August 22, 2020 - For the third day in a row, a record number of new cases was recorded in Croatia, and most of them among the young. On Friday, 265 new cases were recorded, and in Split-Dalmatia County alone, there were more than a hundred. A look at COVID-19 in Croatia.

Index.hr reports that the director of the CNIPH, Krunoslav Capak, said on Friday that the National Civil Protection Headquarters would exchange information on the current epidemiological situation at a meeting with local headquarters on Monday and consider the possibility of introducing new measures.

At that meeting, the National Headquarters will consider the possibility for local headquarters to propose measures for their area, given that they see better from the local level, Capak told RTL Danas.

"All measures are open, from wearing masks to reducing the number of people at gatherings and so on. All of this could be implemented," Capak said, adding that county headquarters could tell them what their biggest problem is, their biggest focus and what measures could be taken to reduce the number of infected.

He said that the county headquarters could not make such decisions, but only the National Headquarters, which can support the local headquarters to some extent.

Asked if only Split-Dalmatia County may have to wear masks, Capak said that it is possible and it is being discussed hypothetically, which does not mean that it will be so. He noted that there are other counties with a high incidence, who will be asked to say what their biggest problem is.

The local approach can also be applied to teaching

Capak says Croatia could better adapt epidemiological measures to local contagious situations, which could be applied to the teaching regime.

For now, school classes are scheduled to begin on September 7, but that, Capak says, will depend on the epidemiological situation.

If there is any significant deterioration and if a large number of school-age children are among those infected, the system will be ready for all scenarios, Capak says.

He explained that care would be taken that if the increase occurs in one county, school starts in other counties where there are no patients.

Was the decision to open nightclubs wrong?

Regarding the consequences of the work of nightclubs, Capak reminded that the authorities decided to hold certain cultural events in them in order to help overcome the problematic situation that prevailed for some time.

If the clubs were to close, young people would find another place, like now when they gather in squares, streets and parks, he said.

He said that there is control, but they are against repression. "We are not a police state; we think it is best to appeal and educate that the situation is not good," he said.

According to data from ten days ago, among those infected in the Croatian epidemiological database, in 20 percent of cases, some asymptomatic patients do not manifest the infection, and now that number could be slightly higher, said Capak.

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August 21, 2020 - After the UK added Croatia to the quarantine list on Thursday, British Airways is busy bringing citizens back to Britain. 

Croatian Aviation reports that in order to meet the high demand that arose after Croatia was included on the list of quarantine countries, British Airways will land in all three Croatian airports today with an A321NEO aircraft.

British Airways normally operates to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik on smaller capacity aircraft, but today, due to high demand from British tourists who want to return home before the new measures come into force (14-day self-isolation for all passengers coming from Croatia), regular routes to the three mentioned airports use a larger capacity aircraft - A321 NEO. This aircraft has a capacity of as many as 235 passengers (for comparison, A319 and A320 aircraft with a capacity of 144 to 180 seats usually operate in Croatia).

In addition to British Airways, which will operate two flights from Split Airport today, three easyJet aircraft (capacity 180 passengers) will take off for London, as well as WizzAir aircraft A321 (capacity 230 passengers).

In addition to the British Airways flight, Dubrovnik Airport will have another EasyJet flight to London and one to Bristol (on both flights the maximum capacity is 180 passengers).

Today, Croatia Airlines will operate a regular flight on the Zagreb - London Heathrow route, but instead of the A319, a larger capacity aircraft - the A320 - will operate today.

Given the number of seats offered, it is clear that this is not enough for all tourists from Croatia to return to the UK on time, before the introduction of restrictive measures. After all, certain routes have already been sold out, while prices on some flights have exceeded the average several times.

We remind you that from Saturday, August 22, all passengers entering the UK from Croatia will have to go into 14 days of self-isolation.

According to information from the UK, there are currently 20,000 tourists from that country in Croatia. Britain views Croatia as a whole, without regional or county demarcations, and warns that the situation has deteriorated dramatically compared to three weeks ago.

Britain refers to the latest data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, according to which Croatia has recorded 37.7 confirmed infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks. For comparison, Britain records 21.2 infected, Slovenia 12.8, and Sweden 39.5.

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August 21, 2020 - Hungary will tighten the rules for border crossings from September 1 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that is rapidly growing in neighboring countries, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on the radio Friday morning. So, what will this mean for Croatia?

"As the school year begins, we will no longer be able to have the border crossing system as it was during the summer," Orban said. Under current rules, those returning to Hungary from countries where the number of new infections has increased must go into quarantine for 14 days, unless they have two negative tests.

Croatia is on the green list

However, Reuters writes that Croatia, which is a popular summer destination for Hungarians, is still on the green list, which means that no special rules apply. Reuters also states that there were 255 newly infected people in Croatia yesterday, bringing the total number to 7329. This number is by no means decreasing. 

Orban did not reveal details about the new restrictions, though it seems citizens are encouraged to take their holidays now before the September 1 deadline. 

I5046 cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded in Hungary so far, while 609 people have died.

Orban also announced a two-year economic recovery plan

Orban, a nationalist who has been in power for more than a decade, also said his government must draw up a two-year plan by mid-next month to boost the economy after an annual 13.6 percent drop in the second quarter.

The government’s official forecast still sees the economy shrink by 3% this year. However, Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said last month that the country's economy could shrink by about five percent.

This was even before the release of GDP data for the second quarter.

On Friday, Orban did not present a new economic forecast for this year.

Source: Index.hr

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August 21, 2020 -  Why does Dalmatia have such poor numbers, much worse than Istria, Primorje, and other tourist regions? A closer look at COVID-19 in Croatia.

Jutarnji List writes that Germany, the country from which the largest number of tourists come to Croatia, decided on Thursday to put two Croatian counties on the red list - Split-Dalmatia and Šibenik-Knin.

These are counties that have an increasing number of infected people from week to week and are the main reason why the whole country has been placed on the red list of other countries that are important to Croatia, such as Italy and Slovenia.

But why does Dalmatia have such bad numbers, many times worse than Istria and Primorje, and also tourist regions in which, in proportion to the number of inhabitants, there are more tourists this year than in the south? The numbers are laid out quite clearly in the Official Croatian COVID-19 weekly report, and illustrated by the table below: 

In short, experts believe it is a combination of recklessly relaxed and casual behavior of Dalmatians and relatively mild measures and recommendations of the National Headquarters, which has always tried to balance so as not to jeopardize the season.

They wanted to save the tourist season as much as possible, all doors were open, the result was more than 50 percent of revenue last year, which is ultimately extremely good for the state budget, and covers the costs that await us until the end of the year. However, also the fact that in the last 14 days, including Thursday, Croatia had a cumulative 47.2 infected per 100,000 inhabitants. This is a high number that puts Croatia in an unenviable 7th place among EU countries.

We could have expected that the number would increase by reopening, but the other option was quarantine, which in the end would not be good for either the economy or the citizens. Namely, even this restriction on night clubs is not a sufficient obstacle for the spread of the coronavirus,  when a million people from abroad and from the continent come to the Adriatic. The most important thing for them is not the sun and the sea, but socializing, and they will do it either in restaurants or somewhere on the beach.

"Of course, that close contact increases the number of infected people," explains Dr. Krunoslav Capak, director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health. He adds that despite a large number of infected people, most of their contacts are being managed so that newly infected people will arrive from that ‘cluster’ in the coming days, as many have returned to their places of residence.

New possible coronavirus-related measures and strategies will be discussed at the Government's COVID-19 Scientific Council next Tuesday.

Austria, Italy, Slovenia and the UK reacted very quickly to Croatia's large numbers by putting Croatia on the red list, so their citizens are leaving the Adriatic to avoid a 14-day quarantine, and new tourists from those countries will certainly not come this season. Some tourists are being tested for coronavirus in Croatia, so there is currently a real state of siege in public health institutes.

The Zagreb Teaching Institute for Public Health, "Dr. Andrija Štampar", says that in the past few days, they have taken more than 1000 swabs, most of which are Croatian citizens returning to work abroad, but there are also foreigners. The Split institute is also crowded, mainly because hotel houses organize testing for guests. It is estimated that more than 500 citizens are tested daily, of which about fifty are foreigners.

In the last 14 days in Split-Dalmatia County, 79 positives per 100,000 inhabitants were recorded, which is an absolute record since the beginning of the epidemic. That’s the figure until August 17, and it has grown significantly in the past three days.

“Currently, 15 patients with COVID-19 are being treated in our clinic, and two of our patients are on a respirator.

Most of the patients are older than 50 years, but there are also younger ones, but their clinical picture can be said to be moderately severe," says Dr. Ivo Ivic, Head of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Center Split. He adds that there could be more elderly patients soon, because young people, unfortunately, will surely infect their elderly family members as well.

Split-Dalmatia County is followed by Sibenik-Knin County with 61.91 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while in Zadar, it was 35.09 cases.

Vukovar-Srijem County, with 68.02 patients per 100,000 inhabitants, is also included in this group of fast-growing corona cases, because according to data, more than half of the positives come from vacations.

At the same time, the three counties of the northern Adriatic are not among those in which tourists and vacations activate the virus. For example, in Istria County in 9 days, there are 9.58 infected per 100,000 inhabitants, or eight times less than in Split-Dalmatia County.

In Primorje-Gorski Kotar, it is 12.67, and in Lika-Senj 22.13 per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a lot for that county, and the reason, according to the numbers, is Zrce. Namely, 159 foreigners who became infected in Croatia were reported to the European EWRS system in just over a month, namely 69 Austrians, 52 Slovenes, 13 Germans, 22 Britons and three Italians. Among the reported infected foreigners, most of them fell ill in Novalja, 71, and Makarska and Split 65.

From these data, it is evident that large gatherings, regardless of whether they are nightclubs, weddings, or birthday parties, are a source of infection for a large number of people. That is why a week ago, the National Civil Protection Headquarters limited the working hours of nightclubs until midnight, and even before the number of those who can stay indoors in those clubs.

However, at that time, there were already too many infections so that this would not drastically affect the overall picture of the coronavirus in Croatia. As expected, many caterers were not pleased. Some even said that these were communist moves, because they were not all the same; some respected the measures already introduced, and they were punished in the same way.

However, after opening nightclubs in the summer, it is evident that the Headquarters will have to weigh the good and bad and learn from this experience to determine what behavior will be allowed during the winter.

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August 21, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb and Split.

Croatian Aviation reports that from August to October 2020, Dutch KLM offers flights to 92 European destinations. A look at the flight schedule for September to Croatian airports.

For comparison, in 2019, in the same period in August, KLM performed 19,000 flights, in September 18,800, and in October 14,700 flights. In August 2020, 10,000 flights are expected, in September 13,500, and in October 11,000 flights.

KLM will continue to operate on the Amsterdam-Zagreb route daily, and in September, and in addition to KLM's direct flights, Croatia Airlines also operates on this route, also every day of the week.

KLM's other destination in Croatia is Split Airport, where this Dutch company currently has 12 flights a week (two flights a day every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and one flight a day on Fridays and Saturdays).

From September 1, KLM will significantly reduce the number of weekly flights on the route Amsterdam-Split and will operate only three times a week, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through September, with smaller capacity aircraft - E190.

Furthermore, Norwegian Air will not return to Zagreb Airport this year.

Norwegian Air, a well-known low-budget company with bases across Europe, will not return to Zagreb Airport this year. The company operated on the Copenhagen-Zagreb route in the summer flight schedule, but it was completely canceled for this year.

The line used to be year-round, but the company turned it into a seasonal line at the end of 2018. Now, due to the coronavirus crisis, it will cancel it completely for this year.

Norwegian Air operated from Stockholm to Zagreb twice a week, but that line was previously suspended and is no longer in operation.

The Copenhagen-Zagreb line was operated twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, in the summer flight schedule. It is not yet certain whether Norwegian will return to Zagreb in the summer flight schedule in 2021, given that many routes have not yet been announced for next year.

On the Copenhagen-Zagreb route, Croatia Airlines operates, every day of the week, on the A319 and DashQ400 aircraft.

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August 20, 2020 - The United Kingdom has put Croatia on the quarantine list due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation in the country. 

Vecernji List reports that as it was announced from the local Ministry of Transport, British tourists and others staying in Croatia are invited to return home immediately because the mandatory 14-day isolation for all returnees from Croatia begins to apply.

Data shows we need to remove Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago from our list of #coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates DOWN. If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 20, 2020

According to information from the UK, there are currently 20,000 tourists from that country in Croatia. Britain views Croatia as a whole, without regional or county demarcations, and warns that the situation has deteriorated dramatically compared to three weeks ago.

They refer to the latest data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, according to which Croatia has recorded 37.7 confirmed infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks. For comparison, Britain records 21.2 infected, Slovenia 12.8, and Sweden 39.5.

More info soon...

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August 20, 2020 - The second official COVID-19 Croatia weekly report has been released by the Koronavirus government website, covering August 11-17.

A total of 59 people died in this epidemic wave. Most of the deceased had significant comorbidities or were of advanced age. The average age of the deceased in this epidemic wave is 77.8 years. Fourteen people died on a respirator.

*number in the last 24 hours

There are currently 22 testing places in the Republic of Croatia that perform RT-PCR analysis and collect samples. All processed samples enter national Croatian Health Insurance Institute platform, which is accessible to all county public health institutes. County public health institutes submit data about positive cases, sources of infection and hotspots as part of their daily reports to the Croatian Institute of Public Health. The Croatian Institute of Public Health collects information about hotspots, hospital treatment of COVID-19 positive persons, COVID-19 positive patients on respirators and the deceased.

Daily report
In the past 24 hours, 85 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection were recorded and the number of currently ill (active cases) in Croatia today is a total of 1,236. Among them, 126 patients are in hospital and 11 of them are on a respirator. The average age of new patients in the past 24 hours was 33.6 years. There’re no new deceased. Since February 25th 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 6,656 people infected with the new coronavirus have been recorded until today, of whom 166 have died and 5,254 have recovered. There are currently 4,516 people in self-isolation. Until today, a total of 138,647 people has been tested and 990 in the last 24 hours. The share of confirmed cases in the total number of persons tested is 4.77%. The average age of confirmed cases is 44.49 years, and 50.62% of confirmed cases are men and 49.38% women.

Important numbers

• the number of new confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days: 33.32/100,000
• the number of new cases in intensive care per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days: 0.3/100,000
• the number of tested persons in the last 24 hours, the overall share of confirmed cases in the last 14 days: 990, 8.2%.

Epidemiological situation in Croatia

Geographical distribution of new COVID-19 cases by counties
A total of 59 people died in this wave of epidemics. Most of the people had significant comorbidities or were of advanced age. The average age of the deceased in this wave of epidemics is 77.8 years. Nineteen people died on a respirator.Overview of the situation by counties

Table 1. Total number of patients and number of patients in the last week by counties, total rate of confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants and rates of confirmed cases in the last 7 and last 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants

Epidemic by weeks, from 19 th – 25 th week of the epidemic
In the period from 29 th of June to 17 th of August 2020, the number of cases per week (from the 19 th to the 25 th week of the epidemic) was from 460 to 967 and the rate from 11.3 to 23.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. The number of tests performed per week was ranged from 7957 to 9525 and the share of positive tests in those tested per week ranged from 5.8 to 10.2%. During this period, the weekly number of cases and the percentage of positive tests in the weekly number of tested varied. An overview is given in Table 2.

Table 2. Overview of the number of confirmed cases by weeks, from week 19. – 25.

In the period from 29 th of June to 17 th of August 2020, the number of cases per week (from the 19 th to the 25 th week of the epidemic) was from 460 to 967. The number of deceased varied from 6-9 and showed increase in the number compared to 22 nd and 23 rd week of the epidemic. The number of deceased who were on a respirator at the time of death ranged from 1 to 5, with an increase in that number in the 22 nd week of the epidemic when there were 6 people on a respirator. The share of deceased on the respirator ranged in the weekly number of deaths from 16.7-55.6%. The mean age of deceased was approximately the same except in the 21 st week of the epidemic, when the mean age of death cases was 69 years.The death rate ranged from 0.1 in the 19 th week of the epidemic to 0.2 in the 25 th week of the epidemic with an increase in the 22 nd and 23 rd week of the epidemic when it was 0.4 and 0.3. An overview is given in Table 3.

Table 3. Overview of patients on respirator and deaths by weeks, from week 19. – 25.

Died from COVID-19, 29 th of June – 17 th of August 2020, age and sex
A total of 59 people died in this wave of epidemics. Most of the people who died had significant comorbidities or were of advanced age. The mean age of the deceased in this wave of epidemics is 77.8 years. Nineteen people died on a respirator. An overview of the situation is given in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Age and sex distribution of deaths from COVID-19 in the period 29 th June – 17 th August 2020

Table 4. Overview of the number of new cases, 7-day rate and deaths by weeks, from week 19. -25.

Hotspots

Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in all counties in the last week. In counties with a relatively small population (Ličko – senjska County and Požeško – slavonska County), even a small increase in the number of new cases can lead to a significant increase in the 7-day incidence.Continental Croatia
The largest number of new cases in continental Croatia is in the City of Zagreb, Osječko – baranjska County and Zagrebačka County. Nightclubs on the coast are still active hotspots and now is time to return from holidays and vacations and it is expected that the largest share of new cases will be associated directly with nightclubs. These are mostly young people who infect their contacts upon return, mostly family members. In addition to cases and their contacts related to holidays and going out to the nightclubs, there were also imported cases of people who were tested for symptoms and did not have a significant epidemiological history. The situation in Vukovarsko - srijemska County, in which was a large increase in the number of new cases because of the spreading of the infection at weddings in recent weeks, has been brought under control and the daily numbers of new patients in that county have decreased. Grouping of patients was recorded at a wedding in Zagrebačka County, where guests from Karlovačka County were also present. The hotspot was brought under control.Coastal Croatia
The highest number of new cases was recorded in the Splitsko - dalmatinska, Šibensko - kninska and Zadarska County. There is still a large number of recorded cases and their contacts related to nightclubs. In the Splitsko - dalmatinska County we recorded groupings of patients around small family gatherings and one wedding. Groupings around weddings were also recorded in the Šibensko - kninska County. In the northern part of the Adriatic (Istria and Primorsko - goranska County), the epidemiological situation is mostly calm and cases related to holidays and night outs in Dalmatia, or contacts of previously ill cases or imported cases have been reported.The described hotspots were brought under control, but the spreading of the virus at these sites contributed to an increase in the 14-day cumulative rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases. All the described hotspots did not disrupt the availability or functioning of the health system or any other economic sector, i.e. public service.

Tourists

The table shows the number of infected foreign nationals according to the place of infection. Data refers to the period 7 th of July 2020 – 17 th of August 2020 and was collected via EWRS system.

In addition to the above, 'several' cases from the territory of the Republic of Croatia were also reported in Italy.

Measures

Measures to maintain physical distance, maintain hand hygiene and disinfection are still in force. Also, it is mandatory to wear face masks or medical masks indoors for all health workers and professionals, employees who work in social care system, and the ones who work in hospitality facilities.Figure 2 shows the measures and dates of their implementation in comparison with the number of patients, recovered, deceased and active cases of COVID-19 in Croatia from 18 th of June to 17 th of August.

Figure 2. Dates of implementation of measures in comparison with the movement of the number of sick, recovered, deceased and active cases of COVID-19 in Croatia from 18 th of June to 17 th of August.

Decisions of the Headquarters

• June 24 - Decision about changing the Decision on the manner of organizing public transport during the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease (mandatory face mask/medical mask in public transport)
• June 26 - Decision about controlling compliance with the Recommendation for the prevention of infection with COVID-19 in the catering industry of nightclubs (control of the implementation of recommendations in nightclubs)
• June 30 - Decision about a temporary prohibition on crossing the border of the Republic of Croatia (prohibition on crossing for third-country nationals, with the exception of those with long-term residence in the EU and other listed exceptions)
• July 10 - Decision about the necessary measures for the organization of gatherings attended by more than a hundred participants during the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease
• July 10 - Decision about the necessary measure of mandatory use of face masks or medical masks for the duration of the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease
• July 14 – Decision about changing the Decision on the necessary measure of mandatory use of face masks or medical masks for the duration of the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease
• July 14 - Decision about changing the Decision on the temporary prohibition on crossing the border crossings of the Republic of Croatia
• July 31 - Decision about changing the Decision on the temporary prohibition on crossing the border crossings of the Republic of Croatia
• August 13 - Decision about the necessary measure of limiting the working hours of hospitality facilities from the category bars /night clubs

CIPH recommendations

• Changing and amendment of the guidelines for the prevention and suppression of the COVID-19 disease epidemic for social service providers in the social welfare system – ver. 8/2
• Priorities for testing for SARS-CoV-2 (Consolidated revised recommendations of priorities for testing for SARS-CoV-2, handling of contacts, ending of isolation and self-isolation)
• Recommendations for the production and recording of audio-visual and music content during the epidemic of COVID-19 - ver. 2 (in Croatian and English)

Recommendations and measures on global and EU level

Europe

On 10 th of August 2020, ECDC released an updated version of the risk assessment:ECDC has additional documents and information available:
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/covid-19-pandemicThe number of cases and the 7-day cumulative incidence of COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide can be found on the ECDC dashboard:
https://qap.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/COVID-19.html

Austria

Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz: 
https://www.sozialministerium.at/Informationen-zum-Coronavirus/Neuartiges-Coronavirus-(2019-nCov).html

Netherlands

Government of the Netherlands: https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment: https://www.rivm.nl/en/novel-coronavirus-covid-19

Germany

Rober Koch Institut: https://www.rki.de/DE/Home/homepage_node.html

Slovenia

(gov.si): https://www.gov.si/en/topics/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/
National Institute for Public Health – Slovenia: https://www.nijz.si/en

United Kingdom

gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

World

WHO provides comprehensive information and documents
WHO COVID-19-Dashboard: https://covid19.who.int/
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Epidemiological Update and Weekly Operational Update and Weekly Surveillance Report:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/weekly-surveillance-report

Sources of information

https://www.hzjz.hr/
https://zdravlje.gov.hr/

Information about the global epidemiological situation

More about COVID-19 in other countries can be found and learned on the ECDC website: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-casesThe WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Commission and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Health Policy have at their disposal the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor (HSRM). There is information available about European countries and ways to respond to this epidemic. The focus is on health systems and public initiatives: https://www.covid19healthsystem.org/mainpage.aspx

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August 20, 2020 - More quarantine requirements for tourists returning home from Croatia, as Germany becomes the first country to specify individual Croatian counties, rather than the whole country.  

Germany has put two Dalmatian counties on its red list. These are the Split-Dalmatia and Šibenik-Knin counties, reports Index.hr.

The information was published by the German Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the institution that manages the German response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has put Šibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia counties on its list of risk areas due to the increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus. This means that all returnees to Germany who have been to these Croatian counties will have to go for mandatory testing, and until they receive the test results they will have to be in house quarantine. Germany's Health Ministry details the process of returning to Germany from the high-risk areas (which now include the two Croatian counties), explaining that it's possible to avoid the quarantine if you provide proof of having tested negative within 48 hours prior to entry to Germany. 

It is likely that now, based on the RKI decision, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue a warning to travel to these areas of Croatia. On the other hand, parts of Romania and Luxembourg have been removed from the list of risk areas of the Robert Koch Institute.

If there is one small crumb of comfort for Croatian tourism, this is the first instance where a country has placed quarantine restrictions on parts of Croatia, rather than the whole country. Dubrovnik, whose economy is 80% tourism and which is physically separated from the rest of Croatia by the Neum Corridor in Bosnia and Hercegovina, has a very low infection rate, with the majority of its guests arriving by air. Unlike other countries which have taken Croatia off their safe lifts, Germans can continue to visit the Pearl of the Adriatic, for now at least. 

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August 20, 2020 - The coronavirus spokesman of the Slovenian government, Jelko Kacin, confirmed on Wednesday what was speculated - Slovenia will put Croatia on the red list Thursday night. However, he said that in reality, Croatia is already on the Slovenian red list. Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac responded.

Index.hr reports that Slovenian tourists will most likely have until the end of the week to return to Slovenia to avoid a two-week self-isolation.

"In reality, Croatia is already on the red list today, and formally it will be tomorrow," Kacin said, adding that the situation in Croatia is dramatic.

He went a step further and said that Croatia no longer controls the situation with the coronavirus.

"We have to be realistic and understand that they are no longer in control of their situation; their epidemiologists can no longer do that. There will be big problems in the health system. The situation requires sober heads and decisive moves," Kacin said.

"The situation in Croatia is so bad that we have no choice but to call on our citizens to return to Slovenia as soon as possible. Things are getting worse quickly and it will be much worse," Kacin added.

The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, answered him.

The press release received from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports is transmitted in its entirety:

"Following the latest statements by the coronavirus spokesman of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Jelko Kacin, we reject his allegations that the situation in Croatia is dramatic.

We remind you that Slovenia is continuously at the very top of the market crucial for the overall result of Croatian tourism, which is illustrated by eVisitor indicators according to which in June 2020, we recorded approximately 207 thousand arrivals and 1.1 million overnight stays from the Slovenian market. July reached a level of approximately 382 thousand arrivals and 3.4 million overnight stays.

According to preliminary indicators for August (as of August 18), we are currently at the level of approximately 238 thousand arrivals and 2.2 million overnight stays of Slovenes, of which 71.4 percent are realized in Istria, Kvarner and Lika. We want to point out that in these three counties, a total of 10 cases of newly infected with COVID-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours.

The perception of Croatia is extremely good for most Slovenian tourists; in Croatia, they feel safe since they know it well and are the owners of numerous properties (more than 100,000).

Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac is in constant contact with representatives of associations in the tourism system, to ensure full compliance with epidemiological measures in tourist facilities, as well as the possibility of introducing testing for foreign tourists in tourist facilities.

Croatia will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that the relevant foreign institutions have all the accurate and precise information on the basis of which they make decisions on the inclusion of countries on risk lists, i.e., on the lists of safe countries," the Ministry said.

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Updated on August 20, after the official decision by the Slovenian government was made public: in order to make things easier for their nationals currently vacationing in Croatia, Slovenia has decided to extend the deadline for the return to Slovenia until Monday. Slovenians who own real-estate and boats in Croatia are given an extra 48 hours, so they can take care of their property before leaving Croatia without self-isolating upon return. 

Brdo pri Kranju, 19 August, 2020 - Slovenia plans to put Croatia on red list of countries from which travellers must undergo a 14-day quarantine, reports STA, the Slovenian Press Agency.

Those already in Croatia have until the end of the week to avoid quarantine, those travelling there as of Friday will have to quarantine, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said on Wednesday.

The decision to red-list Croatia will formally be made at Thursday's cabinet session and published in the Official Gazette the same day.

"Fact is that the situation in Croatia is deteriorating dramatically. Data on infections show that the situation is really bad," Kacin said after the government meet epidemiologists to discuss the way forward.

He said Croatia was likely to today exceed 40 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in over a 14-day period, the threshold in Slovenia for putting countries on the red list.

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