June 22, 2020 - Croatia recently introduced the entercroatia.mup.hr online form for foreign visitors to the country. What exactly is it, and who needs to fill it out?

Just over a month ago, we started a Viber community called Total Croatia Travel INFO in an attempt to help tourists get accurate travel information for their holiday to Croatia. It has been one of the most informative and educational things that I have done in the last year, and you can join the group here (you will need to download the Viber app). 

For in addition to us giving information, the community also shared their experiences and questions. Real-life experiences of crossing borders (or not), boarding planes (or not) has allowed us to build perhaps the most accurate picture of travel to Croatia on the Internet right now. Many thanks to all who have - and continue to - contributed. 

The Viber community is also a great source of information about the messages which are not getting across, as we see the same questions again and again. One of the areas of confusion surrounds the entercroatia.mup.hr form, which is now in 11 languages. What exactly is it for, do we need to fill it, and what about if we are transiting Croatia?

The simple answer is that if you are a foreign tourist to Croatia, you SHOULD fill in the form before your arrival, even though it is not obligatory. If you need accommodation in Croatia, you can find it here. It will facilitate your travel to Croatia at airports and any borders, as well as saving lots of time at the actual Croatian border. It is one of the most efficient systems I have ever seen after the Croatian police allowed me full access behind the scenes, and I then fully understood the system and how it is working perfectly.  I want to quickly explain why the system was introduced, what it does and why you should fill in the form. 

When I first visited the main Bregana border between Croatia and Slovenia on May 17, 2020, there was much confusion, and the border crossing was painfully slow - taking 5-8 minutes in most cases (transit was much quicker). The reason for this was that the border police had to manually enter details of the visitor's contact details, as well as all the information of where they were staying and for how long. This was necessary in the event of a corona outbreak so that the police would be able to contact them locally.  It was a time-consuming process, and one can only imagine what the peak season queues would look like. 

An emergency software fix was procured, and I was curious to see how it worked. I will refer to it more below, but this information is important for EVERY foreign visitor to Croatia at the moment, whether you are coming by land, sea or air. 

1. If you fill the form in with your details (choose from 11 languages), you will receive an email from the police confirming receipt. Print this off, as well as your confirmed reservation, and show at any borders you encounter on the way, and you will be allowed to enter. 

2. The procedure to proceed through the border if you have already registered is less than one minute, so 5-8 times quicker than three weeks ago. Simply hand over your passport, which will be scanned. All relevant details will be sent to Interpol, Schengen, and the Croatian ministries of health, tourism and the interior. This includes all the accommodation details and your contact numbers entering into the system. It is an outstandingly efficient system and is reducing the waiting time at the border considerably. 

3. Even if you are from the 10 countries which now have open borders with Croatia, the official advice is to fill in this form, because it will reduce the waiting time at the border. 

A fabulous system, put together in record time, and severely reducing the waiting times at the border just in time for peak season. Congratulations to the Croatian police and all involved in the project. 

Please note (from the entercroatia.mup.hr page):

*After entering your contact information (telephone number and e-mail address), you will receive an announcement certificate which we kindly ask that you display on the windshield of your vehicle in order to facilitate the border crossing. Furthermore, you will receive all of the necessary information regarding your safe stay in the RC.

*The announcement certificate does not constitute an entry permit and is not equivalent to a document required for crossing the border (passport/identity card).

There seems to be some confusion in the community regarding 'The announcement is valid from' and 'The announcement is valid until 'entries. Please enter the dates you expect to arrive and depart.

UPDATE (July 13): We've received several questions on whether there are any issues with extending your stay in Croatia, beyond what you reported on your entercroatia.mup.hr form, if you need to do anything about the extension, re-submit your form or anything. We can confirm that, once you're in Croatia, you don't need to worry about your entercroatia form anymore; there are systems in place where the hosts need to report where you're staying, because of the tourist tax via the eVisitor system, so just enjoy yourself once you manage to enter Croatia (pun intended). 

The question Self-isolation/quarantine measure in the country of residence? means have you self-isolated due to being in contact with someone with the virus.

If you are in transit through Croatia, you do NOT need to fill in the form, as it is designed to keep track of where people are staying in the event of a corona outbreak. (Confirmed to TCN by MUP on June 22).

Croatian citizens do NOT need to fill in the form. (Confirmed to TCN by MUP on June 22).

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

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June 22, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar.

Croatian Aviation reports that Turkish Airlines will fly again on the Istanbul-Zagreb route from July 1. 

During the summer, Turkish Airlines operated to Zagreb twice a day, thus offering a large number of connections to other destinations in the world to all passengers from Croatia, of course, in the opposite direction, allowing many tourists to come to Zagreb (especially those from Asia).

Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, Turkish had suspended traffic on all routes, and in the last month, has gradually reintroduced domestic lines within Turkey, and now certain international destinations.

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

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Although before the pandemic, when the airline operated to Zagreb twice a day, the company will now re-launch the line in a reduced form. Namely, the Istanbul - Zagreb - Istanbul line will be run 5 times a week from July 1, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, the line will be maintained in the morning, with the A320 aircraft, while on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, the aircraft will operate on this line in the evening with the B737-800 aircraft.

The A320 aircraft in the fleet of this carrier has the capacity for 153 passengers, while aircraft type B737-800 has a capacity of 162 passengers.

Turkish Airlines operates throughout the year on the Istanbul - Dubrovnik route, but currently, this route is not yet announced and there is no specific date for the start of operations of this well-known airline to Dubrovnik Airport.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased on the airline's website.

Furthermore, Avio Radar reports that over the weekend, LuxAir renewed all three of its routes to Croatia. The first flight landed in Dubrovnik on Saturday, June 20. The first flight carried 54 passengers, while 5 flew back to Luxembourg. This line will be in service on Saturdays, and from July 8 on Wednesdays. 

The second arrival landed in Zadar. This route is planned once a week, on Saturdays, until October 10. On Sunday, June 21, the line to Split was resumed. It will remain in traffic once a week, on Sundays, until October 18. 

With the resumed traffic this weekend, LuxAir is the first airline to already fly on all routes and in the full number of weekly flights according to plan before COVID-19. Bombardier Q400 aircraft have been announced for all flights to Croatia.

June 21, 2020 - Balancing the needs of tourism and corona is impossible to get right. A look at the approaches of Croatia and Montenegro (a non-EU member). 

I have been writing about corona for months now. So many things are becoming a blur. 

Doing the daily live updates for weeks reporting constantly on the numbers of deaths and new infections was really draining, and I can safely say that I have not seen the bigger picture for a while, which is why certain things which are widely known by everyone else come as a surprise to me. Two conversations today are a case in point. 

In the first conversation with my nephew back in the UK, I was asking what the daily reality was where he is. He told me that the pubs will finally reopen in a couple of weeks, and he will be able to get a haircut on July 4, and that currently he can only gather with one other household at a given time. 

But he can come to Croatia on holiday, now with direct flights (if they are not cancelled) with hos pre-paid accommodation, sink a few beers, mingle with everyone in the bar, and get his hair cut on the way home. Things he is not legally allowed to do in the UK at the moment.  

The price he would pay for such a holiday would be 14-days self-isolation on his return.  

There has been a lot of (deliberate) confusion as to whether Brits and others can enter Croatia on holiday. As Croatia is in the EU, it cannot make unilateral decisions, and so its tourism chiefs came up with a very Balkan solution - to classify paid accommodation in a hotel or private accommodation as an 'economic activity', thereby allowing anyone  who could get to a Croatian border with proof of paid accommodation to enter the country. 

No test required, no quarantine. Croatia breathes tourism, said Minister Cappelli - anyone who can get to the border will be allowed in. 

And has been allowed in. 

It is not for me to judge the health v economy and tourism argument, I am just reporting on things as I see them. And as I have seen both sides of the border in recent weeks, and very close up and behind the scenes, it is ever clearer to me that politics is taking precedence over everything else. Croatia goes to the polls on July 5, and while the domestic audience is being served messages of Croatia being one of the only countries enjoying tourism in Europe, as well as reports of full national parks, and those beloved statistics, outside the borders, there is information chaos. The Ministry of Tourism declined to join our Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community, which is the only place where questions are being asked in real time. (You can join here, but will need to download the app). 

My suggestion that perhaps the Ministry of Tourism, national tourist board and police create their own Viber community was met with a smile and a nod. And the usual inaction. 

My second conversation was with one of my writers for Total Montenegro News down in Tivat. She has been reporting on corona since March, when Montenegro was the last coronavirus-free country in Europe. And then the first to be corona-free after the infections. 

Equally desperate to get the season going, Montenegro had some tough choices to make.  Its main markets - Serbia, Russia and UK all have terrible corona records. To allow them in would surely see a spike in cases, to keep them out would be disastrous for tourism.  A really tough choice. 

Montenegro has come up with a three-colour system, depending on the epidemiological situation in the host country. Most have green - free entry - some have yellow, where a recent negative test is required. 

And then there is red - including Montenegrin tourism's top three tourism markets - Serbia, Russia and the UK. Yes people in the red countries can come, but they will be subject to 14-days institutional quarantine. So tourists will not come. 

A huge loss to the economy, but a decision which seems to have put health first. With so many people dependent on tourism and Montenegrins also going to the polls on August 30, it will be interesting to see how this develops. A spike in cases partially caused by Serbs going through the BiH border has led to BiH being given a yellow sticker, which means even less tourism. 

Montenegro is not in the EU, of course, and so it has more freedom to act unilaterally. 

But Greece is, and it has put the UK on hold for now, for example.  

After a sustained period of zero or one cases a day in Croatia, there has been an increase to 18 or 19 a day. Still very small numbers in the global picture, but enough to start the discussion of stricter measures, a second wave, and more. 

It is 14 days until the Croatian general election. I wonder what is foremost in the decision-makers minds tonight - health, tourism, the economy... or reelection.

June 21, 2020 — Croatia Airlines will increase the frequency of some international routes out of Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, as well as add a domestic flight to Brač, according to Croatian Aviation.

In the first week of July, the company will increase the number of frequencies on numerous international routes from Zagreb, and introduce one domestic one, towards the airport on Brač, among other additions.

The Croatian national carrier has slowly returned routes suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions.

Here are the changes taking effect July 6, split according to airport:

Zagreb

Flights to Frankfurt will operate as many as 32 times a week:

• Mondays and Sundays four times a day
  
  
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays three times a day
  
  
• Saturdays twice a day

Lines to Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Munich and Sarajevo will operate daily, while flights to Zurich, Dubrovnik and Split will operate twice a day.

Flights to Brussels will operate 8 times a week:

• twice a day on Wednesdays and Fridays
  
  
• on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays once a day
  
  

Lines to Paris, London, Dublin and Vienna will operate three times a week, while planes to Rome will take off four times a week.

Flights to Zadar and Pula will occur seven times a week (twice a day on Sundays, no flights on Saturdays).

A direct line to Brač will be introduced. The DashQ400 aircraft will connect these two airports every Tuesday and Saturday.

Split

Direct flights to Copenhagen, London, Vienna and Paris will start once a week, on Saturdays.

The Frankfurt - Split line will operate five times a week, while routes to Munich and Zurich will operate three times a week.

A domestic line between Split and Osijek is being introduced, once a week, on Fridays.

Dubrovnik

The company will also introduce international lines from Dubrovnik.

Direct flights to Dusseldorf and Zurich are introduced, once a week, on Saturdays, while the Dubrovnik-Frankfurt route will be open four times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays).

A domestic line between Dubrovnik and Osijek is being introduced, once a week, every Thursday.

Tickets on all these lines are on sale on the Croatia Airlines website.

ZAGREB, June 20, 2020 - Croatian police have tightened controls on the borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia following new cases of coronavirus infection originating from the two countries, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Friday.

Bozinovic, who heads the national coronavirus crisis management team, told Jutarnji List daily that tighter border controls had been imposed on Thursday.

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

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"Anyone wishing to enter Croatia must state their reason for travel and present a supporting document to that effect, for example that it is in the economic interest of our country," Bozinovic said.

He noted that Croatia had never fully opened its borders to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as it had to ten EU countries which have a good epidemiological situation.

Jutarnji List said that in the last two days travellers from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina who wanted to enter Croatia without reason backed up by proper documentation had been turned back.

Stricter border controls were imposed because most of the new coronavirus cases identified in Croatia in the last week were connected with the two countries.

Bozinovic said that the situation in Croatia would not escalate because epidemiologists had traced most of the infected people and established the source of the infection.

June 19, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar. 

Avio Radar reports that Polish national airline LOT Polish Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance global aircraft, will resume scheduled international air traffic from July 1. Among the first destinations are three stops in Croatia - Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar. 

Zagreb and Rijeka are not on offer in the first 14 days of traffic. Pula was not planned this year or before the pandemic. The flight schedule is only valid from July 1 to 15. 

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

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The Warsaw-Dubrovnik line will be in traffic twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, instead of the planned 6 times a week (every day except Tuesday). The Warsaw-Split line will be in traffic once a week, on Wednesdays, instead of two flights per week. Flights on Sunday have been canceled. The Warsaw-Zadar route will be offered once a week, on Saturdays, just as it was announced before the pandemic. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft have been announced on all routes to Croatia. 

The biggest news is that the new Budapest-Dubrovnik line, announced for the first time this year, will start operations. Flights will run once a week, on Saturdays, instead of Sunday, which as originally announced. The smaller Embraer ERJ-195 aircraft will fly on this route. 

Avio Radar also reports that Czech airline Smartwings has stopped the sale of all flights on the Prague-Dubrovnik route until the end of the year. The line was planned to operate daily. It was previously delayed until July 1, but is now no longer on offer at all. 

The Prague-Split line already started operating on June 10, and has been planned daily since June 24. If there are no changes, it will be the first regular line that will fly from Europe daily to one of the Croatian destinations on the Adriatic. 

The Ostrava-Split line was supposed to begin operations on June 13, though it has been delayed until further notice. Lines from Poland to Split have been postponed until July 2. 

Lines from Poland to Dubrovnik have also been postponed, but to July 9, while the Gdansk-Dubrovnik route is scheduled to run a week later. 

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was announced on all routes, but on Wednesday, June 17, a smaller Airbus A319 flew from Prague to Split as a replacement for the partner company CSA Czech Airlines, a member of the SkyTeam global airline association. 

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

Croatian Aviation reports that well-known low-cost airline, Norwegian Air, which has so far operated to almost all airports in Croatia, announced it is resuming three routes to Split and Dubrovnik.

The company previously canceled its only line to Rijeka, and currently, there are no announcements of traffic to Pula, Zadar, and Zagreb. The company thus today confirmed the establishment of three lines to Dubrovnik and Split.

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

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From July 4, Norwegian will fly again on the Oslo - Split route, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays,

From the same date, the company plans to establish the Stockholm - Split line, only once a week in July, on Saturdays.

From July 28, the Oslo - Dubrovnik line will be introduced, twice a week, on Tuesdays and Sundays.

At the end of July and the beginning of August, the introduction of more international routes to these two Croatian airports is expected, as well as the return of the company to Pula.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that British Airways will re-launch international routes in July, including three destinations in Croatia.

Although they planned flights to Croatia at one point even for June, this did not happen, mainly due to restrictions imposed by the UK government.

At the moment, 14-day self-isolation after arrival in the UK is still mandatory, but companies based in the UK are putting pressure on the authorities to lift this restriction, which would greatly facilitate the re-establishment of air traffic.

According to current information, British Airways intends to launch three routes to Croatia from July, to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik.

London (Heathrow) - Zagreb, from July 9, three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays,

London (Heathrow) - Split, from July 9, four times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays,

London (Gatwick) - Dubrovnik, from 16 July, three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

London (Heathrow) - Pula line is not yet announced for this year's summer flight schedule.

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

Croatian Aviation reports that low-cost airline Transavia has announced its flight schedule for July, which includes as many as five destinations in Croatia.

All lines to Croatia have been introduced from the beginning of July, although earlier announcements were somewhat different.

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

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The Split - Paris line will be in operation from July 2, 3 times a week, on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. From July 27, 6 flights per week are expected (every day except Saturday).

The Dubrovnik - Rotterdam line is announced from July 21, twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday.

The Dubrovnik - Nantes line will operate from July 1, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Dubrovnik - Paris route will be introduced from July 5, once a week (Sunday), from July 11, one flight will be added on Saturdays, and from July 24, 4 flights a week are expected on this line (Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).

The Rijeka - Eindhoven line has been announced from July 2, 3 times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

The Pula - Eindhoven line will also operate from July 2, as many as 6 times a week, every day except Wednesday.

The Zadar - Rotterdam line is announced from July 4, 3 times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Transavia has reduced its flight schedule throughout the network for this summer season and will send email notifications to passengers who have tickets on already canceled flights.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines announced a temporary summer flight schedule from June 29 this year, and the company will re-launch certain routes from Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik. On most routes, there has been an increase in weekly flights.

The Zagreb - Frankfurt line will operate twice a day until June 29, and then on Mondays and Fridays, there will be 3 flights a day on this line, for a total of 20 weekly flights between the two cities.

The Zagreb - Sarajevo line, which started operating Monday with 4-weekly flights from June 29, will get another weekly flight, every Thursday, i.e., 5 times a week.

The Zagreb - Split - Rome line will also receive another weekly flight, every Wednesday, a total of 5 times a week.

The Zagreb - Brussels line will operate 6 times a week from that date, noting that two daily flights are available on Wednesdays.

The Zagreb - Paris line is being reintroduced, twice a week, on Fridays and Sundays.

The Zagreb - Zadar - Pula line is currently open daily, but from that date, it will be reduced to 4 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays).

As for the flights of the Croatian national carrier from Split, Croatia Airlines will strengthen one existing route. Namely, the Split - Frankfurt line operates 2 times a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) until June 29, and from that date, it will operate as many as 5 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).

The Osijek - Split line is also reintroduced every Saturday.

Croatia Airlines will launch the first international route this year from Dubrovnik. From the end of June, Dubrovnik will be connected to Frankfurt 4 times a week; on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

It is to be expected that Croatia Airlines will announce the launch of certain routes in the next announcement (for flights from July 5, 2020), such as the one between Zagreb and Prague, and Zagreb and Skopje.

Finally, Ex Yu Aviation reports that low-cost carrier easyJet has canceled plans to launch its new routes between Glasgow and Pula this summer, which was to run twice per week.  

June 16, 2020 - There is a list of things you should have with you when traveling to Croatia in the corona era. A printout of the IATA guidelines is one of them. 

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding travel in the post-corona world, and while many of us worry if it is safe to travel at all, others are wondering what rules and regulations ring true across the board, as we are met with new information each day. In an effort to hopefully curb any confusion, we're telling you why travelers should print out the IATA guidelines if they're flying to Croatia. 

International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the latest COVID-19 entry regulations for each country (with a free online interactive world map to boot), which have apparently proved crucial for those of you flying to Croatia. 

But why, you might ask? 

Because many airlines and travel agencies are seemingly unaware of the restrictions - and since the IATA guidelines for Croatia begin with 'Passengers are not allowed to enter', we think we know why. 

IATA's guidelines for Croatia, published June 16, 2020, are as follows: 

1. Passengers are not allowed to enter.
This does not apply to:
-nationals of Croatia and their family members.
-nationals of Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
-nationals of Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland when:
- returning via Croatia to their country of residence; or
- traveling on business with an invitation letter; or
- traveling as tourists with accommodation reservation confirmation.
-passengers with a British passport and their family members, when:
- returning via Croatia to their country of residence; or
- traveling on business with an invitation letter; or
- traveling as tourists with accommodation reservation confirmation.
-passengers with a long-term residence permit issued by Croatia.
-passengers with a long term residence permit or a long term "D" visa issued by Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland or United Kingdom when:
- returning via Croatia to their country of residence; or
- traveling on business with an invitation letter; or
- traveling as tourists with accommodation reservation confirmation.
-passengers entering Croatia to transit by land to a third country. They must prove that they can enter the destination country.
2. Passports and national ID cards issued to nationals of Croatia which expired on 11 March 2020 or later are considered valid.

The rules from June 10, 2020, however, have changed from June 2, which initially stated that travel was allowed for business, no matter the nationality. 

As mentioned above, many airlines are unaware of the guidelines, and some passengers have been refused entry. Some advice, if that happens:

Below, a passenger experience that prevailed, with the following documents in tow:

Remember, if you're traveling to Croatia, not only is it important to print out the IATA guidelines for Croatia, but make sure you have filled out the Enter Croatia form, have booking confirmation, and an email confirmation from MUP, for good measure (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 

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

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June 16, 2020 - Some new rapid temperature check software developed by a Croatian company in Varazdin is tested on the island of Hvar - an outstanding tool in the battle against corona, especially against the second wave.  

This would be absolutely perfect for the island of Hvar, was my first reaction when the technology was shown to me and explained. 

Croatia's premier island, whose most famous son, Ivan Vucetic, discovered the art of fingerprinting. The wellness island where organised tourism in Europe began in 1868 with the Hvar Health Society. And an island which did an outstanding job keeping its citizens safe during the corona era. Just two cases recorded, both recovered, both from islanders returning from jobs in Austria. 

Jelsa on June 12, 2020, the place where this little story began on Hvar. 

Some days earlier, I was at home in Varazdin when my web developer, Bernard Toplak from Exabyte, invited me to the 9th birthday party of his favourite team, NK Varteks. The party was 75 metres from my front door, and we had things to discuss and he had something to show me. 

As TCN wrote previously, Bernard has developed Croatian software with Chinese technology to produce a rapid temperature check measuring system at a distance of 5 metres, which can process 30-40 people at one time and flag anyone with a higher temperature. Bernard explains more in the earlier TCN article as well as in the video at the end of this article. 

The uses are multiple - borders, ferries, catamarans, hotels, kindergartens, old people's homes, hospitals, restaurants, sporting occasions. After a successful 2-week trial in a Varazdin hospital, Bernard agreed to let me try it somewhere else.

And where better than Hvar, especially I could persuade Suncani Hvar Hotels to accommodate Bernard and his family while we tried it out. 

I wrote to the Hvar police chief, the mayors of Hvar, Stari Grad and Jelsa, the Hvar and Stari Grad tourist board directors, and Suncani Hvar Hotels. Almost all replied enthusiastically. And so it was that Bernard and I arrived on Hvar to present the idea to the police chief, Hvar and Stari Grad tourist boards, Stari Grad mayor and Suncani Hvar Hotels, once Bernard had checked in to Hotel Riva.  

It was a very lively chat, with plenty of questions from all sides.  

A quick demonstration in Hotel Riva before the main job the next day.  

We started at the Stari Grad kindergarten, where national television was waiting.  

And then to meet the team at the Stari Grad old people's home to demonstrate the system there.  

The system identifies the head and measures the temperature under the eyes, producing a reading above the head of each person. And a red flag and alarm will appear for any high temperature.  And the thermal imaging ensures no GDPR issues.

Next stop the Stari Grad ferry, where Radio Split took an interest.  

Temperatures all ok on the 08:30 from Split.  

Time to set up on the exclusive Hvar Riva.  

Healthy passengers on the 12:30 Krilo catamaran.  

Back to Jelsa, where my day had begun to catch passengers on the 18:10 catamaran arrival from Split.  

A fascinating day, and a great tool in the fight against corona, especially should a second wave come. You can find the TCN video report of the day and an interview with Bernard in English below. 

If you are looking for more information about the system and applications, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.