February 22, 2022 - Covid measures at Croatian sporting events could be mitigated from next week, says the director of the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak.

The Croatian Football League has not seen a season so intense for a long time. However, while Dinamo, Osijek, Hajduk, and Rijeka are leading a relentless race for first place in the standings, the stadium capacity has been reduced due to epidemiological measures. Namely, 40 percent of the seats in the stands can be filled, but that could change soon, reports Index.hr. 

Namely, the figures show that the coronavirus pandemic is entering a calmer phase and that mitigating epidemiological measures could therefore be considered. One of these measures is to restrict entry to stadiums. The question of whether to increase the capacity of football stadiums was asked to the director of the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak.

"Epidemiological measures will be mitigated when epidemiological preconditions are created. As for sporting events, they are also considered. When preconditions are created, measures will be mitigated, but the decision is up to the Headquarters. HZJZ only proposes recommendations," Capak said. 

However, it is unlikely that total stadium capacity will be allowed immediately. It is much more likely that, depending on the epidemiological conditions in the country, the number of fans allowed in stadiums will gradually increase. This will likely not happen this weekend when the Hajduk - Rijeka, and Osijek - Dinamo matches are played in the HNL.

The date when a decision could be made on a possible increase in stadium capacity is March 1. The number of newly infected people in Croatia today is 4334, but the situation in hospitals has stabilized. As the directors of KBC Rijeka and Split, Alen Ružić and Julija Meštrović, said yesterday, there are half as many Covid patients in hospitals as three weeks ago and half as many patients on a respirator.

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ZAGREB, 10 Dec 2021 - Asked about working hours for hotels and the hospitality sector on New Year's Eve, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Friday that the decision on closing at midnight was still in force, however, he did not entirely rule out the possibility of that decision being amended.

"Decisions that are in force refer to working hours until midnight. It's only the 10th of December today... the response team is considering all the possibilities and we won't wait until the eleventh hour but at the moment I would not like to say anything that might be interpreted as a decision or stance," Božinović said after a cabinet meeting.

"You know the rules of the game - if the current decline in the number of infections continues, I do not see any reason why, with some possible recommendations, something could not be allowed for that evening," he added.

Božinović added that one could not forecast how much the Omicron variant, which spreads quickly, would spread.

"A lot is still unknown. Everyone is following the situation in South Africa (...)  the experts there are analysing that variant and we all depend on those results, from governments to vaccine producers," he said.

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November the 21st, 2021 - The very first real warnings to those who fail to respect the current Croatian covid measures, which have seen the widening of the use of covid certificates, are set to be issued as of Monday.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, it appears that Minister Radovan Fuchs has caught the interest of many teachers and others working in the field of education with his ideas on this matter.

''I'm going to personally ask the National Civil Protection Directorate to consider the possibility to make it so those who get vaccinated don't have to wait a further 21 days after their first dose of the vaccine to get their hands on a certificate, but that they can still enter their workplaces with some other form of vaccination certificate,'' said Radovan Fuchs.

This, many in schools say, would encourage the vaccination of those still in doubt, and it would be easier to overcome the wait until the second dose.

''Perhaps one of the ways to provide support to our colleagues and the opportunity to come and hold live classes at their workplace is with this confirmation of them having had their first vaccine,'' said Branka Stefok Bojadjija, the director of Borovje Elementary School in the City of Zagreb.

''That could be a very positive move, it would make it easier for teachers not to have to wait for new tests,'' added Marija Mihaljevic, a pedagogue at an elementary school in Zagreb.

''I think it's okay, our responsibility is primarily to others, we work with students, we wear masks, we keep our distance,'' said Jelena Skupnjak, a Professor of Physics at Dubrava Elementary School, also in Zagreb.

''We welcome any solution that makes life easier for employees,'' said Zeljko Stipic for HRT, but the question now is how much will proposing possible further steps in cases of decision violations in Croatian schools make life difficult for head teachers and principals?

''After three days from the implementation of the latest Decision of the National Civil Protection Directorate, today, according to the instructions of our the competent ministry, school principals should start handing out the first warnings to any employees who don't respect Croatian covid measures, and after five days, if they continue not respecting the measures, they'll get a second warning,'' said Zeljko Stipic of the Preporod School Union.

We won't even talk about the third one, which is dismissal, which would cause a lot of harm to a system that is already struggling with finding proper replacements. We have given people instructions, we're giving everyone a chance, but the Croatian covid measures and the rules must be respected. It's just like if drive through a red light, if someone catches you then you'll have to pay a fine,'' Minister Fuchs warned.

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