August 8, 2021 - Zrće COVID-19 testing is producing better results than expected. Out of almost 2,000 daily tests, only 2-3 return positive. 

The party island of Pag, and especially Zrće, remembers better days. Although up to five thousand people are there at night, it cannot be compared to 2019, when up to 13 thousand young people danced until the early morning hours. But tourism officials say the season is still better than last year. There are 4 testing points on the beach. More than 90 percent of the guests are foreigners, reports HRT.

Marsha came from Germany and broke her foot on the first day of her vacation in Novalja. She was so drunk that she didn't even notice, she told HRT. She added that ‘it doesn’t matter, mainly that she is negative for coronavirus.’

And to enter the beach after 9 pm, a negative test result or a Covid confirmation is required, along with the obligatory identification, so that there is no cheating. And then it all needs to be shown again in front of the club.

"We test an average of about 1,500 to 2,000 people a day at all points on the beach. On average, two to three of them are positive per day. One day there were eight of them," said Darko Božićev, a representative of the beach concessionaire.

They are being tested, among others, by Hilmo Demirović - a young medic who likes what he does on Zrće, even though he is there until 4 am. In case of a positive result, he explained, that person is automatically isolated through the passage, sent home, and is contacted by the epidemiologist immediately.

Then, if there is a possibility of repatriation or own transport - that person immediately returns to their place of residence, said Ivan Peranić, Chief of the Novalja Civil Protection Headquarters. 

Hassan from Germany and Alexander from France hope that they won't suffer that fate. They were vaccinated and said they had to come to Zrće. Alexander's mother was born in Split.

"Unfortunately, there is a lot of resistance in our country for vaccination - especially among young people. Unlike these young guests who are vaccinated in 90 percent of cases. That is fantastic," said Šime Oštarić, director of the Zrće beach concessionaire.

When it comes to the number of guests, the situation on Zrće is better than last year. But they are hoping for even bigger numbers soon. 

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