ZAGREB, 13 April, 2021 - Foreign tourists who generate at least one bed night in Zagreb can be tested for COVID-19 at 50% of the price and about 20 have already been tested over the weekend, the director of the Zagreb Tourist Board (TZGZ), Martina Bienenfeld, said on Tuesday.

TZGZ is the first regional tourist board in Croatia that has opened a testing station for foreign tourists as had previously been proposed by Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac.

Testing to be co-financed

In addition to opening the testing station, TZGZ has decided to cofinance testing that is conducted during weekends and public holidays, Bienenfeld told Hina.

TZGZ will cover half the cost of testing for tourists, she said, estimating that the greatest demand will be in the coming period and that that will depend on the percentage of inoculated tourists from the countries they are coming from, but also of employees in tourism and citizens themselves, and finally on the introduction of Digital Green Certificates at the EU level.

Testing during weekdays will be at the normal price and already about ten Zagreb hotels are providing testing services. Testing can also be conducted at Zagreb's airport.

Providing opportunity for tourists to extend their stay

"One of the important reasons why we decided to co-finance testing in the days noted is that this provides the opportunity for tourists to extend their stay in Zagreb, because they do not have to worry where and when they can be tested when returning to their countries and they can avoid quarantine," said Bienefeld.

All the necessary information regarding testing is available at www.infozagreb.hr/korona-virus in various languages, she said and added that the first tourists tested this way last weekend (10 and 11 April) were from Italy, Denmark, Germany and Albania.

Bienefeld said that since the beginning of the year until 11 April, almost 65,000 tourists had visited Zagreb and they generated 177,500 bed nights, which is about 47% of arrivals and 58% of bed nights generated in the comparable period in 2020.

Compared to the record 2019 year, that is about 27% and 37% of arrivals and bed nights respectively. 

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

ZAGREB, 13 April, 2021 - The Culture and Media Ministry has suggested including reporters and media workers in priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19 due to the risk of infection being higher than for the rest of the population, the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) said on Tuesday.

According to a notification from the ministry, reporters can express interest in being put on the list of priority vaccinations.

The HND will be collecting data from interested reporters until midnight 14 April, the association said, noting that expression of interest will in no way affect interest in vaccination expressed previously with one's family doctor or via the cijepise.zdravlje.hr platform. Previous registration for vaccination should not be cancelled until the moment an invitation to vaccination arrives from the Croatian Public Health Institute, the HND said.

For more about vaccination in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 13 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, 1,936 new cases of the coronavirus infection have been confirmed in Croatia, and there have been 25 related deaths, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.

Since the start of the epidemic in February 2020, 1,652,525 people have been tested for the virus, including 10,214 in the past 24 hours.

The number of active cases in Croatia stands at 12,096, including 1,948 people who are hospitalised, of whom 192 are on ventilators.

Currently 26,192 people are in self-isolation.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, 294,874 people have contracted the novel coronavirus and 6,358 of them have died. A total of 276,420 people have recovered, including 1,659 in the last 24 hours.

As of 12 April, 595,369 doses of vaccine have been used, and 483,825 people have been vaccinated.

Of them, 370,544 people have received the first dose, and 111,544 have received both doses. For 1,737 people, there is no data on which dose they have received.

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

ZAGREB, 9 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 50 COVID-19-related fatalities and 2,599 new cases of coronavirus infection, after 8,994 samples were tested, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Friday.

The number of active cases in Croatia today stands at 13,200.

There are 1,768 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 175 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, a total of 288,364 people have contracted coronavirus and 6,235 of them have died.

A total of 268,929 people have recovered, including 2,116 in the last 24 hours.

There are currently 26,425 people in self-isolation.

To date, 1,619,663 people have been tested, 8,994 of whom have been tested over the past 24 hours.

As of 8 April, 543,436 doses of vaccine have been used, and 440,890 people have been vaccinated. Of them, 336,693 people have received the first dose, and 102,546 have received both doses. For 1,651 people there is no data on which dose they have received.

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

ZAGREB, 8 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 3,217 new cases of coronavirus infection, which is almost twice as many as on Wednesday when there were 1,649 new cases, and there have been 36 deaths, according to data from the national COVID-19 crisis management team released on Thursday.

The number of active cases in Croatia today stands at 12,767. There are 1,756 COVID patients in hospitals, 171 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, a total of 285,765 people have contracted coronavirus, 6,185 of them have died and 266,813 have recovered, including 1,775 in the last 24 hours.

There are currently 28,763 people in self-isolation.

To date, 1,610,669 people have been tested, 11,216 of whom have been tested over the past 24 hours.

As of 7 April, 533,409 doses of vaccine have been used, and 432,601 people have been vaccinated. Of them, 330,142 people have received the first dose, and 100,808 have received both doses. For 1,651 people, there is no data on which dose they have received.

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

ZAGREB, 7 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 1,649 new cases of coronavirus infection and 36 deaths, and the number of active cases currently stands at 11,361, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

There are 1,750 COVID patients in hospitals, 160 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, a total of 282,548 people have contracted coronavirus, of whom 6,149 have died and 265,038 have recovered, including 1,280 in the last 24 hours.

There are 27,406 people currently in self-isolation. To date, 1,599,453 have been tested, 9,466 of whom over the past 24 hours.

As of 6 April, 526,414 doses of vaccine have been used, and 427,387 people have been vaccinated. Of them, 326,711 people have received the first dose, and 99,027 have received both doses. For 1,649 people, there is no data on which dose they have received.

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

ZAGREB, 6 April, 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Tuesday that today's meeting with drug wholesalers was a clear sign that the government wanted to solve the debt problem, while Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said additional payments might be made so that drug supply ran smoothly.

"Today's meeting is a clear signal that we wish to solve this problem through joint effort. The meeting was constructive and Minister Marić left open the possibility of additional funds to make sure that drug wholesalers supply the health system regularly," Beroš told the press, reiterating that increasing health contributions was not being considered.

The meeting focused on short-term solutions and the debt repayment schedule, but the government is discussing healthcare reforms that will lead to long-term solutions, Beroš said.

"We presented to drug wholesalers our determination to embark on reforms and our willingness to settle the debt," he said, but added that the Croatian Health Insurance Fund had to redirect HRK 2.5 billion for the treatment of COVID-19 patients instead of regular healthcare.

"This government will do everything so that not one citizen remains without the medicines they need. Last week we found a way through direct payment for medicines necessary for life-threatening conditions, including for cancer patients."

The HRK 900 million ensured for drug wholesalers last week is part of the search for a solution, Beroš said.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, 6 April, 2021 - The SSSH trade union federation has joined a global union drive to declare COVID-19 vaccines a common good on which private profit should not be made.

The appeal was signed by more than 110 unions, social movements and civil society organisations on the occasion of World Health Day, 7 April.

Huge public funds have been invested in developing the COVID-19 vaccine, so it is a political and moral obligation to ensure vaccination for all of the world population without discrimination on the grounds of income or nationality.

The serious health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic is destroying millions of jobs while making others precarious, which results in an increase in poverty and deprivation and economic and social inequality around the world. The global crisis requires and calls for saving lives and protecting jobs, reads the appeal.

The signatories call for mobilising workers around the globe on World Health Day and demand from governments and agencies to take action based on the "vaccine for all" criterion by guaranteeing universal and urgent access to vaccines for all people around the world.

They seek implementation of international law based on global justice, right to health and prevention of vaccine nationalism.

They also demand programmes and financial resources for the transfer of technologies and knowledge necessary to manufacture the vaccine in all regions and states as well as access to medicines, supplies, programmes and equipment necessary to treat COVID-19 patients.

The signatories to the appeal believe that financial support should be secured for all workers, farmers, family businesses and families who live and work in an informal economy and who have lost their income, in the form of minimum pay, and that a comprehensive emergency investment plan should be implemented for the recovery of millions of lost jobs and job preservation.

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ZAGREB, 6 April, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 735 new cases of the coronavirus infection and 30 deaths, and the number of active cases currently stands at 11,028, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.

There are 1,713 COVID patients in hospitals, 155 of whom are on ventilators. In the last 24 hours, 1,531 people have recovered and 6,333 have been tested.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case, 280,899 people have contracted coronavirus, 263,758 have recovered and 6,113 have died.

To date, a total of 1,589,987 people have been tested.

There are currently 26,592 people in self-isolation.

As of 5 April, 524,724 doses of vaccine have been used, and 426,310 people have been vaccinated, 326,247 of whom have received the first dose and 98,414 of whom have received both doses. For 1,649 people, there is no data on which dose they have received.

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

ZAGREB, 2 April, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 2,362 new coronavirus cases and 29 COVID deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 response team said on Friday.

The number of active cases is 13,111, including 1,464 hospitalised patients, of whom 153 are on ventilators, while 34,878 people are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 276,416 coronavirus cases to date as well as 5,996 COVID deaths and 276,416 recoveries, including 1,670 in the past 24 hours.

To date 1,568,027 people have been tested for the virus, including 8,697 in the past 24 hours, and 404,518 have been vaccinated, including 92,380 with both doses. For 1,519 people there is no information as to whether they have received one or two doses.

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