ZAGREB, 8 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 3,217 new cases of coronavirus infection, which is almost twice as many as on Wednesday when there were 1,649 new cases, and there have been 36 deaths, according to data from the national COVID-19 crisis management team released on Thursday.

The number of active cases in Croatia today stands at 12,767. There are 1,756 COVID patients in hospitals, 171 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, a total of 285,765 people have contracted coronavirus, 6,185 of them have died and 266,813 have recovered, including 1,775 in the last 24 hours.

There are currently 28,763 people in self-isolation.

To date, 1,610,669 people have been tested, 11,216 of whom have been tested over the past 24 hours.

As of 7 April, 533,409 doses of vaccine have been used, and 432,601 people have been vaccinated. Of them, 330,142 people have received the first dose, and 100,808 have received both doses. For 1,651 people, there is no data on which dose they have received.

For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 7 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 1,649 new cases of coronavirus infection and 36 deaths, and the number of active cases currently stands at 11,361, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

There are 1,750 COVID patients in hospitals, 160 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, a total of 282,548 people have contracted coronavirus, of whom 6,149 have died and 265,038 have recovered, including 1,280 in the last 24 hours.

There are 27,406 people currently in self-isolation. To date, 1,599,453 have been tested, 9,466 of whom over the past 24 hours.

As of 6 April, 526,414 doses of vaccine have been used, and 427,387 people have been vaccinated. Of them, 326,711 people have received the first dose, and 99,027 have received both doses. For 1,649 people, there is no data on which dose they have received.

For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 7, 2021 - In order to promote safe tourism during the pandemic, the Rovinj Tourist Board provides PCR tests for guests staying in private accommodation.

As reported by IstraIN.hr, in order to facilitate the stay of guests in Rovinj and make their stay safer, the Rovinj Tourist Board has decided to ease the situation for private renters and guests, since they need a negative PCR test to avoid quarantine to return home.

Credit: Gerald Thurner (Pixabay)

Even if new flight routes are being opened and the frequency of these are increasing as the summer season approaches, many of the tourists traveling to Croatia have to deal with the measures imposed in their own countries upon their return. For instance, tourists from many European countries had to cancel their reservations during last summer season due to the quarantine measures imposed by their governments. 

As the world was hit by the third wave of the pandemic, many countries were forced to tighten measures further. Among them are numerous European countries such as Germany, which have declared Istria as a high-risk region, despite the fact that Istria is still among the European regions with the lowest incidence of infection.

On that occasion, the Rovinj Tourist Board has provided testing for guests staying in private accommodation and other smaller facilities. Testing is performed in Maistra hotels, and to register guests will need to contact the Rovinj Tourist Board by phone at +385 52 811 566 or e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Credit: Rovinj Tourist Board

Last year the Tourist Board designed its own protective canvas face mask, which was distributed to catering employees and registered private landlords. The mask served not only as a safety measure but as an attractive souvenir for many guests as well.

In addition to masks, the Tourist Board has made a leaflet or brochure "Info COVID-19" which is intended for guests and renters, to inform guests about the procedure in case of coronavirus infection during their stay in the accommodation facility. You can find it below:

All you need to know about traveling to Rovinj can be found on our dedicated TC page.

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April the 7th, 2021 - The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to hold the entire world in its iron grip with lockdowns and complicated measures being introduced and changed frequently. With that said, can one even enter Croatia without quarantine? Yes and no.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, those passengers who don't have a negative molecular (PCR) or a negative rapid antigen test that is not older than 48 hours when entering the country will be entered into a digital monitoring platform for COVID-19 as people who must go into mandatory self-isolation/quarantine in which they must spend 10 days, according to a report from 24sata.

If they want to shorten that time spent in mandatory quarantine/self-isolation, passengers can be tested for the novel coronavirus immediately upon entering Croatia, but they must remain in self-isolation until a negative test result arrives. This is the procedure adopted by the National Civil Protection Headquarters on March 31st, 2021, and it refers to all people entering the country.

Those who enter the country and want to be tested only after arriving in Croatia must order their tests. Going for their coronavirus test is a justified reason for leaving home or your accommodation for the duration of mandatory quarantine.

Of course, those people must wear a mask and adhere to all other current epidemiological measures. The individual then must send their negative test result to the email address they received on the leaflet given to them upon entry by the border police, and based on that result, the police will remove the person's obligation to remain in self-isolation within the aforementioned digital platform.

If a passenger is allowed to enter Croatia on the basis of a having a negative rapid antigen test and intends to stay in Croatia for more than 10 days, then they must be retested for the novel virus by the tenth day from the date of issue of that initial test.

Those who are tested upon entering the country and end up receiving a positive test result or develop symptoms of the disease during their time spent in quarantine must contact a doctor. If they aren't residents of the country or for whatever reason don't have a GP, the owner of the facility in which they're residing must provide the contact details for a doctor for them.

For more on coronavirus, including border, quarantine and travel rules, as well as testing centres located across the country, make sure to bookmark this page.

ZAGREB, 6 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 735 new cases of the coronavirus infection and 30 deaths, and the number of active cases currently stands at 11,028, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.

There are 1,713 COVID patients in hospitals, 155 of whom are on ventilators. In the last 24 hours, 1,531 people have recovered and 6,333 have been tested.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case, 280,899 people have contracted coronavirus, 263,758 have recovered and 6,113 have died.

To date, a total of 1,589,987 people have been tested.

There are currently 26,592 people in self-isolation.

As of 5 April, 524,724 doses of vaccine have been used, and 426,310 people have been vaccinated, 326,247 of whom have received the first dose and 98,414 of whom have received both doses. For 1,649 people, there is no data on which dose they have received.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 2 April, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 2,362 new coronavirus cases and 29 COVID deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 response team said on Friday.

The number of active cases is 13,111, including 1,464 hospitalised patients, of whom 153 are on ventilators, while 34,878 people are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 276,416 coronavirus cases to date as well as 5,996 COVID deaths and 276,416 recoveries, including 1,670 in the past 24 hours.

To date 1,568,027 people have been tested for the virus, including 8,697 in the past 24 hours, and 404,518 have been vaccinated, including 92,380 with both doses. For 1,519 people there is no information as to whether they have received one or two doses.

For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 1 April, 2021 - In the last 24 hours 2,422 new coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia, with the share of infected persons among those tested reaching 25.56%, Health Minister Vili Beroš told a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Currently, 33,376 people are self-isolating and 1,337 are receiving hospital treatment, including 144 who are on ventilators.

"A total of 6,832 persons have been infected this week alone, and compared with the start of last month, the number of patients on ventilators has nearly doubled and the number of hospital patients has increased by 60%," Beroš said.

By Wednesday, 2,632 samples have been sent for sequencing and the results show that the British variant of the coronavirus was detected in 67% of them.

Croatia has so far received 540,845 vaccine doses, and by 30 March 463,003 doses have been administered, or 86% of the doses received.

Beroš said that additional intensive care units are being reopened in the Dubrava Hospital in Zagreb, as well as in other hospitals as necessary.

He called on the citizens to refrain from large gatherings during the Easter holidays, to maintain a safe distance, wear masks and air out their rooms.

 In the last 24 hours, there have been 20 COVID-related deaths bringing the death toll to 5,967.

The head of the national coronavirus response team, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, spoke of the measures to contain the coronavirus, which are being tightened until 15 April.

"Given the fact that the epidemiological situation is not the same everywhere, the national response team is introducing the new measures for the large part at the proposal of county teams," Božinović said.

Over the next two weeks, indoor training will be forbidden at national level, except for top athletes, and the work of indoor play groups will be restricted.

As for the border crossing regime, for entry into Croatia fast antigen tests, recognised by EU member states, and vaccination certificates will be recognised.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 31 March, 2021 - Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac said on Wednesday that clear entry criteria for Croatia were being prepared according to European Commission recommendations for travel across borders, which will probably be - recovered from COVID-19, vaccination or a PCR or antigen test.

Asked by reporters ahead of an inner cabinet meeting what she thinks of the measures by the national COVID response team and how the deteriorated epidemiological situation is being reflected on tourism and bookings, Minister Brnjac said that as soon as the European Commission released its draft recommendations on travel restrictions, Croatia immediately started working on clear criteria for entry into Croatia.

The Commission recently proposed a regulation on creating a Digital Green Certificate which should enable safe travel within the European Union during the pandemic. The certificate should be proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19.

Brnjac added that this requires technical preparations which are already being worked on in the Interior Ministry and the Croatian Institute for Public Health so that, as soon as the regulation enters into force, it can be integrated in the system.

That is important because of the epidemiological situation, which is why at the end of 2020 we launched safe protocols and the "Safe stay in Croatia" label, she said.

"We have previously warned that the most important thing is for Croatia to be in the 'green' zone and we asked local tourist boards to recommend testing stations for tourists... We need to achieve flow of both tourists and tests," said Brnjac.

Asked how the current situation is being reflected on bookings, Brnjac said that she is in constant contact with partners on the markets and that there has been an increase in enquiries, mostly about whether Croatia is in the "green" and about the vaccination of tourism workers which, she added, could be conducted in May and June as "vaccines are coming."

"There are fewer bookings than in previous years, even for Easter, but more are expected... from the end of May and in June, for which there is more interest by tourists, and that is why we should have the best epidemiological situation possible," she said. 

Asked about aid for travel agencies which are required to refund deposits for cancelled travel arrangements, yet don't have the funds to do so, Brnjac said "they can get loans and return what they owe, with state guarantees for up to 100 per cent of the loans that are earmarked for SMEs and 90% for (those earmarked for) large companies."

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 31 March, 2021 - The national coronavirus crisis management team on Wednesday announced new epidemiological restrictions to be in force until 15 April, including a ban on indoor training, restrictions on the work of children playrooms and a temporary ban and restriction of cross-border travel.

The ban on indoor training does not apply to top competitions and athletes.

Certificates of vaccination with Russian, Chinese vaccines valid

Croatian border authorities will accept fast antigen tests as well as certificates about vaccination with the Russian and Chinese vaccines, and certificates proving their holders' recovery from COVID-19 and those certificates will be considered valid for 180 days, the team's head, Davor Božinović, said.

Border crossing has been regulated due to tourist visits, the exception being digital nomads and children.

"Considering restrictions in neighbouring countries, we do not expect a large number of arrivals," said Božinović.

He noted that the tighter restrictions were being introduced following a proposal to that effect by county COVID-19 response teams.

Apart from nationwide restrictions, the national team also made decisions on restrictions for Šibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia counties.

In Split-Dalmatia County, which has seen a big increase in new infections, the mandatory wearing of face masks at outdoor venues with an increased flow of people will be introduced, as will a ban on the sale of alcohol from 8pm to 6am. The work of cafes will be restricted until 8pm, and it will be possible to serve food and drinks only in the open. Foreign language schools will switch to online classes again.

Božinović said that restrictions could be additionally tightened since the epidemiological situation was not good.

Restrictions to be tightened if number of infections continues to grow

"We have a significant increase today and we cannot ignore the possibility of the scenario in neighbouring countries happening here as well. These restrictions will be in force for a few days but should statistics be worrying, we will introduce new measures," said Božinović.

The latest restrictions go into force on Thursday and will be in force until 15 April.

In the last 24 hours, 2,623 new coronavirus cases and 19 COVID-related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national coronavirus response team said earlier in the day.

The number of active cases now stands at 11,306. Among them are 1,337 people receiving hospital treatment, of whom 144 are placed on ventilators.

Croatian Public Health Institute head Krunoslav Capak warned that today the number of new infections was 47% higher than last week.

Istria County has the lowest incidence, while Primorje-Gorski Kotar County has the highest. Croatia is currently 18th in the EU in terms of the number of deaths per one million inhabitants, while in terms of the 14-day incidence it is 12th.

Speaking about the start of the third phase of vaccination, Capak said that care would be taken of the order in which people had registered for vaccination at the cijepi.se online platform.

"All people older than 16 can be inoculated in the third phase, but a certain priority will be given to people in services in which they come into contact with a large number of people," he said, adding that the third phase could start in May.

He noted that cases of infection with coronavirus after vaccination had been reported. "We have about 20 such cases. Forty-four people in aged care homes got infected after receiving the first dose and 22 got infected after the second dose, but the symptoms were mild."

Commenting on an announcement by the Zagreb COVID-19 response team about the wearing of face masks outdoors, Capak said: "If you are outdoors and alone, there is no need to wear a mask."

"Outdoor mask wearing refers to places where there are a lot of people, in the farmers' market, on the waterfront," he said, noting that the recommendation to wear a mask outdoors had been in force so far for places where physical distancing was not possible.

For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 31 March, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 2,623 new coronavirus cases and 19 COVID-related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national coronavirus response team said on Wednesday.

The number of active cases now stands at 11,306. Among them are 1,337 people receiving hospital treatment, of whom 144 are placed on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 271,632 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 5,947 have died and 254,379 have recovered, including 920 in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 29,706 people are in self-isolation. A total of 1,549,854 people have been tested to date, including 10,622 in the last 24 hours.

By 30 March, 463,003 doses of vaccine have been administered and 374,399 people have been vaccinated, including 287,228 who have received one dose and 87,171 who have received two doses.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.