ZAGREB, 16 Sept 2021 - Students and teachers of primary and secondary schools in Sinj must wear masks in class on Thursday, despite a recommendation of Sinj's civil protection team to lift the obligation to weak masks in schools.

"About 300 students and 25 teachers of the Dinko Šimunović Secondary School are today obliged to wear a protective mask in class, and the situation is the same in other secondary and primary schools in Sinj," the school's headmaster Tomislav Bilić told Hina.

He added that headmasters of primary and secondary schools in Sinj discussed on Wednesday evening the mandatory mask rule. He also said that one of his school's students was positive to COVID, and ten were in self-isolation because they had been in contact with the infected student.

On Wednesday, Sinj's civil protection team, at the proposal of Sinj Mayor Miro Bulj, made a decision recommending that elementary and secondary school students and teachers need not wear a protective mask.

Bilić said in a press release on the Dinko Šimunović school's website, despite the recommendation of the Sinj civil protection team, that measures on the mandatory wearing of masks in class were still in force.

He added that the school board might propose a decision to abolish these measures after collecting opinions from the Ministry of Science and Education, the teaching council, the parents' council and the students' council.

"I consider that through joint cooperation between teachers, parents, founders, the local team, and epidemiologists we will make the best decision in the interest of all our students," Bilić said in the press release.

The head of the education department within Split-Dalmatia County said on Wednesday that pupils in the county, including pupils in Sinj, were obliged to wear protective masks.

Students of primary and secondary schools in Sinj must wear masks tomorrow and in the next period, in compliance with the rules proposed by the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) and the Ministry of Science and Education, the county education department's head Tomislav Đonlić said on Wednesday evening in a press release.

The press release was prompted by the decision of the mayor of Sinj, Miro Bulj of the Bridge party, that elementary and secondary school pupils and teachers need not wear a mask.

"Mayor Bulj does not know the rules or intentionally accentuates this issue only to score cheap political points," Đonlić was quoted by the press release as saying.

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

ZAGREB, 13 Sept 2021 - Several protesters gathered outside Krapinske Toplice Primary School on Monday morning to support a parent who does not want his child to wear a protective mask while attending classes, and also an expert team is expected to arrive to provide psychological assistance at the site.

The pupil concerned on Monday again came to school without a protective mask and was denied access to the school building.

The first protest of this kind was held on Friday when about 20 people rallied because that boy, who refuses to wear a face mask, had been banned from entering the school. The protest was organized by the boy's father, who says a mask makes it difficult for his son to breathe and that the school does not allow him to use common areas without it. In that way, he said, his son is being denied the right to an education.

Education Minister Radovan Fuchs is also expected to visit the school today.

The school's headmaster, Samson Štibohar, said today that they had asked the parents to obtain from doctors the medical explanation that the child should be exempt from the mask-wearing rule on medical conditions.

I find all this escalation unnecessary, the headmaster explained.

On Friday he said that children's health and safety came first and that the protest was the result of one parent's refusal to comply with the measures, protocols, and decisions under which headmasters had to create work guidelines for the new school year.

"The problem is that the pupil and his parent refuse that he wears a mask in the hall and the toilet and when entering and leaving school, which takes maybe two minutes," he said, adding that he saw nothing positive in the protest.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 2 Sept 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has performed 9,989 coronavirus tests, and 8% of them, that is 798, have turned out to be positive, and 11 COVID patients have died, bringing the COVID-related death toll to 8,349, the national coronavirus crisis management team stated on Thursday.

Currently, there are 3,943 active cases of infection in the country, and of them, 450 are receiving hospital treatment, including 53 patients placed on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020 when Croatia reported its first registered COVID case, more than 2.56 million tests have been conducted, showing that 375,601 people have caught the virus. Of them, 363,309 have recovered to date.

Since the start of its vaccine rollout, Croatia has administered nearly 3.3 million vaccines, and 42.64% of the population, or 51.22 of the adult citizens, have been vaccinated.

To date, 1,619, 592  citizens,  that is 47.99% of the adult population, have fully been immunized.

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.

ZAGREB, 26 August 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that there would be no tight lockdown and called on citizens to show personal responsibility and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

It is crystal clear that Croatia will not opt for a tight lockdown, the PM said after a government meeting.

He said that the government had secured sufficient amounts of vaccines against coronavirus.

"The threat (of the spread of the disease) will be considerably lower, provided that people get vaccinated, comply with basic measures: wearing masks, keeping a social distance, and airing rooms," Plenković said when asked by the press to comment on President Zoran Milanović's statement that the current anti-epidemic rules no longer made sense and that Croatia should follow the example of Sweden in managing the epidemic.

Urging citizens to behave responsibly, Plenković said that no rewards would be given to those who decided to get a jab.

"I firmly believe in common sense, prudence, and benevolence of our people and in them being well informed," Plenković said when asked about the possible imposition of more stringent rules.

"We do not have the luxury of being populists, demagogues, speculators, or provocateurs. We must be responsible and make decisions to the benefit of all," the premier said.

He added that the lifting of restrictions would mean that there would be no more COVID grants to businesses.

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

ZAGREB, 26 Aug 2021 - Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, who heads the national COVID-19 response team, said on Thursday that the team was not planning to change or tighten current epidemiological restrictions just as it had not done so far.

"After we have been communicating on a daily basis for the past 18 months about the pandemic, I think there is no one who lacks basic facts about protection against the infection," he said, expressing hope that Croatia would stay orange on the epidemiological map of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Speaking of a decrease in interest in vaccination, Božinović said that the vaccination roll-out and the related activities were within the remit of the Croatian Public Health Institute and not the national COVID-19 response team.

"Naturally we want as many people as possible to get vaccinated because at this moment that is the only sustainable way out of the epidemic and stronger efforts will definitely be made in that regard. We expect the number of people interested in getting vaccinated to increase in the autumn but we should all be making the public aware that vaccination protects to a large extent against the more severe forms of the disease," he said.

Asked if the team was considering the introduction of tighter epidemiological restrictions, he said that each restriction had to be designed in line with people's willingness to accept scientific achievements but that there was no measure that was more efficient than vaccination.

"On the other hand, larger gatherings pose a risk... the autumn is close, and staying indoors facilitates the spreading of the infection so we have to warn people of risky behavior and gatherings that can lead to an increase in the number of infections. So far we have not been inclined to introduce very strict restrictions and we will continue to behave that way," Božinović said.

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

ZAGREB, 26 Aug 2021 - President Zoran Milanović said on Thursday that the current anti-epidemic rules had no sense any more, and that Croatia should follow the example of Sweden rather than France and Germany considering measures taken to combat the COVID pandemic.

Milanović said this did not mean that Croatia should not copy others, however, he admitted that the country was also a part of a wider community and "it cannot always be the way we believe is the smartest."

"I think now that it would be more prudent to do something different than France and Germany or some other countries are doing," Milanović told the press in the Dalmatian town of Kijevo near Knin where he attended ceremonies commemorating civilian victims of the war who died 30 years ago. "I would follow the suit of Sweden. Sweden can afford it for itself, however it pays a political price, we obviously cannot do that," the president said.

The president explained that many people had got vaccinated against coronavirus which now made the anti-epidemic rules unnecessary unless the healthcare system and intensive care wards were exposed to strain.

 He again called on the Croatians to get vaccinated.

 "Get vaccinated. Trust science, be pragmatic, take care of yourselves," Milanović said.

Commenting on the forthcoming population census, Milanović said that the findings of the census would probably show that the population in Croatia alone was downsized by 10% compared to the situation 10 years ago, and he ascribed that to the emigration of Croatians to Ireland, Great Britain, and other western countries.

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

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.

August 12, 2021 - Yesterday a meeting was held in Opatija between associations linked to the tourism sector and government authorities. They spoke of the current situation of the catering industry, coffee bars in Croatia for example, and also of its precarious future if restrictions are imposed and financial support is not provided.

The National Association of Caterers (NUU) also participated in the meeting of the tourism sector with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Croatia held in Opatija, reports HrTurizam. The importance of this meeting is shown by the fact that 21% of all companies in Croatia operate in the tourism sector, of which 2/3 are caterers, and whose position was discussed by Jelena Tabak, President of the National Association of Caterers.

According to the press release of the NUU, the meeting in Opatija discussed the successful figures in the booking of foreign and domestic tourists and discussed the burden and damage suffered by the hospitality sector.

"The already fragile catering industry, faced with a high tax burden, illiquidity, and a chronic shortage of manpower, has been put at the forefront of the defense since the beginning of the pandemic by restrictive business measures", the statement said. For all catering companies, such as coffee bars in Croatia, which perform activities of preparation of drinks and beverages only, work indoors is still prohibited.

By working in controlled conditions, limited working hours and enclosed spaces, this part of the sector has once again shown its size and proved that it carries a pandemic on its back in addition to the health system. According to the caterers, further restrictions in the catering business will protect the rest of the tourism sector, which is the basic bread of Croatia, according to the caterers.

Jelena Tabak, President of the National Association of Caterers (NUU) (Photo: Goran Stanzl/PIXSELL)

Given that this attitude further leads to the collapse of coffee bars in Croatia, Jelena Tabak appealed to the Government and the Ministry of Tourism to stand behind this part of the sector as soon as possible and actively participate in its recovery and quality development, with the collegiality of all other colleagues in the sector, to which the caterers did so at a time when the number of paid visits to Croatia must not be jeopardized.

According to the presented results, for now, we have a very good chance to finish the season, fall and winter, but the damage is too great to repair in the foreseeable future without the implementation of tax relief and long-term reforms. The lack of reforms will encourage an already excessive outflow of the qualified catering staff who bring to their senses the quality of service and a successful tourist year.

We hope that more such meetings will be held shortly and that the trend initiated by Minister Nikolina Brnjac with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia will become the rule because only with an interactive approach and joint efforts of all tourism stakeholders and caterers associations it is possible to achieve tourism success.

For more, follow our business section. 

June 30, 2021 - A look at the new COVID-19 measures in Croatia from July 1. 

New epidemiological measures will take effect tomorrow, July 1. 

More freedom for all with Covid passports
It is important to point out that as of July 1, there is no ban on the number of people gathered for events for people who have digital EU certificates.

The new measures mostly refer to gatherings of people who have an EU digital certificate -  there are no restrictions on the number of people gathered in this sense, nor will there be restrictions placed on the duration of such gatherings.

The organizers of such events will have access to a mobile application through which they will be able to read the QR code from the digital EU certificate. However, the consent of the local civil protection headquarters will be required for such events.

Bozinovic emphasized that for other cases, in which the Covid status of persons will not be controlled, there remains a limit of 100 persons, and a limit on the duration of the event up to midnight. 

These are all measures that are in force from tomorrow
- ban on holding all public events and gatherings attended by more than 100 people in one place, unless it is a public event or gathering attended only by persons with an EU digital covid-certificate, and the local civil protection headquarters of the local self-government gave consent
- public events and gatherings and ceremonies of all kinds can last up to 24:00, unless it is a public event or gathering attended only by persons with EU digital covid-certificate, and the competent civil protection headquarters of the local government gave consent
- at cemetaries, during last farewells and funerals, condolences to the bereaved must not be expressed in close contact, and cemetery administrations are obliged to monitor compliance with anti-epidemic measures
- working hours limit for bakeries and shops selling bread and bakery products until 24:00
- ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages from 24:00 to 6:00

Cafes can only serve you if you are sitting
- restricting the operation of catering facilities and family farms that provide catering services so that food, beverages, and sweets can be served in the outdoor service area, and only to guests sitting at tables, in strict compliance with prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, and working hours can be determined from 6:00 to 24:00
- catering establishments may deliver, i.e., deliver food, beverages, and sweets in compliance with all anti-epidemic measures in one of the following ways: by personal collection before entering the catering facility without entering the facility, delivery from the catering facility by own delivery vehicle, delivery on the basis of business cooperation agreements concluded between the caterer and a third party (legal or natural-craftspeople), which are registered and entered in the Register of entities in the food business, the so-called "drive-through" way
- exceptionally from the anti-epidemic measure, catering facilities and family farms which, in accordance with the decision of the competent administrative body, prepare and serve guests hot and cold dishes and desserts, are allowed indoors, with strict adherence to general epidemiological measures and special recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, 
- exceptionally from the anti-epidemic measure, catering facilities such as night clubs, night bars, disco-bars and disco-clubs from the Bars category are allowed to work and serve all guests without restrictions on working hours, but only in open spaces and provided only for persons holding an EU digital covid-certificate (guests, staff, contractors, etc.)

Gatherings of more than 30 people if all have a Covid certificate
- holding private ceremonies and gatherings of all kinds (including wedding ceremonies) in catering and other facilities are allowed in compliance with all prescribed epidemiological measures if the ceremony is not attended by more than 30 people
- it is exceptionally allowed to hold wedding ceremonies with more than 30 people, with the obligatory notice of the wedding ceremony, stating the place, time and approximate number of persons who will be present to the competent county civil protection service via e-mail county centers 112 is in Annex 1), no later than 3 days before the event and compliance with special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health and if all persons who will be present at the wedding ceremony have an EU digital covid-certificate
- the organizer of the wedding ceremony is obliged, before entering the space where the wedding ceremony is held, to check whether all persons who will be present at the wedding ceremony of the EU have a digital covid-certificate
- for holding wedding ceremonies that are in accordance with the above, it is not necessary to obtain the prior consent of the competent civil protection headquarters and do not have to end by 24:00
- opening hours of casinos, slot machine clubs, and payment points for betting can be determined from 8:00 to 24:00, with a ban on the provision of catering services in their premises
- strict adherence to anti-epidemic measures in gyms and fitness centers
- strict adherence to anti-epidemic measures when holding workshops, children's playrooms, and providing entertainment and recreational services indoors (birthday parties, amusement and family parks, etc.)
- suspension of all amateur cultural and artistic performances, programs, and events indoors
- suspension of fairs and other forms of economic and tourist events or events where products are sold, exhibited or displayed indoors
- mandatory use of face masks or medical masks at fairs and other forms of economic and tourist events or events where products are sold, exhibited or displayed in open spaces
- conferences and congresses attended by up to 100 people may be held in compliance with all prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health

Sports and other
- sports competitions and training can be held only without spectators and with strict adherence to all prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, and the organizers are obliged to ensure that all athletes and necessary technical staff adhere to prescribed epidemiological measures.
- exceptionally, sports competitions may be held in the presence of a maximum of 100 spectators if the following conditions are met: the county public health institute in whose territory the competition is held develops an epidemiological framework, and the county civil protection headquarters in the area where the competition takes place approves
exceptionally, sports competitions may be organized in the presence of more than 100 spectators, without the epidemiological framework and the approval of the competent county headquarters, if all spectators and technical organizational staff present at the competition have an EU digital covid-certificate; the organizers of such competitions are obliged to submit a notice of the competition stating the place, time and approximate number of persons who will be present to the competent county civil protection service by e-mail of county centers 112 no later than 3 days before the competition
- the fulfillment of the set conditions is obliged to be controlled by the organizer of the competition
- foreign language schools are obliged to perform their activities in strict compliance with the prescribed epidemiological measures
- driving schools can theoretically be held only online or otherwise must maintain long-distance contacts, driving lessons can last a maximum of 45 minutes, with mandatory measurement of body temperature before entering the car, a break between two candidates must be a minimum of 10 minutes to ventilate and disinfect the car and records must be kept of all participants in driving lessons
- recommendation that religious rites, whenever possible, be broadcast via radio, TV, or in any other way that will allow believers to attend a religious rite without coming to religious facilities
- recommendation to local and regional self-government units not to organize and facilitate public events and gatherings of a large number of persons, especially organized viewing of football matches during the European Football Championship, unless only persons holding an EU digital covid- confirmation.

Organizers of public events that will be attended only by persons holding an EU digital covid-certificate are obliged, no later than 7 days before the event, to notify the headquarters of the local self-government unit of the intention to organize such a gathering, in whose area such a public event, i.e., gathering, will be held and request prior consent for holding.

The competent civil protection headquarters is obliged to respond to the request for the issuance of prior consent within 3 days of its receipt. Prior consent can only be given for public events and gatherings where all participants will have an EU digital covid-certificate.

Source: Index.hr

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

ZAGREB, 27 June, 2021 - Citizens of Serbia can enter Croatia without any restrictions and under the same conditions that were in force before the measures put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, the Serbian Embassy in Zagreb says on its website.

Citing the revised conditions for entry into Croatia of 25 June 2021, the Serbian Embassy says that Serbian nationals do not need a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test.

On 12 May, Serbia made it possible for its citizens to obtain a digital green certificate proving that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and providing the results of PCR, antigen or serological testing. The certificate is recognised by Turkey, Greece, Slovenia and Hungary. 

On 19 June, for the first time in eight and a half months, Serbia registered a two-digit number of daily coronavirus cases, and the numbers of COVID-related deaths and hospitalisations have been decreasing steadily. 

In the last 24 hours, Serbia registered 63 new coronavirus cases after 4,903 tests done and two deaths. 314 infected persons were receiving hospital treatment on Sunday, including 12 who were placed on ventilators. Since the start of the epidemic in March last year, 716,301 people have been registered as having contracted the virus and 7,031 patients have died, according to the country's health authorities.

Since the start of the vaccination campaign in December last year, 5.2 million vaccine doses have been administered, with 2.7 million people receiving one dose and 2.5 million receiving both doses.

Serbia administers four vaccines - Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Chinese-made Sinopharm and Russian Sputnik V. The Belgrade-based Torlak Institute of Immunology and Virology started manufacturing Sputnik V on 4 June.

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

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February 12, 2021 – At today's press conference of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic presented and explained the details of the new epidemiological measures announced by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković at yesterday's Government session. Namely, from February 15, caterers will be allowed to sell coffee to go, fitness centres, gyms, and bookmakers will be able to open. Students will be able to study in foreign language schools and in workshops.

The new eased measures, created by the Headquarters and the Government's reflection, will be valid until 28 February.

An epidemiologically, but also sociologically and psychologically justified approach

"We know how the situation can get worse in a short time. We don't expect this, but we must be careful. In the last seven days, we've even managed to get into third place in terms of incidence in Europe. But our primary interest is to lower the numbers of new infections so that, compared to other EU members, we now have the least stringent measures in Europe, which means that this effort is paying off. We must not relax totally, and just because we didn't do so before, we're able to ease some measures now.

February 28th is going to be here in less than two weeks, and from today we'll be thinking about measures that could be further relaxed if the trends remain like this. We don't know what that's all going to look like at the moment. Still, we're going to closely monitor everything that is happening, especially in regard to to the new variants, where the profession, primarily epidemiologists, have an essential role," said Božinović.

He added that they're advocating for a gradual approach that is epidemiologically but also sociologically and psychologically justified. From day one, they've been trying to learn as much as possible about the virus and society's behaviour, and they're also taking a new strain of the novel coronavirus and its appearance in Croatia into consideration. He spoke about the easing of the country's measures in five categories.

The delivery of food, beverages, and desserts from catering facilities:

Those who pick up food and beverages must not stay on the terraces and in front of the buildings or enter the buildings. While waiting in line, they should maintain space between each other and wear masks. Staying in front of the building shouldn't be encouraged by things like playing music, the terraces should be fenced off, and tables should be removed or arranged in a way that they can't be used. Notices must be posted on facilities prohibiting entry, the maintaining of social distancing, and so on.

2. Gyms and fitness centres:

The maximum number of people inside - one person pet 20 square metres - should be taken into account, as well as proper ventilation. If the building doesn't have such artificial ventilation, the premises should be ventilated every ten minutes. Exercise machines should be disinfected after each use. Users are allowed to use only their own towels and gym mats etc. They should avoid close contact and maintain a distance of four metres between each other. The use of shared showers is still prohibited. A list of such users must be kept, and masks must be worn on arrival and checkout, as well as during registration.

3. Language schools:

It's necessary to limit the number of users per group to maintain a distance of two metres. In addition, masks are mandatory. Lecturers/teachers must keep their distance from the participants/students, wear a mask or separate themselves totally plexiglas, they must also measure temperatures. A list of participants should be kept here, too.

4. Children's workshops and playrooms:

It's necessary to limit users to one person per seven square metres and highlight that notice at the facility's entrance. You should maintain a distance and wear masks, ensure disinfection, as well as the proper disinfection of devices and toys, and of course, measure people's temperatures when they enter.

5. Slot machine clubs, bookmakers, and casinos:

Betting places/bookmakers – epidemiological measures apply here in the same way as they do for stores, depending on the facility's size. The number of people entering should be limited. Users should wear masks and keep a distance from each other, staff also, who should be separated from users with plexiglas, and they should disinfect the facility.

Slot clubs and casinos – the number of users should be limited to one user per seven metres of gross usable space. The catering part of these facilities must be closed off. Catering services can't be provided in such facilities.

When asked why children who train indoors still cannot go to their training, and bookmakers are allowed to work, epidemiologist Bernard Kaić answered, but before that, Božinović pointed out:

"Graduality means that we can't let everything open at once. We're easing these measures in a certain order, about which we've concluded at meetings. Some arguments prevail a little more in some places, others do so in other places. Epidemiologists will create a framework by which almost anything can be maintained. Still, we're going to take care to adopt our measures that favour children, which was the argument when we opened schools. The profession recommends that when we ease things, we need to first give preference to children, schools, workshops, and playrooms because children are the ones who find living like this the most difficult to grasp. Those who are older can understand the situation better. We aren't comfortable making such decisions either, but we're making them together," said Božinović.

Basic rules: limit gatherings and use your own initiative:

"Every activity carries a risk. The epidemiological framework can provide guidelines for risk reduction, but in some situations, no epidemiological framework can eliminate the risk entirely, and then the priority activities must be determined. This was discussed at the Government and the Headquarters' meeting, and this all resulted from those negotiations. Children's playrooms also pose a risk, as do children's sports and going back to school and kindergarten and the like, as well as me just going to the market. But I prefer to go to the market than to do some other activities. I agree that if all measures were eased up at once, we'd very easily have an increased number of patients. Yesterday, a Government Council member stated that there are only three basic rules: limit gatherings, small groups, and take the initiative. All of these measures that are introduced or relaxed only serve to limit gatherings, smaller and larger ones, to reduce close contacts," Kaić explained.

Božinović also referred to schools and school halls. They allowed offline classes and made sure that different classes don't interfere with each other, and that children don't all come to school at the same time. Since children aren't divided into sports groups as they are in classes, if the school halls are open, there would be more mixing between them, and then the possibility of spreading the virus is increased.

The above decisions will be valid for two weeks, and then the Headquarters will think once again about the further opening up of other facilities if the number of infections continues to fall.

Source: Jutarnji.hr