May the 27th, 2021 - The Croatian Civil Protection Directorate has provided further detail about what is set to change as Croatian anti-epidemic measures are set to alter once again as of this Friday.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the epidemiological picture across the country is improving and as such, Croatian anti-epidemic measures are loosening. Among other things, that loosening up refers to increasing the number of people permitted weddings to 100 (or more, more details can be found here), opening up the closed parts of restaurants again and longer working hours for hospitality and catering facilities until 23:00. Outdoor fairs will also be allowed to operate. The relaxation of the current Croatian anti-epidemic measures will be valid from Friday.

The changes set to come into force on Friday the 28th of May as far as coronavirus measures are concerned are as follows:

Gatherings - more than 100 people will be allowed to gather in one place and the ban on private gatherings and ceremonies will be lifted.

Public events and gatherings of all kinds will be allowed to go on until 23:00.

There will be no more restrictions on the number of people allowed to be present at funerals.

The working hours of bakeries, catering and hospitality facilities and family farms (OPGs) will be extended to 23:00, instead of the current 22:00.

Alcoholic beverages may be sold from 06:00 to 23:00.

The suspension of the operation of dance schools will be lifted, and it will be possible to hold playrooms and workshops operating indoors. The training ban is set to remain in place for school halls.

In addition, catering and hospitality facilities will be permitted to serve guests indoors, not just outside on the terraces as before. This primarily involves restaurants, as well as those facilities in the category of bars, pubs, cafes and coffee bars if they serve some sort of food or desserts to guests.

Cafes and facilities that only serve drinks can still only operate outdoors on terraces. The reason for this difference is because the catering and hospitality facilities that have the minimum technical conditions for serving hot and cold dishes must meet stricter sanitary requirements and undergo special systematic controls, which is important from an epidemiological point of view.

The suspension of wedding ceremonies would still be in effect, but could take place with a maximum of 120 guests present, and they would have to report to the competent civil service and county directorate no later than five days before the start of the event, Bozinovic said, adding that people must either be fully vaccinated, have a negative test result or proof that they have already recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months. A list of all guests along with their first and last names and OIBs must be submitted to the county civil protection directorate.

As far as passenger transport is concerned as Croatian anti-epidemic measures change again, the 40 percent passenger seat limit will be lifted but the obligation to wear masks while on board is set to remain.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and test centres up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

May the 27th, 2021 - As Croatia's epidemiological picture continues to improve and as measures begin easing gradually, 120 guests will now be able to attend Croatian wedding celebrations, as long as one of three conditions are properly met.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Ivana Pavic Simetin, the deputy director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, was a guest on the Dobro jutro, Hrvatska (Good morning, Croatia) show on HRT during which she commented on the easing of Croatia's anti-epidemic measures. She also revealed some further details.

She revealed that there will be 120 people allowed to attend Croatian wedding celebrations, but they must meet one of three conditions: they must have a negative PCR test result, they must be fully vaccinated, or have proof that they have contracted and recovered from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in the last six months. As she said, such guests will probably have to come to Croatian wedding celebrations with a certificate stating clearly which group they belong to, and on top of that, the guest list will have to be submitted a few days in advance so that all this can be checked later.

"Our joint efforts and refraining from various activities have led to a favourable epidemiological situation. Over the last few weeks, we've had a big drop in the infection rate, so the National Civil Protection Directorate made the decision to loosen up some of our measures and make a sort of return to the lifestyle we were used to before,'' said Pavic Simetin.

"As far as I'm aware, the decision of the National Civil Protection Directorate will be valid as of Friday, and the measure which placed a limit on 25 people rise to 100. We'll also open restaurants indoors, lift the number of people permitted to attend funerals, so these are all some good messages we're getting," she described.

"This is all going to be gradual, it's not about opening everything up right away, there's also going to be a difference in how people behave in restaurants and how they behave in cafes. There are more people there, more people come into contact with each other, it isn't always possible to determine which people were there, whereas a restaurant is more of a stationary activity, one sits down in the company of others, if someone tests positive, we can find out who they were around,'' explained Pavic Simetin.

"There will be a limit of up to 120 people for Croatian wedding celebrations, provided that the person has a negative PCR result, has recovered within 6 months or has been vaccinated. That will be the main strategy as far as weddings are concerned,'' she revealed for HRT.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.