ZAGREB, 7 April 2022 - Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team stated on Thursday that COVID protocols would be abolished on Saturday and only the protective mask mandate remains in place in medical institutions and nursing homes.

Practically all the current restrictions imposed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted at midnight Friday, said the team's head, Interior Minister Davor Božinović.

Wearing protective masks in public spaces will depend on individuals and sanctions will no longer be imposed for failure to wear masks, Božinović said, explaining that they are still obligatory in hospitals and care homes.

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ZAGREB, 18 January, 2021 - The head of the national COVID-19 crisis management  team, Davor Božinović, said on Monday that the despite the fact that the current epidemiological situation was good, they did not want to risk a third wave occurring and that the impact of each measure on the decrease of infections would be assessed.

He stressed he could not specify whether the current measures would be relaxed after 31 January, but until then each existing measure would be evaluated.

Commenting on claims about the introduction of vaccination certificates which could enable citizens to travel, Božinović said there were no formal discussions on them.

"We are currently not considering those options," he said, adding that some countries are thinking about it.

"If there is a joint approach at the EU level, we are going to actively join those talks. At the moment, the quantities of vaccine in the EU and Croatia, and more or less in the entire world, are too small for such decisions to be made. At this moment I think it is too soon," Božinović said.

Capak: 29% fewer new infections compared to previous week

The head of the Croatian Public Health Institute, Krunoslav Capak, said that from 12 to 18 January there had been 29% fewer new infections than in the preceding week, from 5 to 11 January.

The 14-day incidence of 288.9 new cases places Croatia in the 7th place of countries with lowest incidence in the European Union. However, the mortality rate remains high, with Croatia ranking 8th among the EU countries with the highest mortality rate.

Capak said that a new tranche of 17,550 doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been delivered to Croatia today. Part of it will be used to administer the second shot to people who have been vaccinated.

He said that 122 suspected side effects had been reported to date, most of which had been mild side effects but there had also been several more severe allergic reactions.

Capak announced that the next tranche of Moderna's vaccine would be delivered on 25 January - 4,800 doses. He did not agree with reporters' claims that the delivery in the EU was slower than in countries who had negotiated with manufacturers by themselves.

"I hope we will receive sufficient quantities of the vaccine to vaccinate all those interested in our population, which is most important," Capak said.

Capak confirmed claims that Pfizer was reducing the delivery of vaccine doses but that the reason for that was the reconstruction of the vaccine production plant, the goal of which was to increase production and reach the agreed vaccine quotas.

As for Croatia, there is no official confirmation that the delivery of the vaccine will be reduced, he said, adding that as of 15 February the deliveries will be significantly increased.

Markotić: We must remain prudent to avoid third wave of epidemic

The head of the Zagreb Dr Fran Mihaljević Infectious Diseases Hospital, Alemka Markotić, said that the lower number of new infections was reducing the pressure on the hospital system, and that the number of discharged patients had been exceeding the number of admitted patients in recent days.

She underscored that despite that one must not ignore the situation in Europe.

"Some countries are registering a spike that occurred in a short period of time, probably due to the mutated version of the virus," Markotić said, adding that one must be careful to avoid a third wave of the epidemic.

She said that a decision to close the Arena sports hall in Zagreb as a tertiary centre for coronavirus patients had not been made yet, although it was being considered.

ZAGREB, October 25, 2020 - Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team on Sunday presented a new set of restrictions which include the maximum number of people at public gathering up to 50, and sports events will be held without spectators in the next 14 days.

Outlining the new restrictions, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, who is at the helm of the crisis management team, said that the tougher measures would go into force at midnight on Monday.

Their implementation will last 14 days, and after that the authorities are expected to decide whether they should be extended or changed.

According to the new measures, any contact within less than two metres in closed space and less than 1.5 metres outdoors should be avoided.

In attendance at wedding parties as well as at funerals no more than 30 persons can be present.

Other private gatherings are capped at 15 people, Bozinovic said.

All public gatherings and ceremonies can last until 22 hours.

The authorities have banned the sale of alcohol from midnight to 6am.

Wearing protective masks is compulsory outdoors when it is impossible to keep a distance.

Masks are mandatory during visits to graveyards and cemeteries.

Particular protocols are specified for plays and cultural programmes, film screenings in cinemas, religious rites, exhibitions in museums and similar events.

Workers with a high body temperature and problems in their respiratory systems are required not to go to work.

Also working from home, if possible, is recommended.

Bozinovic told the news conference that about a million kuna (€133,000) had so far been collected as fines for the failure to adhere to the restrictions. However, he says, the point is to make sure that all will comply with those measures.

Turning Zagreb's Arena into makeshift hospital, if necessary

Preparations are under way for turning  sports venues into makeshift hospitals, and Health Minister Vili Beros said today that there was a plan to adapt Zagreb's Arena hall to accommodate COVID patients with moderate symptoms who need hospital treatment.

It is possible to set up 1,000 beds in Arena, he said, admitting that " the essential challenge is the medical staff and the risk of overburdening them."

The number of active cases in Croatia stands at 11,144. There are 825 COVID patients in hospitals, and 58 are on ventilators, according to the latest data.

The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, told the news conference that currently in Croatia, the coronavirus incidence rate is 389.9 persons per 100,000 inhabitants, which puts the country in the middle of the rankings in Europe, while the current reproduction number, or R value, for Covid-19 is 1,99 in our country, Capak said.