Last updated on August 21, 2020 - The speculations have proven to be correct this time, as it was announced tonight that Croatia has lost their position on the UK list of safe countries.

Grant Shapps, UK Secretary of State for Transport has announced on his Twitter profile tonight: 

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

The decision means that those arriving from Croatia to the United Kingdom are subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine. Many popular tourism countries for the UK market are not on the list of safe countries (the UK officially calls it the Travel Corridors list), including Spain, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, France, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Belgium, and the USA. Portugal was added to the Travel Corridors country today, when Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago were removed. The travelers have until early Saturday morning to return without having to quarantine. 

This move was all but confirmed on BBC Breakfast television this morning when respected travel guru said that Croatia would be taken off the list tonight, a decision which will probably be announced by the government tweet about 22:00. 

This is how the numbers are being reported in charts in Britain's biggest tabloid, The Sun.

Paul Charles, the CEO of the travel consultancy PC Agency, told The Guardian that he believed there were about 20,000 British tourists currently in Croatia, while aviation data analysts Cirum say that there are some 767 flights to Croatia scheduled from now until the end of September from the UK to Croatia, with a seat capacity of 130,000. 

In an exclusive in The Daily Telegraph, a tight deadline from announcement to implementation will result in plenty of stress for those currently in Croatia and not able to take time off from work for enforced quarantine:

"Croatia's exclusion, due to be announced on Thursday afternoon, is expected to prompt an exodus of holidaymakers seeking to beat the deadline for having to quarantine, which is expected to be fixed as 4am on Saturday morning."

A similar announcement for France last week brought a lot of holidaymakers home before the 4am deadline. In Croatia's case, the majority of British tourists arrive by air, and flight capacity will be limited. 

There are many who argue that there should not be a tourist season at all in a pandemic, and there are valid arguments for this. With an economy more than 20% dependent on tourism, however, Croatia decided to open up to tourism after a very successful and internationally praised initial response to the virus. 

If, as seems likely, Croatia is added to the list along with Turkey, the calls for a regional approach to acting on these statistics will intensify. Two of Croatia's most important tourism regions, Istria and Dubrovnik, have very low cases compared to the national average. 

The decision is particularly crucial to Dubrovnik, which ironically is physically separated from the rest of Croatia until the completion of the Peljesac Bridge. Its location means that it is essentially an air and cruise ship destination, and that dependence has been brutally exposed during the corona era, with tourism traffic for the first half of 2020 just 12% of the corresponding period last year. 

Dubrovnik's dependence on tourism is much more concentrated than the rest of Croatia, with Mayor Mato Franković telling ABC News recently that it accounted for 80% of Dubrovnik's economy. With its key markets from the UK, USA, and Asia, the lack of flights and zero cruise ships reduced traffic to a trickle. While this meant that the quality of life and ability to enjoy the old town like never before was widely appreciated, the lack of income due to no tourism is having a severe economic impact. 

Dubrovnik County, most of which is physically separate from the rest of the country, currently has 30 active cases, of which 8 are in Dubrovnik itself. Since the first case in March, 227 cases have been recorded with 8 deaths.  With the majority of arrivals coming by air, the majority of tourists will bypass Croatia completely. 

Istria, which has a much more successful season due to its accessibility by road from a number of Western and Central European countries, currently has 24 active cases. Since the first case over 4 months ago, there have been 294 cases and 12 deaths on the Istrian peninsula. 

The Croatian Tourism Association recently launched the Croatia COVID-19 website, to highlight the areas where the outbreaks were the most severe, as well as giving daily updates - see image above. Current individual hot spots are Split Dalmatia County and Zadar County, as well as Zagreb. 

(These figures are a screenshot from the ECDC COVID-19 site)

Adriatic Luxury Hotels, the biggest employer in Dubrovnik, operate 8 hotels. Only last week, towards the middle of August, they opened the fifth of these, with the other three remaining closed for the season. After a very quiet start to the season, things picked up considerably in late July as more flights were added, and the Brits came in numbers. The UK market in Dubrovnik is the strongest this year, and one which is in danger of being taken away this week, despite the very low number of cases. The knock-on effect for the Dubrovnik economy will be severe. 

Which countries have imposed quarantine restrictions on people returning from Croatia?

Should the UK remove Croatia from its list of safe countries, it will join a small but growing list of countries who are taking action in the response to the rise in cases. 

Both Austria and Slovenia recently put Croatia on their red lists, Restrictions also apply with other countries, some of which are specific to Croatia's situation, and some imposing restrictions on all arrivals. Countries where arrivals from Croatia have some form of quarantine/test upon entry are USA, Canada, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus and Iceland. For more details on each country, check Quarantine & Testing Rules for Your Country After a Croatian Holiday.

What will be will be, but there are tense days ahead for the Croatian tourism industry in what has already been an incredibly stressful year. To find answers to some of the frequently asked questions by those interested in coming to Croatia, please read our frequently-updated FAQ article. To find out more about the options of getting tested in Croatia, read our article about testing locally. To find out more about testing internationally, before arriving in Croatia, we have an article helping you with that, too. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 17, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Zadar, and Osijek.

Croatian Aviation reports that Eurowings, a low-budget German airline owned by the Lufthansa Group, has announced its flight schedule for September this year. 

The company was among the first to establish regular traffic to Croatia, but as the end of the summer season approaches, Eurowings will also reduce the number of weekly flights to specific destinations.

Find the complete flight schedule to Croatian destinations below. 

40 operations a week to Split

Split Airport will still have the largest number of Eurowings flights. Moreover, the number of weekly flights in September will be higher than in August!

Split - Dusseldorf will operate 4 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays), one flight less per week compared to August,

Split - Hamburg will operate 4 times a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays), one flight extra than in August,

Split - Cologne will operate 5 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays twice a day and Sundays), one extra flight than in August,

Split - Stuttgart will operate 4 times a week (Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Split - Hannover will operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Berlin will operate twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays), one extra flight compared to August.

Rijeka and Zadar see reduced traffic, the line to Osijek is canceled

As for the traffic to the three airports mentioned above, the number of weekly frequencies will decrease in September:

Rijeka - Dusseldorf will operate once a week, on Saturdays (one flight less per week compared to August),

Rijeka - Hamburg will operate once a week, on Sundays,

Pula - Dusseldorf will operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Zadar - Cologne will operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Zadar - Stuttgart will operate twice a week until September 9, after the mentioned date once a week, on Sundays,

Osijek - Stuttgart line will not be in operation in September this year.

Eurowings returns to Dubrovnik

As announced earlier, Eurowings will re-establish traffic to Dubrovnik in September. Initially, the company planned to launch four lines, but canceled the line from Cologne.

The following lines are planned for September this year:

Dubrovnik - Dusseldorf will be in traffic once a week, on Sundays,

Dubrovnik - Berlin will be in traffic once a week, on Sundays,

Dubrovnik - Hamburg line will be open once a week, on Sundays.

Zagreb connected with Stuttgart and Cologne

In September, Eurowings will continue to operate two routes to Zagreb Airport, from Stuttgart and Cologne.

Zagreb - Stuttgart will operate 4 times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays,

Zagreb - Cologne will operate 5 times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays, which is one flight more than in August.

In total, Eurowings will have 76 weekly operations (takeoffs and landings) at 6 Croatian airports in September.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 17, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Pula.

Croatian Aviation reports that among the numerous cancellations and reductions of weekly flights to destinations in Croatia, there was some positive news. Ryanair has announced a new line to Pula for next spring.

Namely, the Irish low-cost airline plans to launch a new route between Pula and Vienna in the spring of 2021.

The Pula-Vienna route is currently planned from the first day of the summer flight schedule next year (March 28, 2021), twice a week, every Wednesday and Sunday, until autumn - specifically until the end of October (October 27, 2021).

The A320 aircraft of the partner company Lauda (pictured), which has its base at Vienna Airport, has been announced on the route. The capacity of the aircraft is 180 seats.

There have been no direct commercial flights between Vienna and Pula so far, but Austrian Airlines has previously operated charter flights from several destinations in Austria to Pula Airport.

This is the first announcement of a new line to Pula Airport for next year, but traffic will certainly depend on epidemiological measures in the next summer season.

This summer season, Ryanair connects Pula Airport with three international destinations: London, Berlin and Brussels.

In the first seven months of this year, Pula Airport had a turnover of 23,621 passengers, which is a decrease compared to last year of over 94%.

Recall, last week, TCN reported that British Airways would reduce the number of weekly flights to Zagreb in September this year.

British Airways currently operates daily between London (Heathrow Airport) and Zagreb, on A319 and A320 aircraft. Given the occupancy of the passenger cabin and reduced demand, the company decided to reduce the number of weekly flights on the said route in September this year.

From September 1 on the London - Zagreb route, British Airways aircraft will operate six times a week, every day except Wednesday, while from September 7, there will be five flights per week on the route. Namely, the flight will be additionally canceled on Tuesdays.

Changes are certainly still possible, but unfortunately not in the direction of increasing weekly flights, especially with the fact that the number of patients with COVID-19 in the Republic of Croatia is growing significantly.

Other British Airways routes in Croatia (to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula) have no operational changes so far.

Croatia Airlines currently offers three flights a week on the route Zagreb - London Heathrow throughout September (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), but the flight schedule for next month has not yet been finalized.

Furthermore, Aeroflot has completely canceled the Moscow - Split route, to which it planned to return in August, and there are no announced flights to Dubrovnik or Zagreb.

Before the pandemic, Russian Aeroflot operated daily on the Moscow (Sheremetyevo Airport) - Zagreb route, both in summer and winter.

The line was suspended at the time of the pandemic and has not resumed until now. However, according to the announcements from the airline, there will be no direct flights between the two capitals this year. The company plans to make a significant restructuring after the crisis, and according to current announcements, we can expect a direct air connection between Moscow and Zagreb only in April 2021.

Aeroflot even announced the launch of its seasonal route Moscow - Split in August this year, airline tickets were already on sale, but given the regulations at the state borders, it was to be expected that flights would be canceled, which eventually happened.

The third Aeroflot line in Croatia, the one to Dubrovnik, was withdrawn from sale in March, so Croatia will not have a direct connection with the capital of Russia this year.

In the summer flight schedule, the Croatian national carrier operates on the Zagreb - St. Petersburg line, but that line was also canceled for this year.

Aeroflot's last visit to Croatia was on May 2 this year, when a B777 aircraft landed at Zagreb Airport for the first time, transporting medical equipment from China via Moscow to the Croatian capital.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 15, 2020 - Austrian authorities expect large crowds at the borders this weekend as travelers may shorten their holidays after Croatia was included on the list of high-risk countries.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that local revealed Austrian citizens have decided to ignore the government's warning and are still going on holiday to Croatia. Namely, at the entrance to Slovenia from Austria near the Karavanke tunnel, there was a wait of up to three hours on Saturday morning. In the early afternoon, traffic stretched 17 kilometers.

Kronen Zeitung wrote that they had yet to see anything from the big wave of returnees from Croatia because it seems that Austrians still want to enjoy the beach today. At the entrance to Austria near Sentilj, they waited for about an hour on Saturday morning.

The Austrian Automobile Club (ÖAMTC) expects that traffic from the south could intensify in the evening on Saturday and during Sunday.

They report that traffic at border crossings at the entrance to Austria is moderate with shorter delays. At Karavanke, the entrance to Carinthia takes 35 minutes, and at Sentilj, about an hour. They also wrote that Slovenian authorities have tightened controls and that this is causing a stalemate.

The Austrian government decided to include Croatia on the list of high-risk countries on Friday after news of a record number of cases in Croatia. Travelers returning from Croatia must show a current negative test for coronavirus from Monday or undergo testing within 48 hours.

According to current information from the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 3,000 Austrian citizens are officially on holiday in Croatia. But at the same time, the authorities believe that this figure is many times higher.

"We start from the fact that there are a much larger number of Austrian citizens in Croatia," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that over 100 new cases of coronavirus infection had been reported in the last week alone, which were proven to have been brought from Croatian holidays.

Therefore, a larger number of inquiries related to travel to Croatia is expected from Monday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be assisted by 20 Bundeswehr soldiers on a special information telephone line.

"The military has soldiers at all times who are ready to help health facilities," said Defense Minister Claudia Tanner.

Soldiers are already helping to control entry into the country from the direction of Italy.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said that after Croatia, further warnings regarding travel abroad are possible. This is especially true of the Spanish Balearics.

"We know that with these warnings and restrictions on freedom of travel, we are creating problems for many Austrians. But the summer of 2020 is not like other summers," Schallenberg told the public service ORF.

Journalists from the Kronen Zeitung also talked to Austrian tourists in Veli Losinj, who said that they were shocked by the decision of the Austrian government.

"We only came yesterday. I went to the beach without a cell phone to get as much rest as possible. When I came back, I had something to read. It just hit me," said Peter P. of Graz.

"We knew that there was a possibility that this would happen, but I did not think that the whole country would close immediately," he said, adding that he was returning home on Sunday and that he expected large traffic jams.

"There will be chaos on the roads, but it is great that the hotel was understanding and they will only charge us for as many nights as we spent here," he said.

They also spoke to a German couple who was hanging out with many Austrians on Losinj. They said that many would not interrupt their vacation in Croatia. One tourist had a special message for the Austrian Chancellor.

"Kurz would have to call me in person if he wanted me to come home," he said.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has called for stricter coronavirus controls for returnees at the borders.

"Health offices are not doing their job properly. The controls should be more thorough and faster," Kurz told the daily "Oesterreich" on Saturday.

The opposition Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) criticized Kurz and accused him of putting pressure on local health offices. Secretary-General Michael Schnedlitz said that instead of putting pressure on these institutions, the Vienna government should take action against the growing number of falsified negative coronavirus tests on returnees from the Western Balkans.

"It has long been known that many of these allegedly negative tests of returnees from the Western Balkans are false," Schnedlitz said on Saturday.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called for stricter control of holiday returnees due to the increase in the number of cases in Austria.

After staying in one of about 30 risk areas, people must have a negative test that is not older than 72 hours or must be in a 10-day quarantine.

“There have to be tighter controls,” Kurz said in Saturday’s edition of Oesterreich.

Kurz did not rule out the possibility of conducting coronavirus tests at the border, which would be the task of the health authorities.

Risk areas include mainland Spain and the Western Balkans, as well as Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Sweden and the United States.

As of Monday, returnees from Croatia will also have to present a negative test, Kurz said, adding: "There is a huge influx of cases from Croatia."

He added that the increase is not surprising given that holidays are underway.

"The current numbers are worrying," says Kurz. "We must do everything we can to stop the virus without introducing new comprehensive bans."

Nearly 230 new infections were recorded in Austria on Saturday, compared to a record 282 the day before.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, just over 23,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 15, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation reports that OneWorld alliance member British Airways will reduce the number of weekly flights to Zagreb in September this year.

British Airways currently operates daily between London (Heathrow Airport) and Zagreb, on A319 and A320 aircraft. Given the occupancy of the passenger cabin and reduced demand, the company decided to reduce the number of weekly flights on the said route in September this year.

From September 1 on the London - Zagreb route, British Airways aircraft will operate six times a week, every day except Wednesday, while from September 7, there will be five flights per week on the route. Namely, the flight will be additionally canceled on Tuesdays.

Changes are certainly still possible, but unfortunately not in the direction of increasing weekly flights, especially with the fact that the number of patients with COVID-19 in the Republic of Croatia is growing significantly.

Other British Airways routes in Croatia (to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula) have no operational changes so far.

Croatia Airlines currently offers three flights a week on the route Zagreb - London Heathrow throughout September (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), but the flight schedule for next month has not yet been finalized.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Aeroflot has completely canceled the Moscow - Split route, to which it planned to return in August, and there are no announced flights to Dubrovnik or Zagreb.

Before the pandemic, Russian Aeroflot operated daily on the Moscow (Sheremetyevo Airport) - Zagreb route, both in summer and winter.

The line was suspended at the time of the pandemic and has not resumed until now. However, according to the announcements from the airline, there will be no direct flights between the two capitals this year. The company plans to make a significant restructuring after the crisis, and according to current announcements, we can expect a direct air connection between Moscow and Zagreb only in April 2021.

Aeroflot even announced the launch of its seasonal route Moscow - Split in August this year, airline tickets were already on sale, but given the regulations at the state borders, it was to be expected that flights would be canceled, which eventually happened.

The third Aeroflot line in Croatia, the one to Dubrovnik, was withdrawn from sale in March, so Croatia will not have a direct connection with the capital of Russia this year.

In the summer flight schedule, the Croatian national carrier operates on the Zagreb - St. Petersburg line, but that line was also canceled for this year.

Aeroflot's last visit to Croatia was on May 2 this year, when a B777 aircraft landed at Zagreb Airport for the first time, transporting medical equipment from China via Moscow to the Croatian capital.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 15, 2020 - There are currently around 820,000 tourists in Croatia, and there has been no noticeable decline in tourist traffic related to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases, Croatian National Tourist Board director Kristjan Stanicic said on Friday, announcing an increase in tourists this weekend.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that tourists are currently making up about 68 percent compared to the same day last year when there were 1.2 million. Most of them, about 200 thousand, are in Istria County, followed by 160 thousand in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, while Split-Dalmatia County is accommodating 150 thousand, and Zadar County about 145 thousand.

Stanicic states that according to the destinations with the most tourists, today, the top five are in Istria and Kvarner - Rovinj, Medulin, Porec, Umag, Crikvenica and Mali Losinj.

Asked if he expects increased visits to shrines to the Virgin Mary on Saturday, Stanicic said that this could certainly be expected because the celebration of the Assumption of Mary also includes visits to shrines.

"However, in the general atmosphere of reduced travel, precautions and restrictions introduced to combat the coronavirus pandemic, there may be fewer believers in Mary shrines for the holiday this year, including tourists, than in previous years," Stanicic believes, adding that this visit is difficult to formally quantify because it is mostly a one-day trip or only a few hours, and as there are no overnight stays, they are not recorded in the eVisitor system.

As this holiday this year coincides with the third weekend in August, after which, even in the best years for tourism, there was usually a slight decrease in tourist arrivals and overnight stays, this can be expected this year as well. August has so far surpassed all forecasts with about 70 percent of last year's overnight stays.

He emphasizes that the results of August so far have exceeded all forecasts and believes that by the end of that month, provided that the current market conditions remain unchanged, the achieved total arrivals and overnight stays of about 70 percent of last year will continue.

"Obviously, the coronavirus pandemic is still very much present and it is a crisis with an uncertain outcome and it is almost impossible to predict anything. The figures so far have already shown that this year's tourist results vary depending on the destination or individual types of facilities, so in this sense, the information from the field is different.

However, it is important to remember that this is a very challenging year for everyone, including tourism, in which the main goal is to achieve the best possible results to create a healthy basis for preparing and implementing the next tourist year, which will also be very challenging," Stanicic said.

On the other hand, it is difficult to predict what September and the entire postseason will bring, but he believes that in such circumstances, communication activities with the markets are important as one of the extremely significant elements of influencing travel decisions.

"We constantly communicate with the directors of our representative offices, and they with their partner markets, the media and others about the situation in Croatia. We fight certain blows, but we also react quickly, deny wrong information, hold meetings with partners, and cooperate with other institutions, primarily with diplomacy and the national headquarters," reveals Stanicic.

He also estimates that the good tourist figures from the markets of Germany, Slovenia, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary are also the result of intensive marketing and information campaigns, noting that the results still mostly depend on the epidemiological situation, necessary and strict adherence to all prescribed measures and recommendations of the national headquarters by all tourism service providers.

Commenting on the new measures by the Italian government, according to which testing is obligatory for everyone who comes to Italy from Croatia, Malta, Greece and Spain, Stanicic says that he sees a reason for that partly in the safety of his citizens, but also because of the Ferragosto period in which they travel.

"The countries included in this list are the direct and biggest competitors of Italy. There are currently about 45,000 Italian tourists in Croatia, but this Italian decision will certainly affect traffic from that market later in August. Despite this situation, the CNTB office in Italy still receives a huge number of inquiries about the arrival of Italians on vacation in Croatia - and they want to come," added Stanicic.

In the case of Slovenia, he says that there are no official decisions yet and believes that Croatia will remain on the current list, which enables Slovenian citizens to return to Slovenia without presenting a test or going to quarantine.

"Slovenia is one of our most important markets, many of their citizens own real estate in our country, and currently there are about 115,000 of them in Croatia," says Stanicic.

He also spoke about the Dutch market, where the CNTB is also in constant contact with partners, agencies and tour operators, as well as relevant institutions.

"It remains to be seen what the final decision of the Dutch institutions will be, but we believe that by all parameters, we can return to their list of safe destinations, which already includes some countries that have a worse epidemiological situation compared to Croatia," Stanicic said. Good cooperation with Croatian diplomacy is also important, which through its activities, contributes to maintaining the current position of Croatia as one of the few tourist countries in which significant tourist traffic takes place.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 14, 2020 - Citizens of Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and North Macedonia will have to take a negative PCR test no older than 48 hours to enter Serbia as of Saturday (August 15), the Serbian government's Crisis Headquarters said on Friday.

N1 reports that the decision applies to North Macedonia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, and the validity of the test is calculated 48 hours from the day the reference laboratory issued the result, Crisis Headquarters member Darija Kisic Tepavcevic explained to Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

The headquarters has decided that the restrictions that applied to the citizens of Montenegro will cease to be valid, and all measures will come into force on Saturday, August 15, and will be valid until the epidemiological situation changes.

According to Kisic Tepavcevic, these measures do not apply to Serbian citizens who come from those countries, for now.

She explained to RTS that the decision was made based on an assessment of the current epidemiological situation and the trend in the incidence of the infection in recent days.

She pointed out that the epidemiological picture in Serbia has been changing for the better in recent days, and hospitals are gradually leaving the COVID system.

"We want a stable epidemiological situation because we are going to school, the season of respiratory infections is coming, and we want to reduce the intake of potential points of infection in our country," said Kisic for RTS.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 14, 2020 - The first official COVID-19 Croatia weekly report has been released by the Koronavirus government website, covering August 4-10.

Croatian Institute of Public Health report for the previous 7 days and daily report for the Republic of Croatia on the 10th of August 2020. 

*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, 45 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 585. Among them, 124 patients are in hospital and 8 of them are on a respirator. There are currently 2,057 people in self-isolation. One person died. Until today, a total of 129,379 people has been tested and 1,247 in the last 24 hours. The share of confirmed cases in the total number of persons tested is 4.37%. The average age of confirmed cases is 46.37 years, and 49.03% of confirmed cases are men and 50.97% women.
 
Important numbers

• the number of new confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days: 18.8/100,000
• the number of new cases in intensive care per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days: 0.19/100,000
• the number of tested persons in the last 24 hours, the overall share of confirmed cases in the last 14 days: 1247, 4.6%.

Epidemiological situation in Croatia

Geographical distribution of new COVID-19 cases by counties
Since 25 February, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 5,649 people infected with the new coronavirus was recorded, 158 of which have died and 4,906 have recovered. In this wave of epidemics from 18 June until today, 10 August, 51 people have died. Most of the people who died had significant comorbidities which in connection with COVID-19 were associated with a high probability of developing even more serious form of the disease. The largest number of the deceased refers to those of advanced age. The average age of the deceased in this wave of epidemics is 77.8 years. Fourteen people died on a respirator.    

 

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

Hotspots

Continental Croatia
In one county, Međimurje, there are no new reported cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in the past 7 days. In other counties, except Vukovarsko-srijemska County and the City of Zagreb, there are no hotspots or a significant increase in the number of confirmed cases. In Croatia, the infected persons are mainly the contacts of previously confirmed cases, imported cases and those with a negative epidemiological history. In Vukovarsko-srijemska County, the focus is on two family gatherings. One of them has been monitored for 5 weeks and tertiary contacts are still being recorded. Currently, there is an active focus in this county on providers of accommodation services for the elderly. Immediately after the outbreak, anti-epidemic measures were carried out, users and employees were tested and they are in self-isolation. Patients were relocated to the infectious department of the territorial hospital. A similar situation was recorded in the City of Zagreb with one provider of accommodation services for the elderly. The procedure was similar to that in Vinkovci.

Coastal Croatia
In coastal Croatia the increase in the number of cases occurred due to family gatherings, celebrations and staying in crowded places with large number of unknown persons. Currently, the largest number of cases is recorded in Splitsko-dalmatinska County, where the increase in the number of cases in the last three weeks occurred due to a wedding celebration followed by secondary and tertiary contacts of confirmed cases and the outbreak of the virus in the accommodation establishment for people with disabilities. The described hotspots were placed under surveillance. In Istarska County, less than 4 weeks ago, the virus spread to the accommodation provider for the elderly in Umag, and among groups of people after friendly gatherings in Buzet and Labin. Several imported cases were recorded and they infected friends and contacts at family gatherings and outings. The described spreading of the virus at these locations contributed to a significant increase in the 14-day cumulative rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Istarska County. However, these hotspots were localized and very quickly brought under control and the situation in the Istarska County is evaluated as favourable.
All the described hotspots did not disrupt the availability or functioning of the health system or any other economic sector, i.e. public service.

Nightclubs as hotspots
In the period of little more than a week, we have started to see new cases associated with nightclubs, mostly on the coast, which is why new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among foreign and domestic tourists. These are mostly people of younger age who have visited one or more nightclubs during their stay at the seaside (night clubs in Makarska, Vodice, Novalja and Vir). Because of this new situation, measures need to be strengthened in nightclubs, and tourists vacationing on the Adriatic are urged to observe all epidemiological measures. They have to avoid going to nightclubs and all other overcrowded places with no possibility to maintain the necessary physical distance.
In addition, during holidays and events, potentially the largest possible source of infection are coffee shops, nightclubs, family gatherings and staying with several strangers in an area that makes it impossible to maintain the necessary physical distance. We’re appealing to all citizens to wear face masks even outdoors, during celebrations and events where a large number of people is present and it is not possible to maintain the necessary physical distance.

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.

The STOP COVID-19 application was presented in Croatia. The Decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters and the recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (CIPH) published on the website are in force.

Stop COVID-19 app
https://zdravlje.gov.hr/vijesti/predstavljena-mobilna-aplikacija-stop-covid-19/5259

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)
• 30 June - 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

Lower testing prices on COVID-19

• https://www.hzzo.hr/nove-cijene-dtp-a-testiranja-na-bolest-covid-19/

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)

Sources

• https://www.hzjz.hr/
• https://zdravlje.gov.hr/
• https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en

August 14, 2020 - Italy's restriction on travelers returning from Croatia has already proven to be a big blow to Croatian tourism. 

Italy yesterday restricted all travelers returning from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain. Namely, travelers need to prove that they have been tested in the last 72 hours and that they are negative for the coronavirus. If they can’t, they have to commit to being tested within 48 hours in Italy. This new measure, of course, is no friend of Croatian tourism. 

Index.hr reports that the news caused concern among Italian tourists who are canceling their trips to Croatia.

"This is a decision made yesterday, so we are already recording the cancellations of the reservations themselves," camp director Massimo Piutti told Nova TV.

"We've been receiving calls all morning from Italian tourists who are upset about this decision. However, they still show interest in Croatia and want to come to Croatia," says Viviana Vukelic, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Italy.

And for those who are already there, the decision of their government is not clear.

Overnight holidays have become more complicated for Italian tourists who are vacationing in Croatia, and there are currently about 46,000 of them.

"I'm surprised because I think we have too many cases in Italy. I don't know now exactly how it is in Croatia, but I think you have had relatively few cases compared to Italy," one Italian woman told Nova TV.

Boris Zgomba, president of the Association of Travel Agencies at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, says he does not understand why Italy implemented such a move.

About 30,000 Italian tourists are currently vacationing in Istria and Kvarner, which is two-thirds of their total number in the country. They are worried about the new information, but they don't know anything yet.

"We don't know anything yet. We don't understand, if we don't get tested, will anything happen to us? Is it my responsibility, will I report to the hospital? At least they should have told us that before, not now that we're here for three days now," one tourist told HRT.

The Chief of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Istria County, Dino Kozlevac, said that the decision was disappointing. 

"I don't think we are so bad in epidemiological terms, especially since they know which regions in Croatia are more vulnerable, which have fewer cases. Istria is a completely safe region for them, both Primorje-Gorski Kotar and most of the entire coast. Therefore, it saddens us because it will complicate the whole situation around tourism and is definitely not good," said Kozlevac for HRT's show Regionalni Dnevnik, adding that there must be some other reasons for that decision.

"I guess it is a tourist decision. Croatia is a hit this season; there is a lot of tourism, we are fighting the virus in parallel, successfully, less successfully, successfully again. Therefore, there will probably be some reason," said Kozlevac.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 14, 2020 - In August, Split boasts an increasing number of tourists, and since the beginning of the month, almost 160,000 overnight stays have been recorded, which is 51% of the overnight stays achieved in the same period last year.

Dalmacija Danas reports that hotel accommodation recorded 60% of last year's overnight stays, private accommodation 51% of last year's overnight stays, and the most numerous are tourists from Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and domestic tourists.

“The successful and timely response of all important actors in tourism has led to results that are favorable in the context of a global pandemic. According to the announcements of arrivals in August and the airlines' plans for flights to Split by the end of September, it is to be expected that tourist traffic will continue to grow. The continuation of the season will largely depend on the epidemiological situation for this reason through social networks, and through offline communication, we tell tourists to adhere to the prescribed measures and recommendations. In our info centers, we give them free masks. In this way, we send the message that as a destination, we care about preserving their health, but also that cooperation is extremely important to achieve a common goal. We also take care of safety when organizing events, so all events are held outdoors in compliance with epidemiological measures," said Alijana Vuksic, director of the Split Tourist Board.

August in Split continues with numerous events. Up next is the finale of Split Summer, which, in addition to the traditional Judita Award, will be enriched by the concert of Massimo and Mostar Sevdah Reunion at Sustipan. Urban Culture Revival festival - Evo Ruke! this year entertains many domestic and foreign visitors at the unique location of Split's Djardin, the theater under the stars will bring culture, laughter and fun to the Gripe Fortress, and classical music lovers can enjoy the Summer Charms of Classical Music and the seventh edition of the Piano Loop festival. The Split House of Language and Culture, the Kula Gallery, the Art Gallery, the Galic Salon and the Split Photo Club have prepared interesting exhibitions, and the Bacvice Open Air Cinema offers a diverse and exciting program for all film lovers.

This Friday, August 14, at 8 pm, the favorite event 'Roman Life' returns to tourists in an edition adapted to epidemiological measures. Domestic and foreign tourists have the opportunity to experience the ancient history of Split through Diocletian's footsteps. Every Friday, Emperor Diocletian, with a Praetorian Guard, goes out to the front of the Peristyle and takes a walk of our city.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.