October the 29th, 2021 - Croatian employers would gladly introduce covid certification presentation as a mandatory move but cannot under current Croatian law. As a result, they're seeking two important things from the state.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, many Croatian employers claim they're overwhelmed and irritated waiting around for the state to finally define the rules around covid certificates, which they would like to introduce them at workplaces and thus join the health and social care system which already have the same rule, but Croatian employers cannot do that because they have no legal basis to introduce it.

The Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) has therefore asked the relevant ministries to issue instructions to employers, which would answer numerous inquiries and concerns about covid certificates owned by their workers, and provide some clear guidelines on how to organise further business given the negative epidemiological situation and the number of workers who are unwell and in self-isolation. They are also asking the state to cover the costs of testing for the novel virus.

Despite the recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (CNIPH), Croatian employers currently have no legal basis to ask their employees to present a covid certificate, nor to remove them from the workplace if he doesn't produce one,'' they explained from HUP.

Namely, Resolution 2361 (2021) is in force across EU member states, which stipulates that people must be informed that vaccination against the novel coronavirus isn't mandatory, and that there's no political or any other pressure or discrimination to be placed on those who don't want to receive the vaccine. In addition, as the vaccine against coronavirus is not on the list of mandatory vaccines for the Republic of Croatia, there are no obligations or sanctions for refusing vaccination.

Croatian employers are obliged, according to the recommendations of the CNIPH, to finance all the testing of their workers, if necessary. The state pays this only to the health and social care sectors, which HUP considers to be discrimination. HUP therefore sent a request to the competent institutions asking for coronavirus tests be provided to all Croatian employers in an equal way.

"We believe that it's inconceivable and unfair to all other companies to make some sort of difference based on the protection of the health of employees by sector, and by belonging to the public or private sector. All of the above leads to legal uncertainty, and consequently the inability to organise business in a healthy working atmosphere. This situation requires urgent action by state institutions in the form of issuing clear guidelines to employers that would ensure the protection of their workers and the legal operations of Croatian employers during the pandemic,'' they concluded from HUP.

At the time of writing this article, they hadn't yet received answers from the authorities.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language.

October the 2nd, 2021 - The Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) has published a set of new recommendations on its website, in which quarantine periods have been shortened and there have been some new rules made for school children.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the duration of quarantine has now been shortened from 14 back down to 10 days again, and a new recommendation for Croatian students has been introduced. They must now be tested for the novel coronavirus after each absence from school before returning back to class.

Here are the new Croatian Public Health Institute recommendations in full:

- The duration of quarantine for close contacts of patients has been reduced to ten days

- Exemption from the need for testing for persons who have recovered from coronavirus or have been fully vaccinated and who have no symptoms of the disease and have not been in close contact with an infected person has been extended to twelve months

- Healthcare professionals and staff in other institutions who come into contact with vulnerable individuals (groups) who aren't subject to quarantine must be tested by PCR immediately after having close contact with the infected person, on the seventh day after contact and on the fourteenth day after contact, regardless of their vaccination status and whether or not they have previously recovered from an infection.

- Emphasis is now being placed on the need to confirm each rapid antigen test result by PCR test, for administrative reasons, ie obtaining a digital covid confirmation, which does not mean that a positive result of a rapid antigen test isn't considered sufficient to treat a person with COVID-19 in terms of putting them into isolation and processing their contacts.

- A PCR test is recommended as the first choice of diagnostic test if the testing capacities and the specificity of the situation allow for this testing method to be used.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

August the 28th, 2021 - The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, has discussed the epidemiological situation, the fact that Croatia continues to be a safe tourist destination, anti-epidemic measures and the idea of a third dose of the vaccine.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Krunoslav Capak stated on Thursday that Croatia currently has the most favourable epidemiological situation of all tourist countries in Europe, as well as of many other tourist countries globally. This has been reaffirmed by Croatia remaining orange on the ECDC's latest corona map update.

“It’s very good news; no additional measures are being introduced for tourists leaving Croatia to return home, and if we do turn red, then additional measures can be introduced, including quarantine,'' Krunoslav Capak told Dnevnik Nova TV.

He reported that no additional measures are being planned so far, and the existing ones will be extended until September the 15th, 2021.

“Now we have a slightly worse situation than we did at the same time last year, and the fourth wave started earlier than last year. Our expectations are that, given that we have more than 50 percent of the population vaccinated, it won't be such big growth and it won't last long," he added.

He noted that covid certificates have been introduced for gatherings of more than fifty people in Dalmatian and coastal counties and for a hundred people in continental counties, adding that they haven't yet considered introducing them for shopping centres, restaurants and cafes, although this option remains open and all is applicable in some European countries.

Consideration is also being given to using the certificates for the healthcare system and the social security system. Because, as Krunoslav Capak stated, it is important that when it comes to healthcare system, both patients and staff should try to avoid potentially infecting each other if possible.

“The use of covid certificates is tremendously important here, and we'd prefer everyone to be vaccinated,'' he pointed out.

"In some EU countries where covid certificates have been introduced, testing restrictions for asymptomatic people are being considered, so this will be one of the mechanisms in Croatia. We didn't definitely agree on when that would put put into practice,'' he said.

When asked about the vaccination of children, Krunoslav Capak noted that they support the vaccination of children aged 12 to 18, especially those with chronic underlying diseases where the risk of a severe form of the disease should it be contracted be higher.

"Now we're talking about it and stimulating the vaccination of children in their final grades of high school, and then high schools in which, due to the nature of the type of education they conduct, there is contact with more people,'' he added. He also invited every other child who wanted to, to come to receive the vaccination together with their parents.

Krunoslav Capak says the idea of a third dose of the vaccine is being discussed intensively, and Europe's position is rather conservative on the issue - most EU countries believe there is still a long way to go before we should need to start talking about that.

"So far, we don't have the infrastructure in place for that, nor the possibility to record the third dose, and we're also working on that. We epidemiologists will agree on which vulnerable groups we'll start giving the third dose too first,'' he stressed.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language.

August the 21st, 2021 - The world famous Croatian Zrce beach has been involved in a study carried out by the Croatian Institute of Public Health on the effects of clubbing in regard to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, vaccination against the novel coronavirus, a liberal approach in the form of anti-epidemic measures against the spread of the pandemic and an indestructible desire for fun, with the good organisation of testing points, all saw Zrce beach get some significantly better results this season than expected.

Moreover, due to extremely good epidemiological results despite high traffic, the Croatian Institute of Public Health selected Zrce beach in their preparation of a study of the relationship between clubbing and the spread of the infection, which should provide many answers about this segment in the coming period.

The traffic at the end of the summer on Zrce beach will be taken care of by the closing festival brought to Croatia by Amnesia, one of the most famous clubs in the world from Ibiza. Clubs on Zrce beach entered the summer season ready for another year of improvisations, organising smaller festivals, and understanding that every day the risk of infection posed the potential closure of the beach.

Club Noa on Zrce beach had even better traffic in July and the previous part of August than in the same period in pre-pandemic, record 2019.

"Of course, we weren't allowed to work in June and this will be reflected in the annual results, as will the fact that there were no big festivals, but the rest of the summer was very successful, thanks to our guests who acted very responsibly and respected the order of things, I have every praise for them. Zrce beach was chosen as the location for testing because it is the location that has the largest sample of the population of at least 1500 to 2000 people a day, or between 500 and 700 people per club,'' revealed Zlatko Balasko, the owner of Club Noa.

Namely, Club Noa has become a partner of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, which, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health Zadar, will prepare a study that should provide answers on the connection between clubbing and the spread of this particular infection, as well as the safety aspects of the industry, given all of the measures conducted on site.

Despite tension between the clubbing industry and  thedecision-makers on measures to protect the population from infection on the eve of the summer, Zrce beach praised the good cooperation with national and local civil protection directorates.

"Apart from proving that our industry is resilient, as well as the natural desire of young people to have fun, it has been shown that the liberal model of managing this crisis is justified, to which the state agreed and enabled us to work as much as possible. It's true, this year there were no big festivals such as Hideout, Sonus, Fresh Island, but, the traffic has been much better than we expected.

We put a lot of effort into it, the festivals were transformed into lower budget ones to reduce the overall risk, we developed new brands, several old brands used vouchers for tickets that couldn't be used last year, it's all part of the flexible business model we had to adopt,'' explained Boris Suljic, the owner of the Kalypso club, who this year brought the new brand Tattva to Zrce beach, a combination of a beach club and a restaurant whose development he expects to continue over the coming years.

By the end of the year, Kalypso is preparing three more smaller festivals, and the final “Ibiza Takeover Croatia”, which will be the result of the very important cooperation of all Zrce beach clubs with the Amnesia club from Ibiza and the company BSH Events.

We're told that this cooperation is really a big deal in this business, and a great recognition for the strongest Croatian party destination, although it must be admitted that this happened due to the fact that the coronavirus pandemic kept all clubs in Ibiza closed this summer.

Amnesia from Ibiza is one of the world's most famous clubs, which has been named the best global club four times at the IDMA Awards in Miami. Amnesia opened back in 1976 as a gathering place for hippie culture and bands. Numerous world-famous programmes were held at the club, and almost all the world's leading DJs have performed there.

The arrival of Amnesia in Croatia and the Ibiza Takeover Croatia festival is therefore a great recognition for Zrce beach, as well as an opportunity to promote Croatia and the island of Pag at the global level. Balasko pointed out that this could be the basis for future cooperation of these locations and with clubs from Ibiza.

"It's great that the world's strongest club from Ibiza has included us in its programme. These closing parties are very popular in Ibiza and it's great that we'll be able to end this season like that. The season has so far been a pleasant surprise, compared to what we expected at the beginning of the summer, with daily traffic of between 500 and 1000 people. We can also thank the National Civil Protection Directorate for that, as they've enabled us to reach the end of the season with strict controls and without incidents,'' said Ivan Busljeta, the owner of the Papaya and Nomad clubs.

For more on coronavirus specific to Croatia, bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

August the 9th, 2021 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health has released an interactive Croatian vaccination coverage map which highlights precisely where the vaccination rollout is going well, and where it isn't. The map shows which counties and cities are progressing more than others.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes,  when looking at the situation with Croatian vaccination coverage by counties, most residents were vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine against the novel coronavirus in the City of Zagreb, where the current vaccination rate stands at 38.87 percent. Receiving two doses is counted as being fully vaccinated.

Dalmatia has a lower vaccination rate, with Split-Dalmatia County and Sibenik-Knin County having lower vaccination coverage.

These calculations were made on the basis of the latest available data from the eVac database (taken from the 2nd of August, 2021), which is set up according to the place of residence of a person from the OIB system (submitted by HZZO on the 21st of June, 2021), and the CBS estimate of the total population from back at the end of 2019.

The interactive map which showcases the level of Croatian vaccination coverage will be updated regularly with a note of the update date included on it.

Vaccination was visualised at three so-called NUTS levels (the whole of the Republic of Croatia, four regions and at then at the county level), as well as at the municipal level. The preview opens via the Firefox or Chrome browsers.

In the upper right corner there is a menu for selecting the level of Croatian vaccination coverage you want to view, in the left there is search bar for particular municipalities, and by hovering your mouse over a particular region/county/municipality, additional information can be obtained.

Click HERE to access and view the interactive map.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

July 23, 2021 - The response by the Croatian Institute of Public Health on vaccinating Roma people arrived few hours after TCN published the first article on the subject. TCN, true to its words, will now publish the response as promised to our readers.

A recent TCN report about vaccinating Roma people people saw the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) send the answers that didn't make it out before the publishing of the article. They apologised, stating that it all might have come down to a mistake in communication, suggesting that their reply might have been originally sent to the wrong address (after sending, forwarding, and lots of e-mail addresses involved, one can understand that the answers could have been sent to the wrong email).

Either way, it's fantastic to receive some new info on the matter.

A quick reminder, Veljko Kajtazi, a member of the Croatian parliament, elected as a representative of the Roma community, told TCN that official research of the percentage of vaccinated Roma people hasn't been conducted, but added that he frequently goes ''to out into the field'' and can see that the situation isn't with vaccinating Roma people isn't good.

''If 45% of the Croatian population is vaccinated, I can say that Roma people are a very small percentage of that number,'' commented Kajtazi. He also recognised fake news as the cause of lowered interest in the vaccine.

''Last year, 80% of Roma people wanted to take the vaccine, but today, they're scared and believe in various conspiracy theories. People aren't informed, and social media spreads so much disinformation,'' stated Kajtazi. 

 © Cijepljenje / Vakcinacija

Ethnicity is not a criterion for vaccination

HZJZ responded that they also hadn't conducted any research about attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines among the country's Roma people. They also haven't come up with any statistics for the percentage of vaccinated Roma people.

''During the vaccination process, no differences are made in regards to ethnicity as the vaccination plan doesn't see ethnicity as a criterion for who can take the vaccine and who can't. This is the same with Roma people and for any other ethnic minority,'' explained HZJZ. They added how they asked each of the county branches of the Public health Institute about vaccinating Roma people and the field information confirmed that vaccination is being carried out in accordance with the current vaccination plan.

''So far, there has been no analysis of the number of vaccinated people based on ethnicity at the state level, and local institutes don't keep a record of vaccinated people based on their ethnicity. This doesn't exclude the possibility of retrograde analysis in accordance with available data,'' pointed out HZJZ.

Regarding the isolation of Roma people, HZJZ said that local institutions arranged open points for the vaccination for all Croatian citizens, and they suggest that they had arrived at this point due to the partially inadequate organisation and a lack of financial conditions, not to mention a lack of human resources for vaccination in Roma villages.

However, the trouble of the isolation of Roma villages does seem to be something HZJZ recognises as a challenge in vaccine availability.

''With the goal of accomplishing a higher vaccination rate among the Roma community, we think an optimal solution would be to organise transport for the Roma community to the open vaccination points. But, that isn't in the domain of HZJZ, so we'd like to invite institutions that can help in organising transport to contact their nearest Institute for Public Health. Simply put, these institutes will organise vaccination wherever necessary, but to organise for citizens to come to the vaccination location by some special conditions, the organisational assistance of other contributors is needed,'' they concluded from HZJZ.

With Kajtazi previously stating for TCN that he is regularly in contact with the authorities when it comes to ensuring vaccines, as well as for real scientific information on their safety and efficiency, the organisational issues of transport to the vaccination points could be resolved.

Roma Representative in Croatian Parliament, Veljko Kajtazi, visiting Roma people in Varaždin © Savez Roma u RH "KALI SARA"

With increasing numbers of new cases of infection being noted, the situation may not be as dramatic for the moment but could escalate quickly if Croats fail to recognise the importance of vaccination, not just because of the risk of ending the tourist season early but also due to the potential of another heavy blow to the Croatian healthcare system.

At the time of writing this article, the latest report noted 179 new cases, one death, and 98 recoveries. Additionally, health officials had administered nearly three million vaccine doses. Thus, 1.604 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine against COVID-19, and 1,401,029 have fully been vaccinated (1,360,822 have been double-jabbed plus 40,207 who have received the single-dose Jannsen vaccine), and this makes up 41.614% of the Croatian adult population.

Learn more about travelling to Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic on our TC page.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 22, 2021 - With the overall struggle to get Croatians to take the coronavirus vaccine, it is often overlooked regarding Roma people COVID-19 vaccination in Croatia.

Despite coronavirus infections being low at the moment, the situation is tense. On July 5, as TCN reported, only 35% of the Croatian population was vaccinated as the Delta strain spreads globally and in the country.

"Unfortunately, we aren't satisfied with the percentage of vaccinated people we hoped to have. We all wanted to vaccinate more than 50 percent of the total Croatian population during June, but sadly our numbers in that regard are much lower. Only about 35 percent of the total Croatian population has been vaccinated, which isn't enough for them to be calm and to be able to live according to the old normal,'' said epidemiologist Dijana Mayer back then. This was punished with the Croatian coast no longer being in the green, and without bigger vaccination interest, things can turn red. As TCN wrote, there are 5-6 Positive Cases at Split Airport every day, and new measures are introduced to British tourists as the Delta strain is booming there (but in a less fatal manner because of vaccines). Stricter measures, in general, can be excepted by the end of the month in Croatia too.

Fortunately, things got better in July. As reported on Wednesday, „Croatia administered nearly three million vaccine doses. Thus, 1.6 million people have received at least one dose of vaccines against COVID-19, and 1,388,674 have fully been vaccinated (1,349,652 have been double-jabbed plus 39,022 who have received a single-dose Jannsen vaccine), and this makes up 41.24% of the adult population“.

But, disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines is vividly spread (just as disinformation about COVID-19), leaving Croatian fact-checking site Faktograf knee-deep in debunking work. Many Croatians sadly believe the fake news of the anti-vaxxers, and the situation culminated to the point where the Croatian officials (as officials in many other EU countries that also struggle with anti-vax propaganda) seriously discuss obligatory vaccination. Will it happen? Some politicians are up for it, others no, but overall, the situation is uncertain as the fourth infection wave approaches, and the season could potentially be in jeopardy in mid-August, as 24 Sata writes.

COVID-19 vaccine © Pixabay

In summary, there are currently more vaccines in Croatia than there are people interested in. It's hard to believe how things progressed from the start of the year when we witnessed a delay in vaccine shipments, outrage by the public when people such as Zagreb University Rector Damir Boras received the vaccine ahead of time and schedule. From the malfunctioning Cijepi se (Vaccinate yourself) website where you had to register for an appointment (which took forever to get) to a family doctor being able to sign you up, all the way to be able to take a shot without an appointment today, vaccines truly became accessible for everyone. There were even buses bringing vaccines and performing vaccinations in remote villages. So vaccines are for everyone to take, but is it really so?

Nothing in the world is perfect, and neither is Croatia. From time to time, we can see that some groups in Croatian society do get discriminated against or suffer negative stereotypes. For example, with significant progress in accepting the LGBTQ community, sadly homophobic attacks still happen. The tensions with the Serbian minority vary from the day-to-day political agenda, but it is safe to say no one has it worse than the Roma people in Croatia.

As TCN previously wrote, following the 2020 report by Human Rights House in Zagreb, Roma people in Croatia are still facing many obstacles in achieving their rights, which include employment, access to services, and adequate living standards, and there is still segregation in the education system too. Either perceived as thieves, criminals, beggars or completely ignored in Croatia, the question of how many Roma people in Croatia received the vaccine and how many Roma people want the vaccine in the first place, can't be left aside, as it shows how much the vaccine rollout truly is fair for every citizen in the country.

Disinformation crippled 80% of those willing to get the vaccine

Veljko Kajtazi, a member of the Croatian parliament, elected as a representative of the Roma community, says that official research of percentage of vaccinated Roma people hasn't been conducted, but he frequently goes „to the field“, and sees that the situation isn't good.

„If 45% of the Croatian population is vaccinated, I can say that Roma people are a very small percentage of that number“, commented Kajtazi, then on a relevant number of vaccinated people.

He supports the talk of obligatory vaccines and finds disinformation and fake news regarding vaccines to be the cause of low interest.

Veljko Kajtazi, screenshot / Hrvatska radiotelevizija

„Roma people have a very social culture, love gatherings, and live in big families. When the pandemic started, I cooperated with authorities in ensuring that social distancing measures are respected in Roma settlements and that we educate people on the dangers of coronavirus“, recalled Kajtazi.

While Roma people can be found living anywhere, the majority is often ghettoized. An example is in Zagreb, where the Kozari Bok neighborhood on the east side of the city is famous for its big Roma population. When looking outside of the capital city, there are many Roma villages and settlements which count more people than other Croatian villages.

One such place is Piškorovec in Međimurje, which the Lupiga news site referred to as „the biggest Croatian ghetto“. Their article detailed both living in Piškorovec and tensions with the nearby town of Čakovec underlining incidents and division between Roma and Croatians (as Roma People are often perceived as thieves or beggars).

„Last year 80% of Roma people wanted to take the vaccine, but today, they are scared and believe various conspiracy theories. People are not informed, and social networks spread so much disinformation“, Kajtazi pictured how wishing for a vaccine turned sideways.

In the end, he added that he is regularly in contact with the government and institutions to provide information on vaccines to the community. Katja also hopes the vaccine buses will come to Roma villages too.

Questions for HZJZ

The lack of information, geographical isolation, and the overall achievement of social rights (such as health insurance) like other Croatian citizens that the Human Rights House in Zagreb expressed in their report left a lot of open questions regarding Roma people vaccination. Particularly, are there any statistics on how many people vaccinated that the health officials might have, what is the mood towards vaccines in Roma communities in their view, and can buses come to isolated areas to vaccinate Roma people? The inquiry was sent to the Health Ministry and to the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ). Health Ministry very quickly forwarded the inquiry to the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) as these questions are part of their domain. The health ministry even forwarded the questions directly to the HZJZ headmaster Krunoslav Capak himself and other close associates on e-mail addresses not visible on the HZJZ website. But, HZJZ hasn't responded yet. Whether I tried to remind them and ask when can they answer via e-mail or phone calls, none left a response (although a phone call with HZJZ PR service confirmed there are experts in HZJZ that deal with the health of vulnerable social groups, which includes Roma People).

When the answer that can be expected for the moment remains unknown, but TCN will publish HZJZ's response when we receive it.

In the meantime, as we can see, despite vaccine skepticism being strong, there is nevertheless a slow but steady daily rise of vaccinated people in Croatia. 

Let's hope for the sake of public health that disinformation and fake news that turn people away from the vaccines will lower its influence on all the cultural groups and identities you can find in Croatia.

Editor's note: HZJZ response

Learn more about travelling to Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic on our TC page.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July the 18th, 2021 - The Croatian vaccination campaign has been stepped up a notch by the Croatian Institute of Public Health, this time with a few familiar faces and videos.

The Croatian vaccination rollout hasn't been quite going as planned or hoped, with less than 50 percent of the country's population vaccinated, efforts to encourage people to get the jab are being ramped up in some rather creative ways.

With new variants appearing in different parts of Europe and problems surrounding travel easing but still posing a problem, covid passports are now a reality for many. With restrictions looming for those who aren't vaccinated or can't prove themselves to be negative, the Croatian vaccination campaign has engaged some famous faces from various fields to help.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the videos the Croatian vaccination campaign, more precisely the Croatian Institute of Public Health, will use in their promotion of the vaccine will last for around thirty seconds and involve a few well known Croatian faces.

Those individuals will explain why it's important to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, on both a personal and a collective level.

The first household names to appear will be Tonci Huljic and Zoran Sprajc, with more public people expected.

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

July the 17th, 2021 - The Croatian Public Health Institute has updated its rules for vaccinated people and those who have proof of their previous contraction and subsequent recovery from COVID-19.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Public Health Institute has announced a few new changes according to which vaccinated persons would be exempted from testing and quarantine for nine months following full vaccination, instead of the previous six.

According to a statement published on the Croatian Public Health Institute's epidemiological services website, health surveillance in the quarantine/self-isolation of close contacts has been extended from the previous ten to fourteen days since the last close contact with an infected person is deemed to have taken place.

Such a decision was made taking into account the growing prevalence of the new Delta variant in the Republic of Croatia and throughout Europe and the slight increase in incidence within the country.

Furthermore, taking into account the recent data on the presumed duration of immunity after recovery and after vaccination, the new Croatian Public Health Institute recommendations are to exempt asymptomatic vaccinated subjects from PCR testing and quarantine only fourteen days after their second dose of the vaccination and not, as before, immediately following it.

In addition to all of the above, the exemption from quarantine and the need for PCR testing for asymptomatic individuals is being extended to nine months from the completion of the second dose of vaccination or from the onset of the disease, and the same applies to asymptomatic individuals who have recovered and received a single dose of vaccine within eight months from the onset of the disease. That will remain valid for nine months following them having received the vaccine.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including vaccination points and testing sites, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

June the 11th, 2021 - Much to the likely delight of many who are sick of parting with their hard earned cash for having swabs shoved up their nose, a new Croatian Public Health Institute price list for the various coronavirus tests currently in use has been published.

One of the biggest practical gripes people in Croatia have had since the very beginning of the pandemic back in spring 2020 has been the sheer cost of testing for the novel virus. Many can't understand how on Earth a swab being swirled around up their nose can cost them 700 kuna, which is no small amount. Not to mention waiting in lines for the pleasure of it all.

PCR testing has become the norm ever since the pandemic began, and it's difficult to come across anyone anymore who hasn't had to be tested for some reason or another, be it for travel, because of them having been in contact with a positive person or for admittance to hospital. The amount some institutions, such as the Andrija Stampar Institute in Zagreb, have earned on these tests has been an eye opener for many.

New Croatian Public Health Institute price lists will likely bring relief to the pockets of many who still need the tests for various reasons, such as travel, if they haven't yet been vaccinated.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as of the 16th of June 2021, based on a decision made by the Governing Board, new Croatian prices of microbiological tests, which are provided at the request of legal and natural persons, will come into force at the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

It's important to note that these new testing price lists refer exclusively to testing prices at the Croatian Public Health Institute, nowhere else, and are as follows:

A test for SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) - 390.00 kuna per unit/test.

A serological test for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection - 200.00 kuna per unit/test.

A rapid antigen test for COVID-19 - 150.00 kuna per unit/test.

The aforementioned prices do not apply when a person is tested for the novel coronavirus based on a referral issued by a doctor, which remains free of charge.

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.