June 12, 2021 - In case you missed it, the vaccine rules in Croatia changed on Friday as well, and waiting 14 days after your second dose is no longer needed to cross the Croatian border for EU citizens.

The Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters decided on Friday on the temporary prohibition and restriction of border crossings and thus changed the border crossing measures for citizens of European Union countries, i.e., countries and/or regions of the Schengen area and countries associated with the Schengen area, reports HRTurizam.

The new decision will allow entry to the Republic of Croatia for people coming from the Schengen area, who are vaccinated with two doses of vaccine, as soon as they are vaccinated with the second dose, and will not have to wait 14 days.

With the new decision, cafes can now work up to midnight, but still only outdoors, not indoors.

"This is primarily about the working hours of catering facilities, but also other activities that have so far been limited to 11 pm. From tonight, midnight on June 12, they will be able to work up to midnight. This includes catering facilities, bakeries, casinos, slot machine clubs. This also applies to public events, gatherings, and manifestations," said Davor Bozinovic.

It was pointed out at the press conference that the Council's recommendation would be that Covid recovery is recognized plus one vaccine dose for Covid confirmation to be obtained. For European confirmation, it is a PCR test and one dose, and in Croatia, it can be an antigen test plus one dose.

More than 2 million doses of vaccine have been used.

On Thursday, June 10, 2021, 55,960 doses of vaccine were used, of which 16,250 were the first doses. Thus, the total number of vaccine doses used reached 2.04 million, while 1.39 million people were vaccinated with at least one dose.

The highest coverage of vaccinated with the first dose was achieved in the City of Zagreb (40.2% of the total population, or 48.8% of the adult population), and the completed vaccination was achieved in the highest coverage in Sisak-Moslavina County (22.3% of the total, ie 26, 8% of the adult population).

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 centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 10 June 2021 - PM Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that vaccination against COVID-19 with the first shot had slowed down due to a decline in citizens' interest and he called on them to get immunized so that a vaccination rate of 50% could be achieved by the end of June and the remaining anti-epidemic measures lifted. 

"I urge once again those who have not done it yet not to hesitate. That is the only way to completely get back to how we used to live because the first dose already provides effective protection against serious forms of the disease," he said at a government session.

He noted that positive epidemiological trends were continuing, with the seven-day incidence having been restored to the level of 10 months ago, which, he said, is owing to a growing number of people who have been vaccinated and those who have acquired immunity, as well as owing to warmer weather and responsible behavior.

He warned, however, that of the adult population, 40.8% had been vaccinated with at least one dose even though enough doses had been secured for the percentage to be much higher.

"We should not stand by and watch countries that were less successful than us in the fight against COVID-19 become more successful in vaccination. By getting vaccinated we are protecting not only our health and lives but also our economy, jobs, salaries, freedom, and the right to a normal life," he stressed.

It is important to vaccinate the planned 50% of adults by the end of June so that epidemiological restrictions could continue to be eased. If that is not done, the tourist season will be at risk, which means additional losses for our economy, he warned.

"We cannot afford that luxury. In addition to the pandemic, Croatia was hit by two earthquakes and that has cost us as much as four pandemics. That situation is specific and that is why the economy must return to the path of continual growth and recovery," Plenković said.

He particularly called on young people to set an example to others, be brave, trust science, and get vaccinated.

Plenković also recalled his meeting with representatives of associations for the protection of domestic violence victims, which was held on Wednesday to acquaint those associations with the planned changes to the Penal Code to be discussed by the government today.

The changes envisage the ex officio prosecution of sexual harassment as well as the prosecution of revenge porn, which is the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of individuals without their consent, made by a partner in an intimate relationship. They also envisage stronger protection of children and vulnerable groups.

The government also plans to amend the Domestic Violence Act.

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

June 10, 2021 - It's been a year since fans were in the stands, and as the epidemiological situation improves, progress is being made to bring back spectators. But will vaccinated fans at Croatian stadiums be the reality? A closer look. 

Croatian football stadiums could finally be open to the public at the beginning of the championship season, in the second half of July. But it is likely to be only for people who have been vaccinated, T.portal has learned from several sources.

A formal decision on this will be announced in the meantime and could only be postponed if there is a dramatic deterioration of the epidemiological situation.

The first round of the Croatian national championship takes place on July 16, 17, and 18, and a week after that, Croatian clubs will start their campaigns in European competitions. Almost the entire last season was played in front of empty stadiums, and there are increasingly loud demands to allow the return of spectators.

The director of the Split-Dalmatia County Teaching Institute for Public Health, Željka Karin, confirmed for T.portal that things are moving in this direction. Apparently, the official initiative will come from her.

"If the favorable situation persists until July, we will propose to the National Headquarters to open stadiums at least in part of their capacity, for people who have been vaccinated," Karin told T.portal. She added that, if the need arises, vaccinations can be organized for football fans and citizens who want to attend the matches in the coming days and weeks.

The National Headquarters unofficially said that this development was 'quite real.'

The Split Basketball Club also invited its fans to get vaccinated and organized a special action for those who want to return to the stands.

"KK Split has organized for all its fans, members, shareholders, friends, and players vaccination against COVID-19 at the Institute of Public Health, Vukovarska 46. On Thursday, June 10, from 12 to 2 pm, just come, bring your ID and health card; the 'code' for vaccination is KK Split - yellow family. Let's be responsible, let's be in the stands next season!" published the Split club on its website.

At the moment, Croatia has sufficient quantities of vaccines, and in some counties, the vaccination of interested citizens has already been organized without prior notice. In Split, for example, it is held at the Spaladium arena every working day from 12 to 2 pm.

Citizens who really want to return to stadiums and halls will have to calculate the amount of time needed to be fully vaccinated. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are given in two doses three weeks apart, after which it is necessary to wait another two weeks to receive a valid Covid confirmation. So a total of five weeks after receiving the first dose.

The Johnson vaccine is given in only one dose. Still, after that, it is necessary to wait another 22 days to form antibodies and for documents to be issued to attend such public events.

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

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

ZAGREB, 8 June, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 178 new coronavirus cases and five related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 management team reported on Tuesday. 

Currently, there are 1,221 active cases, including 545 infected people receiving hospital treatment, of whom 51 are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 357,786 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 8,096 have died and 348,469 have recovered, including 195 in the last 24 hours. A total of 6,954 persons are currently self-isolating.

To date, 2,054,032 people have been tested for the virus, including 6,814 in the last 24 hours.

By 7 June, 1,920,656 vaccine doses have been administered, with 1,345,741 people receiving one dose and 574,915 receiving both doses. On 7 June alone, 16,983 vaccine doses were administered.

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

May 21, 2021 - The fight against COVID-19 continues before the start of the season, and it is time for Split-Dalmatia County tourism workers' vaccination. 

As reported by hrturizam.hr, the Split-Dalmatia County Institute of Public Health invites all tourism workers who have been vaccinated with the first dose of vaccine on May 8 and 15 to come for vaccination on June 5, by the hour they were ordered for their first time.

It is important to note that a gap is required between two doses of vaccine three to six weeks so that all employees who received the first dose of vaccine in the above terms can come for the second dose of the vaccine.

All tourism staff who did not receive the first dose of vaccine can also come that day at the Spaladium Arena from 13:00 to 14:00.

“Vaccination of tourism workers is of great importance for achieving the health security of the destination. This is the most challenging tourist year so far and the responsibility for the achieved results is on each individual, so we invite all tourism workers to be part of the joint creation of the image of Split as a safe tourist destination," said Alijana Vukšić, director of the Split Tourist Board.

According to koronavirus.hr, 25.7% of the total population of Split-Dalmatia county has received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 7.8% have received both doses as of May 20th.

Apart from the tourism workers, all citizens or residents of Croatia can be vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccines are not intended for children under 16 or 18 years of age, and the vaccination age depends on the type of vaccine. However, due to the higher risk of developing more severe forms of COVID-19 disease, preference is given to people with chronic diseases and the elderly. These include people with respiratory, cardiovascular, malignant, kidney diseases, diabetes, and immunodeficiencies. 

You can apply for vaccination by reporting to your family doctor, via the website cijepise.zdravlje.hr, by calling the toll-free number 0800 0011, and through county public health institutes.

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

ZAGREB, 20 May 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that Pfizer would produce materials for its COVID-19 vaccine in its pharmaceutical plant in Savski Marof outside Zagreb, which would put Croatia into the group of European countries that manufacture ingredients of certain vaccines.

Plenković informed his cabinet today that he had discussed this matter with Pfizer's chairman and chief executive officer Albert Bourla on Wednesday.

The Savski Marof plant will produce the DNA template for the COVID-19 vaccine. This is an investment of $10 million, and will create jobs for about 30 people.

Plenković recalled that the European Commission had announced that an agreement had been reached with Pfizer on the delivery of 900 million doses of the vaccine against COVID-19 plus an additional 900 million, which means 1.8 billion doses from December 2021 to 2023.

He underscored the fact that in Croatia one in three adults had already received at least one shot of the vaccine against coronavirus infection.

The target is to have at least 50%-55% of the adult population vaccinated by the end of June.

Plenković also informed the cabinet about the Defence Council meeting on the procurement of multipurpose fighter jets. The Council convened on Thursday morning.

He reiterated that providing the armed forces with such aircraft would be "the greatest and the most important procurement for the armed forces."

The procurement will make Croatia an important and credible ally within NATO and will enable the Croatian armed forces to participate in various international missions at a completely different level, he added.

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 centers up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 20 May 2021 - As of today, every third adult in Croatia has been vaccinated against COVID-19, the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, 19 May, 43,890 doses of the vaccine were used, and the number of persons that have received at least one dose reached 1,109,161, which is 27% of the population or 33% of the adult population, while 341,008 persons have received both doses.

According to data from the eCijepih platform, as of 20 May, every third adult in Croatia has been vaccinated, which is a big step forward compared to early May, when on 1 May every fifth adult citizen of Croatia had been vaccinated, the HZJZ said.

First dose vaccine coverage is highest in Zagreb, 31% of the total population or 37.6% of the adult population, and second dose vaccine coverage is highest in Sisak-Moslavina County, 12% of the population or 14.4% of adults.

"These are encouraging data that give us reason for optimism when it comes to meeting the goal of vaccinating over a half of Croatia's adult population by the end of June. Vaccination is going according to plan, the epidemiological situation is better than in previous weeks and this is certainly good news, especially in the context of the upcoming tourist season," said HZJZ deputy director Ivana Pavić Šimetin.

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 choose your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 10 May 2021 - Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac and Croatian Tourism Association director Veljko Ostojić said on Monday the summer season could be better than last year's, provided COVID-19 measures were complied with and a majority of tourism employees and the general population were vaccinated.

"Based on last year's experience and the preparations we have made together with the tourism sector and all tourism stakeholders, including the vaccination of tourism employees, which we consider the number one priority, I'm confident that this season could be quite good," Brnjac said in Rovinj.

The tourism sector is very interested in vaccination against COVID-19, she added.

"We have no problems with that at all because everyone is aware how important vaccination is so that we can ensure an even better season. After Dalmatia and Istria, the vaccination of tourism employees has begun in the interior and we have information that almost 70% of the tourism sector is willing to be vaccinated."

Brnjac said the Croatian Institute of Public Health should ensure additional doses for tourism employees.

She recalled that the Digital Green Certificate should be introduced on 1 June, that Croatia was part of a pilot project, and that Croatia already on 1 April clearly defined conditions and criteria for entering the country.

Ostojić said that unless something unforeseen and negative happened, he expected the summer season to be better than last year's.

He said he expected a lot from the Green Certificate, adding that the COVID-19 situation was improving.

"If the epidemiological situation isn't good, we have no right to expect tourism to happen. But by intensifying the vaccination of tourism employees as well as the general population, we will significantly improve the situation and be competitive as we were last year at the start of the season," said Ostojić.

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 across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 10 May 2021 - Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) head Krunoslav Capak said on Monday that intensive talks were underway on trial, controlled events with more participants to take place this week, expressing confidence those pilot projects would go well and there would be no new infections.

"This will be a test, a project in which we will bring together two different populations of people in two places," Capak said at a news conference held as part of the "Healthy living" project.

One of the events will have 80 participants and the other 120. The participants will be people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, people who have a certificate proving that they have recovered from the disease, or people who will be tested for coronavirus right before the event. After seven days, PCR tests will be done to see if there has been any spreading of the disease.

"We don't expect it, similar activities have been implemented elsewhere in the world. Some did PCR testing after such events and obtained good results, there were no new infections. We hope everything goes well and that we will enter June in a more relaxed atmosphere," said Capak.

Close to 900,000 people vaccinated with at least one dose

Capak said that close to 900,000 people in Croatia had been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and that 7.5% of them had received both doses.

A total of 1.1 million doses have been administered.

"By the end of June, we expect to use all the vaccines that will arrive and more than 55% of the adult population is likely to be vaccinated by then. That will make it possible for us to enter the summer more calmly and to have a successful tourist season," Capak said.

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

May 5, 2021 - People in Zagreb are getting their vaccines against the novel coronavirus, and the ‘‘Dr. Andrija Štampar’’ Institute has some vaccine information for them.

The vaccination process is continuing across all regions of Croatia to combat the novel coronavirus, even after a few weeks of uncertainty marked by problems with the vaccination portal cijepi.se. One of the vaccination points in the capital is at the Zagreb Fair, and those in charge have vaccine information about both doses for those who attend this vaccination point.

According to Our World in Data, as of 4 May, 944,398 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Croatia, with 734,556 people receiving the first dose and 209,842 receiving both doses.

As reported by tportal.hr, the "Dr. Andrija Štampar" Institute wants to inform all citizens of the City of Zagreb who have been vaccinated with the first dose at the vaccination point at the Zagreb Fair that they have been referred for vaccination with the second dose. The term of vaccination with the second dose was defined in accordance with the recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

Citizens can check the exact date for their second dose of vaccination at the Fair via the e-Citizens system, by calling the toll-free number 0800 8804 or via their selected family doctor (GP).

The "Dr. Andrija Štampar" Institute has also noted that the second dose of vaccination at the vaccination point at the Zagreb Fair is being organised exclusively for people who have already received their first dose of vaccine at that point. People without an referral term will not be vaccinated there due to limited organisational capacity.

In addition, "Stampar" has asked citizens to strictly adhere to the referral deadlines in order to avoid unnecessary crowds and for the purpose of more consistent adherence to epidemiological measures and recommendations.

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 across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section.