July the 13th, 2021 - Croatian tourist agencies have been among the hardest hit in the country throughout the pandemic, with forced closures, difficulties with travel and tourism on a global scale and feeling forgotten about by the government when it comes to aid. The latter is finally about to change, and not a moment too soon.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, on Friday last week, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport announced a public call for small grants to help out Croatian tourist agencies and travel organisers, for which 36 million kuna has been provided from the state budget.

The grants are being given to Croatian tourist agencies to reimburse part or all of their already paid operating costs, provided that the total amount of support doesn't exceed 10,000 kuna per employee in any given tourist agency, and compared to the average number of employees per year for 2020, as explained by the press release.

The Ministry noted that the Croatian Government has adopted a programme to help coronavirus affected economic activities from the transport sector, tourism sector and the cultural and artistic events industry to start and normalise current operations due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, continuing with various aid measures for affected sectors, including tourism.

The goal of the programme is, as previously stated, to contribute to the start-up and normalisation of current operations due to the pandemic, through a one-time state aid measure of small value.

These grants can be applied for and received by Croatian tourist agencies which suffered a decline in operating revenues compared in pandemic dominated 2020 when to 2019 of at least 75 percent, and which are categorised as small businesses (medium, small and micro companies outside of the public sector, as well as obrts (crafts).

For more on Croatian companies and other similar news, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

ZAGREB, 12 July, 2021 - Introducing mandatory vaccination against coronavirus has more and more often been mentioned in public, and some of the left-of-centre Opposition lawmakers have hinted at their possible support to the relevant legislative solution, the Večernji List daily reported on Monday.

Peđa Grbin, the leader of the SDP, the strongest opposition party, was quoted by the VL daily as saying that the good wording and explanation of the legislation based on the scientific findings, would probably convibce him to raise his hand for the legislation introducing the compulsory vaccination against this infections disease.

President Zoran Milanović has already said that he will find the mandatory vaccination acceptable provided that it is supported by a two-third majority in the parliament.

Sanja Barić, a law professor specialised in constitutional jurisprudence,insists that before adopting such law by supermajority it is necessary to declare a natural catastrophe which will make it possible for the parliament to adopt a law concerning the restriction of the human rights in extraordinary circumstances.

On the other hand, members of the parliament from the Opposition conservative parties -- the Bridge and the Homeland Movement -- seem to be disinclined to support the introduction of compulsory vaccination against COVID-19.

ZAGREB, 12 July, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 1,707 tests conducted for coronavirus, 15, that is 0.9%, have returned positive, Croatia's national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Monday.

Currently, there are 511 active cases, including 107 hospitalied patients, and of them eight are placed on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours the COVID-related death toll increased by two to 8,229.

A total of 4,168 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, there have been a total of 360,841 registered cases, and 352,101 have recovered, including 94 in the last 24 hours.

As many as  2.193,449 coronavirus tests have been performed to date.

So far 2,817,143 doses of vaccines have been administered, and 38.3% of the total population or 46.2% of the adult population has been vaccinated to date.

ZAGREB, 12 July, 2021 - Since early December 2020 to date, the healthcare system's costs concerning the coronavirus infection have increased threefold to reach HRK 2.2 billion, the Jutarnji List (JL) daily newspaper reported on Monday.

The biggest item in the COVID-related expenses is the hospital treatment of COVID patients, over a billion kuna to date.

The head of the Croatian Health Insurance Agency (HZZO), Lucian Vukelić, was quoted by the daily as saying that on average, the cost of a day of the hospital treatment of COVID patients was HRK 6,000.

Vukelić also commented on other COVID-related expenses covered by the agency such as vaccination, procurement of drugs for COVID-19 (that is remdesivir, sold under the brand name Veklury, a broad-spectrum antiviral medication), antibody or serology tests .

Therefore the expenses in this sector have risen to HRK 3 billion, and according to Vukelić, for instance, HRK 109 million have been disbursed by the HZZO to date for the remdesivir procurement.

ZAGREB, 12 July, 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković told Croatian Radio on Monday that he thought there would be no mandatory vaccination against COVID and that for now there had been no mention of COVID passes for entering the parliament building.

Jandroković also stressed that vaccination was the only way to put an end to the pandemic.

"Science found the vaccine very quickly, we can fight the pandemic now, and the more vaccinated people there are, the better, more easily and more meaningfully will we live," he said, calling on citizens to get vaccinated because that will ensure their own health, as well as that of all citizens.

Jandroković said that introducing a COVID pass for the parliament had not been discussed yet.

Asked about making job-retention support conditional on inoculation, Jandroković said he did not understand the logic of those who said 'I won't get vaccinated, but I want the money.'

He stressed that employers could not force workers to get vaccinated and added that the state was not obliged to provide HRK 4,000 in support for job keeping in sectors affected by COVID as there was a vaccine, recalling that COVID had so far cost Croatia HRK 30 billion.

Commenting on today's debate in parliament, Jandroković said that Croatia had €30 billion from European funds at its disposal in the next 10 years.

Surprisingly good data on GDP growth

It is estimated that that funding directly affects GDP growth. I've heard some data on GDP growth in the second quarter of this year and it is surprisingly good, he said.

He was positive about the first year of the 10th Croatian parliament and said that he was the parliament speaker with the longest term in office.

"Slightly over four years and two months, time flies, I'm honoured to be the parliament speaker with the longest term in office," said Jandroković, who is the first parliament speaker with two terms in office.

He also said there were no indications that the parliament, which ends its regular work on 15 July, would hold an extraordinary sitting.

July the 12th, 2021 - Vaccination is underway across the world with more and more people getting their first and second doses in an attempt to protect themselves, those around them and finally bring an end to this truly tiresome global pandemic. The Porec vaccination point organisation, however, experienced quite the embarrassing and unexpected error recently.

As Morski writes, a rather unusual situation happened recently at an organised Porec vaccination point, where the free vaccination of citizens with the Pfizer vaccine had been planned. Many people who turned up to get vaccinated waited around and didn't even manage to receive the vaccine.

The increasingly intensive promotion of vaccination against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, by both the state and local authorities in some places across the country finally seems to have borne fruit. A Porec vaccination point was organised very recently from 10:00, and people could arrive there without invitation or needing to give any prior notice, but after only 10 minutes, doctors went outside and told those gathered waiting to be vaccinated that there were no more vaccines available, writes Dnevnik.hr.

It seems that the local institutions in Porec didn't properly communicate the whole story well because people who were coming there for their second dose of the vaccine also responded to this public call. Namely, unannounced vaccination is intended only for those who are coming to get their first dose of the vaccine.

The Istrian Institute of Public Health claims that about 200 people from other counties came to the Porec vaccination point who needed a second dose, not a first dose, without notice. So, as they explained from the Institute, they met them and vaccinated them with another dose from the planned stocks for people coming for their first dose, more precisely those who haven't yet been vaccinated.

The Istrian Institute of Public Health is, as such, appealing to people travelling there from other counties not to come for their second doses without notice so as not to create unnecessary crowds and a repeat of this odd situation which ended up being a waste of the time of all involved.

In typical Croatian fashion, there still seems to be a lot of holes in the communication channels between the various institutions and people when it comes to vaccination. It is no surprise in this case, and with the fact that currently only those with HZZO can be vaccinated, that so few people are turning up.

In a global pandemic, one would think that even Croatia would cut the paperwork and red tape and simply vaccinate everyone, however that still seems, for some reason, a pipe dream as many still wait to receive their first dose.

For all you need to know about coronavirus in Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

July 11, 2021 - The 80% vaccination rate in Rovinj, which Health Minister Vili Beroš communicated, has turned out to be untrue. 

While it is undeniable that vaccinating as many people as possible is the most effective measure in the fight against COVID-19, it would be equally good if the public were treated with accurate figures rather than arbitrary calculations by individuals. Likewise, in an organized state, at least the Minister of Health could be expected to present correct information and not present unverified facts to the public, reports Glas Istre.

This is exactly what Minister of Health Vili Beroš did a few days ago when he stated at a press conference that Rovinj is the Croatian record holder in vaccinations and that 80 percent of the city's population has been vaccinated so far. Beroš reiterated the information that appeared on some portals, which was created by a wrong calculation of the figure released to the public at the end of June by the Office of the Mayor of Rovinj, Marko Paliaga.

That release states the following:

"While in most other parts of Croatia, there has been a decline in citizens' response to vaccinations, the situation in the City of Rovinj is more than satisfactory. According to the Rovinj Branch of the Istrian Health Centers, from 11 February 2021 to 24 June 2021, 11,414 citizens were vaccinated at the Rovinj Branch, of which 2,056 at the Health Center and 9,358 at the Valbruna Hall. We also learn from the head of the Branch Office, Dr. Corinne Pellizzer Lanča, that 6,853 received the first dose, while a total of 4,561 people were vaccinated with both doses."

According to the last census, Rovinj has about 14,500 inhabitants, and 11,414 citizens correspond to 80 percent of those vaccinated. However, Mayor Marko Paliaga himself told Glas Istre that he did not know where Minister Beroš got this number because they did not communicate 80 percent vaccinated. Paliaga also confirmed that 11,414 citizens include residents of surrounding municipalities such as Bale and Kanfanar that were vaccinated in Rovinj. Also, it is clear from these figures that so far, only about 4,500 people have been vaccinated with two doses, which is about a third of Rovinj's population. Still, even here, it should be considered that some of those vaccinated are probably from the surrounding municipalities. It is also unknown whether the 6,853 people who received the first dose and 4,561 the second dose are counted or are only people who received only one dose and will be vaccinated with the second dose in the next few months. In that case, the number could indeed reach 11,414 vaccinated citizens, but again, even that number will not include only Rovinj residents.

Regardless of this misinterpretation of figures, it remains an indisputable fact that Rovinj is very successful when it comes to the vaccinated population and that the citizens of this city are aware of how much vaccination means for a successful tourist season in Rovinj, which is the most visited city on the Croatian coast. The only pity is that people at the top of the government who spread unverified figures do not have the same responsibility, thus distrusting those citizens who have not yet been vaccinated.

Dr. Jasna Valić from the Istrian Teaching Institute for Public Health told Glas Istre that they do not have accurate data for Rovinj because they are under the jurisdiction of the local branch of the Istrian Health Centers, but confirmed that 48 percent of the total population in Istria was vaccinated with just one dose. In comparison, 37 percent of the total population received two doses or 31 percent of the adult population. Jasna Valić emphasized that it is easily possible that there was confusion about vaccinations because they are dealing with a lot of different numbers.

"It is not surprising that there was a misunderstanding because there are too many numbers in the game. First, you have to count on those who have gotten over Covid. Then some of them have already been vaccinated, so you have those vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson for whom one dose is enough and then those who are vaccinated with two doses. However, I think it is clear to everyone that the only thing that matters is that we are vaccinated as much as possible because that is the only way to return to normal life," said Dr. Jasna Valić. In contrast, Rovinj Mayor Marko Paliaga says that he is still delighted with the vaccination process in Rovinj despite this misunderstanding.

"The men and women of Rovinj have once again shown a great degree of responsibility and care for the protection of their health and the health of others. This is also one of the key reasons Istria records a far better epidemiological situation than the rest of Croatia. Vaccination is currently the only way out of this situation and the only way we can stop the spread of the virus. I would like to remind you that in some countries with a high vaccination rate, almost all restrictions, including the obligation to wear masks, have been lifted. Therefore, I hope that we will soon achieve mass immunity that will allow us to repeal all or most of the measures that are currently still in force," said Paliaga.

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

July the 10th, 2021 - As so-called Covid passports continue to cause confusion and irritation, Czech MEP Dita Charanzova has accused Croatia of adding to the issue by ''altering the requirements for entry into the country every couple of hours''.

As Iva Badanjak/Novac writes, European Union (EU) member states issued more than 200 million Covid certificates (EU digital green certificates) in one week, meaning that almost every other EU citizen has downloaded their digital certificate proving their vaccination status, that they have a recently obtained negative test or that they have recovered from the new disease.

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders presented an analysis to the European Parliamen on the current state of the implementation of EU regulations on digital covid certification.

Reynders expressed his satisfaction with the state of affairs so far, but warned that the regulation is still at an early stage and technical problems need to be resolved.

"I'm happy to tell you that most member states do exempt fully vaccinated or recovered persons from testing or quarantine requirements," Reynders said.

The EC Commissioner called on countries outside the European Union to link their certificates to the European system and revealed that the first country to be accepted into the European covid certificate system would be Switzerland.

EU regulations on digital covid certification officially came into force on the 1st of July, although some member states started using the certificate as early as June. The European Parliament has advocated a coordinated approach to travel measures that will allow EU citizens to re-enjoy their right to free movement without imposing additional restrictions such as quarantine, self-isolation and additional testing.

Spanish MP Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (S&D) said that the idea behind the introduction of digital EU covid certification was to relaunch the Schengen zone, ie to increase the confidence of EU citizens and those living legally in the bloc who want to move and travel freely again.

"There are still difficulties in this initial phase of adjustment in terms of developing the infrastructure and technology needed to receive and send these certificates. Also, some member states still don't issue all three types of certificates and have introduced a six-week scheme. They're still concerned about the slowness of vaccination and obstacles to free movement. The deadline for the implementation of this regulation is one year and we hope that this will allow us to solve all obstacles in that period," said Lopez Aguilar.

MP Jeroen Lenaers, on behalf of the European People's Party MPs' Club, said that "200 million small steps back to normal" have been made in less than four months.

A majority of MEPs called for the introduction of free testing in all EU member states, as this would mean an even greater increase in tourist travel.

"This document is extremely important for the resumption of tourism. The data is encouraging. We have a positive tourist season ahead of us. We've seen an increase in the number of hotel reservations, we're currently at 80 percent of reservations since 2019. We supported this document provided it isn't an obligation We're calling for the introduction of free testing for all tourists,'' said MEP Annalisa Tardino (Identity and Democracy Group).

Her party colleague, Nicolaus Fest, was among the fiercest critics of the introduction of this Covid certification at the plenary session.

"The EU's strategy for Covid certification and vaccination has completely failed. We heard today that, not only are there restrictions on travel, but there are also forms for the location of travellers. There is no unity in terms of regulations and this digital certification isn't a great achievement. The only thing the EU has taken care of is its own pharmaceutical industry enrichment programme. The anti-covid strategy has been a mistake since the beginning and has now proved unsuccessful. Huge amounts of money, billions of euros, have been thrown into the wind and protection through vaccination hasn't been achieved."

The non-harmonisation of rules at the level of the entire EU was especially criticized by Czech MP Dita Charanzova (Renew), who accused Croatia of changing the conditions for entry into the country very couple of hours and causing more issues than there already are.

"From the very beginning of all this, I've been in favor of a simple solution that will reopen Europe without restrictions. But in practice this looks different. Croatia changes the conditions of entry every few hours. The chaos is growing. If this continues, we'll soon need another GPS to pass through all measures and restrictions. I'm appealing to EU member states not to surprise us anymore like this and to strive for maximum freedom of movement in Europe,'' Czec MEP Dita Charanzova bluntly said, taking a swipe at typical Croatian complications.

For more, follow our politics section.

July 9, 2021 - The latest ECDC map has marked Croatia fully green, but we should remain cautious given the rising numbers of our tourism neighbors. 

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has released an updated map of Europe. On this week's map, the whole of Croatia is in the green zone, reports Index.hr.

The surrounding countries are green, as is most of Europe. Important exceptions are Spain and Portugal, mostly in the red zone, which marks the highest incidence.

The ECDC map is updated weekly using data from Thursday at 23:59. Colors for individual areas are determined by combining the number of confirmed cases in the past 14 days per 100 thousand inhabitants, and the percentage of the population tested.

ECDC is a European agency based in Stockholm, and its Covid maps are also an indicator for tourists of whether it is safe to travel to a destination.

If Croatia stays in the green zone, tourism workers believe that we could be much closer to the record 2019 than expected by the end of the season.

"Croatia is a safe destination, and there is a great demand because the government has made all the preconditions for Croatia to be safe, and it is up to us to preserve this situation, to act responsibly, to respect epidemiological measures, to keep the good numbers we have," the Sports and Tourism minister Nikolina Brnjac said on Wednesday, adding that we are facing one of the best possible seasons during covid.

Portuguese tourism finds itself in an unenviable situation as it goes through a new pandemic wave. In the last few days, they have crossed the limit of 3,000 new daily cases, which has not happened since the beginning of February.

France has advised its citizens to avoid Portugal and Spain this summer due to the rapid spread of the Delta Variant.

“Those of you who haven’t booked a holiday yet, avoid Spain and Portugal as your destinations; that’s advice as a precaution,” Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune told public television France 2.

"This is a recommendation that I insist on; it is better to stay in France or go to other countries... The situation is very worrying," he added, noting that travel to these destinations is still allowed. He noted, however, that it is possible to introduce stricter measures in the coming days.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos said France's concerns were "understandable" given the country's deteriorating health situation.

The night curfew set last Friday is still in force in high-risk areas, mainly in Lisbon and the surrounding area and the Algarve tourist region, in the south of the country. Now visitors to restaurants over the weekend must have a negative test or proof that they are fully vaccinated. In hotels, it is a must every day across the country.

Veljko Ostojić from the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT) says we must be careful and learn from Portugal, Spain, and Greece.

"Portugal had a problem because they had a party after winning the World Championship, and they also let the British in. Great gatherings and celebrations always tell. We experienced something similar in mid-August last year. We must be aware that tourists who come to Croatia also know the world's situation and that they will not leave because a fishing evening was not held in a small coastal town or a concert was canceled. Therefore, we have to subordinate epidemiological measures for a long season," emphasizes Ostojić, adding that this season will also be a great challenge.

Faced with a large increase in the number of corona cases among young people, Spain wants to speed up vaccination of that age group to avoid a new wave that would ruin the tourist season and the rise of the economy.

With the arrival of summer and holidays, there are more and more student parties in cafes, discos, and apartments, so the number of infections among young people has spiraled out of control in the last ten days. As a result, the incidence increased to 814 cases per 100,000 people in 14 days for youth between the ages of 20 and 29, or three times the average incidence for the entire population (252).

To stop the increase in the number of infections among young people, the government of Catalonia has announced that it will close clubs for at least 15 days from the weekend. According to official data, the percentage of those between the ages of 20 and 29 who have received at least one dose of the vaccine is only 14.4 percent. Among the total population, 64.1 percent.

At the same time, the vaccination campaign is accelerating - 40.3 percent of the population of about 47 million Spaniards is fully vaccinated, while half (55.9 percent) received a single dose of the vaccine. However, due to the deteriorating situation, several regions, including Andalusia and Catalonia, are considering tightening restrictions this week, after outdoor masks have not been mandatory since June 26.

Greece, which is heavily dependent on tourism, has lifted most restrictions on travel and entertainment and wearing masks outdoors, as the number of those infected has been falling for a long time. But it has been growing rapidly again in recent days, and experts are particularly concerned about the Delta Variant of the virus. On the new Covid map, parts of Greece are in the orange zone.

Many of the newly infected are young, and authorities link the spread of the infection to entertainment, so they decided to return restrictions to restaurants, nightclubs, and bars later this week.

"From July 8, restaurants, bars, clubs, and entertainment venues will only work with seated guests and following legal capacity rules," Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias told reporters, adding that large fines are envisaged for violators, including closing the premises.

Owners of Greek cafes and nightclubs are worried that the new restrictive measures, which allow serving only seated guests, will jeopardize the tourist season but say they accept them if it prevents the spread of the coronavirus.

"It is a step back that will certainly affect tourism, but it seems necessary so that we do not lose the rest of the summer. So we will be patient," said 27-year-old Ilias Babacikos, a beach cafe manager in the Athens coastal suburb of Alimos.

So far, about 38 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. However, the government wants to vaccinate 70 percent of citizens by autumn, offering various incentives, including money and free mobile data for young people.

According to the data published yesterday, 110 new cases were recorded in Croatia in the last 24 hours, and the number of active cases in Croatia was 624. Among them, 121 patients are in hospital, of which 3 are on a respirator. 

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

July 8, 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said that they have decided to extend digital Covid certificates in Croatia from 6 to 10 months for those who were vaccinated with their first dose and which are due to expire soon.

In a press statement before the Government session, Minister of Health Vili Beroš commented on the situation with the vaccination of the Croatian population, reports N1.

"When it comes to the health system, after the end of the mass campaign, we move to a certain new approach, and these are mandatory lectures and education for all persons, even unvaccinated, in the health system," said Beroš, as reported by N1.

The lecturers will be experts who will teach the latest knowledge, answer questions and solve the doubts of those who do not want to be vaccinated. In that way, we will solve certain doubts in direct communication. Lectures will be mandatory, as they take place as part of occupational safety education, he added.

We are moving to a more specific approach and of course, we will suggest a similar approach to all other sectors. Vaccination among health workers is growing, the minister said.

Asked how many employees of the Ministry of Health have been vaccinated against Covid, the minister said it is below 35 percent.

"I am not satisfied," Beroš said.

The Minister also stated that the Covid certificates for those vaccinated with the first dose will be extended to 10 months, instead of the previous 6.

"I accept my responsibility, but those who have not been vaccinated must also take responsibility, contributing to the possible emergence of the fourth wave and the prolongation of the economic crisis," said Beroš.

In the European Union, it has already been thought that those who refuse vaccination bear the costs of treatment. In Croatia, we are not going in that direction. The state will pay for their treatment, but why would our money go to the treatment of someone who could protect themselves? If we go wider, then we have an example of smoking. So, it is a broader problem, but it has already imposed itself as a topic in some European countries," said Beroš.

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