December 16, 2021 - On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, the Croatian Parliament amended the Law on Protecting the Population from Infectious Diseases. It introduced 30 to 50 thousand kuna fines for refusing to present Covid certificates in Croatian public institutions.

On the same day, the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters made seven new decisions valid from December 16 to 31 this year, when they will be considered again. The Headquarters extended the Decision on introducing a special security measure in the social welfare sector, reports Koronavirus.hr.

The decision implies “mandatory testing of all employees for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in social welfare, i.e., in social welfare institutions, associations, religious communities, other legal entities, craftspeople and natural persons who perform social care as a professional activity and the Center for Special Custody, who come to work at least twice in seven days. Exceptionally, testing is not mandatory for employees who "qualify for vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 unless they have signs of respiratory infection, other symptoms, or signs of COVID-19."

Recall, from mid-November this year, Covid certificates are mandatory for all employees of public and state services and users of their services.

The same decision applies to all parties who come there, all service providers who provide services in those premises, or other persons who come there on any grounds. Those who refuse to present a certificate cannot enter the premises.

The EU digital Covid certificate system has been developed at the European Union level, with 42 countries participating.

Issuing certificates

The easiest way to get you Covid confirmation is through the e-Citizens platform. However, some citizens who do not use e-Citizens can physically obtain a certificate. Certificates can also be obtained from pharmacies.

All test sites can issue a certificate, HZZO counters do the same, and family medicine practices, pediatric and dental practices.

Each test and vaccination is immediately recorded in the system. Any change in the status of the vaccinated person requires the person to obtain a new Covid certificate.

The third vaccine dose does not mean that the Covid certificate is automatically extended. These people need a new certificate because an extra dose does not mean an automatic extension. The new permit will be valid for one year from the date of vaccination.

Covid certificate control

Controlling certificates is done with the help of the covidGo mobile application, and it is available to everyone for free. Furthermore, the application does not require internet and works offline.

The public key list is updated once a week. The control itself does not require costs; it can be easily done with free tools.

When certificates in public institutions do not apply

Certificates do not apply to students, pupils, persons under the age of 16, persons who bring a child or pupil to school in kindergarten, persons who accompany a person who cannot take care of themselves, persons who come to the HZZO area to pick up their Covid certificate, to users of postal services who have to pick up shipments whose non-acceptance would have legal consequences and to persons who have a contraindication to the vaccine.

A doctor's certificate can also be used to come to work, which is issued based on a rapid antigen test to confirm that the person has recovered from the virus for the past 12 months. Also, those who had the infection within 12 months and proved it by PCR test must show medical documentation.

The testing obligation does not apply to public transport. The headquarters extended the decisions related to the operation of shops, public transportation, the decision on masks, and on crossing the border.

People who go to trial do not have to have a Covid certificate, but they must adhere to all other epidemiological measures.

Members of the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters invited other private employers (who do not participate in social welfare) to introduce the mandatory Covid certificate measure because it is not compulsory for them but in the form of a recommendation.

Assembly decision modified

On Wednesday (December 15, 2021), the Headquarters amended the Decision on Restricting Assemblies, i.e., introduced the permission that more than 100 people can attend a public event or assembly, if approved by the County Public Health Institute in whose area the assembly is held. 

Due to the new strain of the virus, the Headquarters extended the temporary ban on entry into Croatia of persons coming from South Africa, Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and the Republic of Mozambique, or who have stayed in those countries for the past 14 days. The amended decision allowed persons from Hong Kong to re-enter.

Exceptionally, citizens of the Republic of Croatia (RH) and members of their families who are long-term residents, who have the right to reside under other EU directives or national law in the Republic of Croatia or who have long-term national visas for the Republic of Croatia are exempted from the decision. However, they are subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days upon entry and compulsory testing on the last day of quarantine.

Until the end of the year, the current measures concerning border crossings, public transport, the mandatory use of face masks, and organizing the work of shops will be extended.

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.

ZAGREB, 16 December, 2021 - MOST MPs on Wednesday denied having planned to enter into a physical conflict with SDP MPs, noting that accusations that they are murderers and that they exploit death were uncivilised, adding that they had collected around 300,000 signatures for a referendum against COVID certificates.

MP Marija Selak Raspudić said that the Act on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases, passed by the parliament today, legalised unlawful duress as the previously adopted decision on COVID-19 certificates did not have any legal grounds.

Accusations against MOST uncivilised

Commenting on some opposition lawmakers accusing Bridge of being responsible for the current situation and calling its MPs extremists, Selak Raspudić said that her party fought against the dictate of the national COVID-19 response team legitimately, through state institutions, resorting to referendum.

All we did is organise the signing of a referendum petition, she said, adding that all of the Opposition agreed with the referendum questions, calling for decisions related to COVID-19 restrictions to be made by a two-thirds majority vote in the parliament.

However, when support for the referendum had to be expressed, there was no political courage and responsibility but exclusively political calculation, which is a very bad message to citizens, she said, adding that they had to react to being called killers and exploiters of death.

"It was all started by HDZ, which, fearing the referendum, used dead people as an instrument in the political fight... accusing us of being responsible for (COVID) deaths. That rhetoric has now been used by a part of the opposition," she said.

Explaining an incident that happened earlier in the day, involving MOST MP Nino Raspudić and SDP MP Peđa Grbin, she said that Raspudić approached Grbin to tell him that he should be ashamed of calling MOST MPs exploiters while he himself did not speak against COVID certificates at the time when testing was not mandatory for all people entering hospitals, which caused the virus to enter the health system.

That is all Raspudić told Grbin but that situation is now being shamelessly used to accuse us of violence, Selak Raspudić said, adding that the only way to deal with the current crisis is a referendum.

MOST MP Nikola Grmoja said that so far they had collected around 300,000 signatures for a referendum against the COVID-19 certificate mandate.

ZAGREB, 16 December, 2021 - SDP leader Peđa Grbin said on Wednesday that the government could and should have managed the coronavirus pandemic better, and that by refusing to have related decisions adopted by a two-thirds majority in parliament, it had taken over responsibility for the further increase in COVID-19 deaths.

"The government has not been dealing well with the disease either economy-wise or health-wise. Croatia's vaccination rate is among the lowest in Europe and the consequence of that is the spreading of the disease and new fatalities," Grbin said.

Rational decisions are still possible

"We are telling the government again that it is still possible to do some things differently. It is still possible to find a way to explain to people why they should get vaccinated and protect themselves. It is still possible to make rational decisions instead of allowing confusion as to why COVID-19 certificates are necessary to enter a library but not a bar," he said, noting that this was why they had asked that decisions on restrictions that would otherwise not be usual or acceptable be adopted by a two-thirds majority.

By rejecting that request, the ruling majority has assumed exclusive responsibility for the further increase in coronavirus-related fatalities and patients in intensive care as well as for other patients not receiving adequate care, he said.

Commenting on an incident in parliament which happened earlier in the day, involving him and Bridge party MPs, Grbin said that such scenes were inappropriate.

"Parliament is a place where we confront our views and where sometimes we give each other unflattering attributes, but the moment we become office-holders, we accept to hear harsh words about ourselves," he said.

Bridge referendum campaign politically motivated

Speaking of a referendum campaign against the COVID-19 certificate mandate, launched by the Bridge party, Grbin said that it would not result in fewer infections or fatalities and was motivated by political gain.

Commenting on today's protest of opponents of COVID certificates outside the parliament building, Grbin said that it was due to the fact that people do not know what is going on and are afraid while the government has made it possible for people to trust fake news more than they trust health institutions.

"It is irresponsible and flippant to declare the pandemic over three times, that's what has resulted in dissatisfaction and confusion about the restrictions. That inconsistent policy has led to a large number of infections and deaths as well as the current resistance. People need to be educated, one must work with them and be patient in doing so while the HDZ and Andrej Plenković are not ready for that," said Grbin.

Asked to comment on the protesters shouting "HDZ thieves, SDP faggots", Grbin said that neither was an insult because "what was said about the HDZ is the truth and I do not consider being called a homosexual an insult."

ZAGREB, 16 December, 2021 - The Contagious Diseases Act was amended on Wednesday, with 77 MPs voting in favour and 27 against, while the members of the MOST party walked out of the Parliament chamber.

The amended law provides for fines of up to HRK 50,000 for responsible persons not complying with the COVID-19 certificate mandate in public institutions.

During the vote, the majority turned down a conclusion proposed by the opposition that any laws and decisions restricting human rights and freedoms should be adopted by a two-thirds vote in the Sabor. The centre-left opposition parties said they would ask the Constitutional Court to test the constitutionality of the amended law.

MOST MPs in conflict with other opposition lawmakers

The run-up to the vote was marked by incidents between members of the MOST party and other opposition MPs.

The row came to a head when Social Democrat (SDP) leader Peđa Grbin accused the representatives of that conservative right-wing party of acting like parasites.

Grbin urged the MOST MPs to call on people to get vaccinated against coronavirus, after which SDP would in return support MOST's referendum initiative against COVID certificates. 

Marija Selak Raspudić said that such accusations were base, after which MOST MPs Nino Raspudić, Miro Bulj and Marin Miletić approached Grbin and circled him, but their conversation could not be heard.

The MOST MPs accused Grbin of cowardice.

Sandra Benčić of Mozemo said that Parliament was faced with two extremes: one being statements against vaccination made by the MOST MPs, and the other being the fact that the ruling HDZ party refuses to implement Article 17 of the Constitution concerning emergencies.

During the heated debate, the MOST MPs  also argued with SDSS MP Milorad Pupovac who called them "apprentices of the death". Pupovac and some other MPs were reprimanded and denied the floor.

In the end, the microphone caught Nikola Grmoja saying to Marija Selak Raspudić: "We did this badly. We turned everyone against us."

ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - So far, eight cases of the infection with the omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia, and four have been in Zagreb and another four in Split, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday.

Roughly 200 samples have been sent to the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for sequencing, and we will soon get information whether there are more and more cases of the infection with the latest variant of the virus, Beroš said.

He said that since 16 November, when the COVID certificate mandate was introduced in the public sector, 681,309 tests have been conducted for that purpose and have revealed that 9,814 asymptomatic persons have caught coronavirus. Placing them in self-isolation has prevented the further spread of the virus, Beroš explained.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that he had not been informed whether today's protest of opponents of COVID certificates and vaccines in St. Mark's Square had been organized in line with the relevant legislation.

Our position is that protests against strict rules in Croatia miss the point as Croatia has balanced and less restrictive anti-epidemic rules in comparison to other EU member-states, Božinović said.

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.

ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - The decline in the coronavirus numbers in Croatia has been at a slower pace this week, and the country's COVID-19 crisis management team on Wednesday decided to extend the existing anti-epidemic rules until 31 December.

Health Minister Vili Beroš informed the government today that in the last 24 hours there had been 4,671 new cases of the infection with coronavirus, only 80 cases fewer than a week ago, and that hospitals continued to run at full capacity.

In the last 24 hours, the share of positive tests has reached 38.86%, or 1.7 percentage points less than a week before.

Hospitals are treating 2,253 persons infected with the novel virus, down by 7.51% compared to the figures presented last Wednesday.

Currently, 315 patients are placed on ventilators.

The minister said that the authorities were monitoring the situation concerning the appearance of the omicron variant of the virus.

Croatia is included in the European Commission's plans for the procurement of antivirus drugs, the minister said adding that 1,800 doses of medicines based on monoclonal antibodies for hospital treatment of severe symptoms of COVID-19 should be delivered to Croatia until 20 December.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

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.

ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday condemned in the strongest terms attacks and the invective against healthcare workers, underscoring that COVID certificates were not anything special or any kind of restriction, but a tool used across Europe.

"Insulting healthcare workers is inappropriate and unacceptable... instead of expressing gratitude to them for their commitment, we can see insults that deserve to be strongly condemned."

On Tuesday evening, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković also deplored the aggressive behavior of some demonstrators at rallies against COVID certificates and vaccines.

Commenting on the latest COVID numbers in Croatia, PM Plenković said at the cabinet's meeting that although those numbers were falling, they were still high.

He reiterated his appeal for vaccination against coronavirus.

Pleković recalled that in the last two years, Croatia had implemented some of the easiest epidemiological restrictions in Europe, without long and strict lockdowns and curfews.

We conduct the struggle against the pandemic in the way we consider to be appropriate. Of course, we do not want to encroach on the human rights framework. The precondition for the protection of human rights is that citizens are well and alive, he said.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

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.

ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - Several dozens gathered in St. Mark's Square in Zagreb on Wednesday morning to rally against COVID vaccines and the draft amendments of the Contagious Diseases Act, which the Croatian parliament is supposed to adopt later in the day.

The protesters rallied outside the government and the parliament to express their opposition against the vaccines against coronavirus.

One of the protesters shouted that she had not got vaccinated against that COVID disease and that she would not allow the immunization of her child with that experimental vaccine.

She also told media outlets and reporters not to label them anti-vaxxers.

"We are not rabbits and we do not want an experimental vaccine. We are here to protest against that," the protester shouted and her message was applauded by other demonstrators.

One in the crowd accused media outlets of twisting their messages.

During the peaceful protest, some of the demonstrators held hands and started praying.

They also had posters with messages appealing to the president to request the constitutionality of the amended law.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

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.

ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, the COVID disease has taken 57 lives in Croatia, raising the death toll to 11,779, and there have been 4,671 new cases of the infection, Croatia's authorities reported on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 23,709 infected people throughout Croatia, and of them 2,256 are receiving hospital treatment, including 306 placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in the country on 25 February 2020, 662,397 people have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and of them, 626,909 have recovered, including 2,301 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Under the vaccine rollout plan, 55.01% of the total population have tog vaccinated to date, and 60.58% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

8 omicron cases so far

So far, eight cases of the infection with the omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia, and four have been in Zagreb and another four in Split, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday.

Roughly 200 samples have been sent to the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for sequencing, and we will soon get information whether there are more and more cases of the infection with the latest variant of the virus, Beroš said.

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.

December the 15th, 2021 - Croatian covid certificates for children is definitely something that has been getting a lot of attention from the public and has become a talking point for all sorts of views from both ends of the spectrum ever since Ivana Pavic Simetin, Krunoslav Capak's deputy at the Croatian Institute of Public Health, first mulled over the idea.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes the deputy director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Ivana Pavic Simetin, told reporters that the latest batch of vaccines will be arriving in the country in the usual way it has done before. "The vaccine plane arrives on Monday and then distribution starts," she said.

"What is coming isn't all for children, there are two boxes for children, the rest of them are for adults, and there will be a total of 48,000 doses for children aged from 5 to 12 years of age. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 are now being vaccinated as adults,'' Ivana Pavic Simetin explained.

"Some of the vaccines will remain here at the Croatian Institute of Public Health, while the rest will go off to various county institutes for public health, and from there to the dispensaries. According to the county institutes, everyone will organise their vaccinations for children through pediatric clinics, schools and general practitioners. Where there is more interest, vaccinations will be organised at mass vaccination points too,'' she explained, adding that the booster doses don't apply to children. "For children who are immunocompromised, the third dose applies, and it should be given one month after the first two doses," she said.

When asked what the interest in vaccinating children is, Ivana Pavic Simetin said: “Parents are inquiring about vaccination, especially parents who have vaccinated children over 12. We see particular interest in parents whose children are chronically unwell, especially if they're immunodeficient. There is interest, but unfortunately it is not, and it will not be like in some Western countries where more than 50 percent of children over the age of 12 have already been vaccinated,'' she said, adding that the vaccination of children will start on Wednesday at the School of Public Health in Zagreb, and will continue on Saturday.

The difference in coronavirus vaccines for children and adults

Regarding the difference between the coronavirus vaccine for children and that for adults, Ivana Pavic Simetin explained that the bottle itself differs in terms of the colour of the cap, and that it is important for doctors to note "that there are 10 doses of vaccine in one bottle and that it should be used within a period of 12 hours.''

“Children get two doses just like adults, but the children's dose is one third of the adult dose,'' she added.

As for the idea of Croatian covid certificates for children, Ivana Pavic Simetin said: "This should be discussed with AKD, but it would be good if we could go for covid certificates for kids."

A new shipment of vaccines for children, she added, will arrive in Croatia during March next year.

How many children have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in Croatia so far?

According to the deputy director of the CNIPH, about 6,400 children between the ages of 12 and 14 across Croatia have now been vaccinated with their first dose, which is about 5.18 percent of that age group. 55,000 young people aged 15 to 19 were also vaccinated.

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.