology, in November, fell by 0.2 percentage points compared to the month before, to 6.5%.

In the euro area, it slid by 0.1 percentage point to 7.2%.

In both areas, the joblessness rate thus reached its lowest level since March 2020, when COVID-19 started spreading across the world.

According to Eurostat, there were 13.984 million unemployed persons in the EU in November 2021, including 11.829 million in the euro area.

Compared to October 2021, their number declined by 247,000 in the EU and by 222,000 in the euro area. Compared to November 2020, the number of unemployed persons decreased by 1.659 million in the EU and by 1.411 million in the euro area.

In November 2021, Spain and Greece were the only EU countries to record a double-digit unemployment rate, of 14.1% and 13.4% respectively.

Croatia's unemployment rate, measured by the ILO methodology, dropped to 7.1% from a revised 7.3% in October. An earlier estimate for October indicated an unemployment rate of 7%.

That is the lowest unemployment rate since the outbreak of coronavirus in March 2020, when it was 6.5%. In the February before the pandemic, it was 5.9%.

In November, Croatia thus ranked alongside Finland and Latvia, which had unemployment of 7.2% and 7.3% respectively.

There were 127,000 unemployed persons in Croatia in November, according to Eurostat, or 4,000 fewer than in October. Compared to November 2020, their number decreased by 26,000.

The lowest unemployment rate in November was registered by the Czech Republic, of 2.2%. It was followed by the Netherlands (2.7%), Poland (3%), and Germany (3.2%).

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ZAGREB, 10 Jan 2022 - Social Democratic Party leader Peđa Grbin said on Monday that new restrictions that were to have entered into force on Monday had not yet been released in the Official Gazette nor on the COVID response team's website, nor had the authorities explained to them as ordered by the Constitutional Court.

In a post on his Facebook profile, Grbin recalled that last week Interior Minister Davor Božinović, who is at the helm of the national COVID response team, stated that a surge in the number of infections caused by the Omicron variant of coronavirus, compelled the authorities to introduce new measures as of Monday which would additionally limit numbers at public gatherings.

"Today, on Monday, when they are supposed to enter into force, the new measures have not yet been advertised in the Official Gazette nor on the response team's website. Not only have they not been explained, as stipulated in the Constitutional Court ruling of 21 December 2021, but they also haven't even been released yet as I am writing this post. They do not exist and no one knows their content, what is written in them, how to act according to them, and yet they were to be implemented as of today," posted Grbin.

Grbin said that that showed how inconsistent and incompetent the government is in fighting the challenges facing Croatia and "when the numbers of those infected and deaths increase again, Plenković and co will blame the people."

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ZAGREB, 10 Jan 2022 - Croatia has registered 1,578 new coronavirus cases and 40 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Monday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 41,613. Among them are 1,893 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 244 who are on ventilators, and 18,624 persons are self-isolating.

A total of 3,882,163 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to date, including 4,344 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 767,183 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 12,918 have died and 712,652 have recovered, including 4,558 in the last 24 hours.

As of 9 January, 4,836,465 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.91 percent of the total population, or 66.5 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,269,098 people have received at least one dose and 2,163,972 of them have received two doses, which is 63.66 percent of the adult population.

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January the 10th, 2022 - A big change is coming to the fight against coronavirus in Croatia, as Croatian rapid antigen tests (RAT/BAT) will soon be enough to prove a COVID-19 infection, without the need for an additional PCR test to back up a positive antigen result.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a PCR test will no longer be mandatory, and soon Croatian rapid antigen tests will be enough to detect and prove a COVID-19 infection and later obtain EU digital covid certification, as was announced on Monday by Health Minister Vili Beros, who visited KBC Split together with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

"The testing paradigm will change, PCR tests will no longer be mandatory, and contraction of the disease will be able to be proven with the results of Croatian rapid antigen tests,'' Beros said in response to journalists' remarks about the long waiting times for PCR testing.

The rest of the EU still requires a negative PCR test...

In this regard, a meeting of the Croatian National Institute of Public Health will be held tomorrow to enshrine the rule that rapid antigen tests will be able to be performed based on a doctor's referral to prove the existence of the disease. "It's a response to the emergence of a new variant (Omicron) of the virus," Beros said.

With a negative rapid antigen test, it will be possible to obtain an EU digital covid certificate that will be valid here in Croatia, but the rest of the EU still requires a negative PCR test in order for it to be valid for them, too. If you're vaccinated with two or three doses and already have a certificate based on your vaccination, this of course doesn't apply to you.

In the past 24 hours, 1,578 new cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in Croatia, and the percentage of positives among those tested stood at 36.33 percent.

"We're recording an increase in the number of new infections when compared to last Monday, when there were 1103 newly infected people recorded," said the Minister after visiting the Clinical Hospital in Split, where the situation has been somewhat dramatic over more recent days due to the large influx of patients.

He stated that the fact that Split-Dalmatia County has only had about 50 people coming for their first dose of the vaccine per day to be devastating, reiterating that mandatory vaccination is not an option for Croatia for now, but if the situation worsens, it will most certainly be considered.

Hospitals are under more pressure by the coast than in the continental part of the country.

He called people to think about the next tourist season because there is a possibility that the EC will introduce vaccination of the domicile population as a condition for the arrival of tourists.

Due to the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus, Croatian hospitals are becoming more and more crowded, but this is happening much more significantly in coastal regions and not in continental regions, which have a far better vaccination rate.

In this regard, Beros compared KBC Split and KBC Osijek. "At KBC Split, the occupancy rate is 92.7 percent, and the respirator occupancy rate is 56.79 percent, compared to Osijek, where the occupancy rate is 51.85 percent, and the respirator occupancy rate is just 14.12 percent." He also reported that 66.59 percent of the adult population in the Republic of Croatia had been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine.

Plenkovic called on people over the age of 60 to get vaccinated

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic reiterated the importance of getting fully vaccinated and then receiving a booster dose, especially for residents of Split-Dalmatia County, where a large number of new cases of infection have been reported.

"We have 217 hospitalised people here because of COVID-19, 49 of them have had to be placed on respirators. I'd especially like to call on senior citizens who are at the greatest risk of complications, and by that I mean all those over 60. It's up to them and their families to explain and convey to them why it's good to get vaccinated and thus have greater protection,'' said Plenkovic.

On Monday, the Prime Minister participated in a meeting with the Management Board of KBC Split, and speaking about the development projects of the hospital, he noted that the unified emergency hospital reception in Split will be completed by 2023.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

January 10, 2022 - A look at the January COVID-19 measures in Croatia in force from today. 

Given the large number of newly infected patients in Croatia, new epidemiological measures come into force on Monday, which will further restrict gatherings and ensure more intensive control of catering facilities.

According to a new decision by the National Civil Protection Headquarters, public gatherings and outdoor events for more than 50 people (so far 100) are prohibited, and those with Covid certificates and with the consent of local headquarters are limited to 200 people.

Indoor gatherings of more than 25 people (50 so far) are prohibited, and those with Covid confirmations are limited to 100 people.

The new measures are also in force for private gatherings, allowing a maximum of 20 people (so far 30). In cases where everyone has a Covid certificate, 50 people will be able to attend the private gathering.

No changes have been introduced in the work of catering facilities, but restrictions on the number of guests, maintaining a physical distance of 1.5 meters and using masks while sitting at a table, and ventilating and cleaning the premises will be more intensively controlled.

As of today, the number of spectators at sports competitions is limited, so a maximum of 20 percent of individual grandstands can be filled indoors, and up to 40 percent of outdoor grandstands.

Citizens must wear masks at religious ceremonies and art programs, cinema screenings and exhibitions, and at sessions of representative bodies regardless of having a Covid certificate.

Also, the obligation of employers to organize work from home whenever possible has been introduced.

Furthermore, Minister of Science and Education Radovan Fuchs reaffirmed the return to school classes in Croatia from Monday. He also added that there will be mandatory masks in Croatian schools for those in fifth grade and up, among other considerations.

According to the latest data, there were 44,633 people suffering from Covid-19 in Croatia on Sunday. Among them, 1,874 patients are in hospital, of which 242 are on respirators. There are currently 19,072 people in self-isolation. Nearly 45,000 new cases were reported last week, up 61 percent from the week before.

It is estimated that the new wave will put additional pressure on the health system, especially in Dalmatia.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and choose your preferred language if it isn't English.

ZAGREB, 9 January, 2022 - Croatia has registered 7,333 new coronavirus cases and 37 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Sunday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 44,633. Among them are 1,874 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 242 who are on ventilators, and 19,072 persons are self-isolating.

A total of 3,877,819 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to date, including 16,597 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 765,605 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 12,878 have died and 708,094 have recovered, including 4,905 in the last 24 hours.

As of 8 January, 4,832,185 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.91 per cent of the total population, or 66.58 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,268,738 people have received at least one dose and 2,163,069 of them have received two doses, which is 63.64 per cent of the adult population.

ZAGREB, 8 Jan 2022 - In the last 24 hours 8,817 coronavirus cases, out of 19,865 tests, and 36 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Saturday.

There are 42,242 active cases, including 1,820 hospitalised patients, of whom 249 are hooked on to ventilators, while 19,150 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 758,272 coronavirus cases to date and the death toll is 12,841.

To date, 55.87% of the total population has been vaccinated, including 66.55% of adults, of whom 63.55% fully.

ZAGREB, 8 Jan 2022 - As of Monday, the duration of a negative COVID-19 test for entering Slovenia without quarantine will be shorter, according to a government protocol aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant.

The validity of a negative PCR test will thus be 48 hours and that of a rapid antigen test 24 hours.

As of Monday, only persons who have been vaccinated, have recovered from COVID or have a negative test will be able to use public transport.

According to unofficial data, 4,468 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Slovenia in the last 24 hours, almost 3,000 more than a week ago. Epidemiologists fear the daily new cases could jump to 10,000 due to Omicron.

ZAGREB, 8 Jan 2022 - Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said on Friday primary and secondary school students accounted for 8.7% of coronavirus cases and that this was an argument in favour of schools staying open, adding that no county had requested switching to online classes.

Speaking on Croatian Television, he said not even counties with very high coronavirus numbers had opted for closing schools, adding that the impact of online classes "is very hard" on students.

As for a longer-school-days project starting next autumn, Fuchs said it was chosen because the hours Croatian students spent in school was far below the EU average, adding that the project would expand and facilitate the transfer of knowledge.

Speaking of the reconstruction of schools damaged in the 2020 earthquakes, the minister said that in Zagreb the reconstruction of some was put in the remit of the city and that the mayor had said they would be rebuilt by the next school year.

He said new schools would be built in Sisak and Petrinja.

ZAGREB, 7 Jan 2022 - New restrictions on public gatherings will come into force on Monday due to a rise in the number of infections caused by the Omicron variant of coronavirus, Interior Minister and head of the national COVID-19 crisis management team, Davor Božinović, said on Friday.

According to the new decision, the number of people allowed to attend public gatherings and events taking place outdoors is reduced from 100 to 50, while up to 200 people will be allowed to gather at events with COVID certificates and with a permission from the local COVID-19 crisis management team, Božinović told a press conference,

Checks on restaurants and coffee bars to be stepped up

The number of people allowed to attend indoor public gatherings has been reduced from 50 to 25, with up to 100 people allowed at events with COVID certificates.

The limit for private gatherings has been reduced from 30 to 20 persons. If all participants have a COVID certificate, the number is capped at 50.

According to Božinović, there will currently be no changes affecting restaurants and coffee bars, but checks will be stepped up to monitor compliance with the restriction on the number of patrons, as well as with the requirements to maintain physical distance of 1.5 metres, to use masks when not at the table,  and to air and clean the establishment.

On Monday, a limit on the number of spectators at sports events will also be imposed, so they will be allowed to fill up a maximum of 20% of an individual grandstand for an indoor event, that is 40% for an outdoor event.

It is mandatory to wear masks at religious and art events, film screenings and exhibitions, as well as sessions of representative bodies.

Employers are obliged to organise remote work whenever possible.

Life and the economy must go on. We want to achieve the desired goal through the least repressive measures, in accordance with the principle of proportionality which is also assessed by the Constitutional Court for each case, Božinović said.