March 22, 2020 - There are 254 confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Croatia and 38 new cases as of yesterday. Five patients have recovered. There are currently 248 active cases in Croatia.

A series of earthquakes rocked the city of Zagreb this morning, throwing an already difficult situation with coronavirus crisis into chaos. There were five earthquakes in all, ranging from 5.3 (the first at 06:24) to 3.0. There has been extensive damage. 

TCN has been covering the earthquakes and their aftermath throughout the day - you can see all the coverage on this dedicated link. 

• The original story breaking the news shortly after 7 am this morning. 
• An update and the first videos showing the extent of the damage at 09:30, as well as a rolling update until midday.
• The official advice includes not entering damaged buildings. 
• Some emergency contact details and advice. 
• Solidarity from Hajduk Split, and from Bad Boys Blue. 
• Drone footage over the damaged Zagreb Cathedral.

Here is the latest from this morning's press conferences, an update on coronavirus and the  Zagreb earthquake, until just before midday. 

And finally, the fully updated situation with coronavirus as of last night - yesterday's complete overview. 

254 Coronavirus Cases in Croatia

As of March 22, 2020, 254 coronavirus (COVID-19) patients have been reported in Croatia.

Note that koronavirus.hr is now mapping cases by county instead of town/city. Index continues to map coronavirus cases by city/town. Total Croatia News will share maps from both sources, and include the date/time of last map update. Koronavirus.hr will update their map after the 9:00 and 16:00 CET daily press conferences. Index map updates occur on a regular basis.

A man in Istra who died was infected with the coronavirus, but his cause of death has not been confirmed (earlier maps showed his death as the first coronavirus casualty).

koronvirus.hr | Current at 16:00 CET

Index | Current at 16:00 CET

More than 13,684 people are dead from the virus, which originated in Wuhan City, China. Over 318,953 cases have been confirmed globally. There are 237,800 cases outside of mainland China. Italy has reported 53,578 cases and 4,825 deaths (today's numbers still to come).

UPDATED: March 22, 2020 19:00 CET (Central European Time)

20:45: Jadrolinija announced on Sunday that they have reduced the number of trips on state ferry lines, with some lines temporarily canceling.

"In accordance with the decision of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia on measures to restrict public transport in coastal maritime transport, a decision was also made to reduce the number of trips on national ferries and to suspend certain ferry lines," said Jadrolinija.

They state that the temporary timetable for local routes, which is valid until April 30, as well as the lines that have been suspended, has been published on their website.

20:26: The Čakovec County Hospital has offered assistance to health facilities in the Zagreb area in the wake of the earthquake.

Assistance is being provided to the Clinical Hospital Centers of Zagreb and the Sisters of Mercy, the Dubrava, Mercury and Holy Spirit Clinical Hospitals, the Pediatric Diseases Clinic of Zagreb, the Infectious Diseases Clinic Fran Mihaljević, Clinic for Psychiatry of Vrapče and KBC Zagreb, Clinic for Female Diseases and Births.

In a letter sent to Zagreb's hospitals and clinics on Sunday, Cakovec County Hospital said how it believes that "we are stronger together and that we will only come out stronger and more united out of this."

20:25: Slovenia is sending emergency assistance to Zagreb as part of the earthquake response.

20:20: Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic has announced that he will declare a natural disaster for the City of Zagreb on Monday so that a fund can be formed and the clearing up of earthquake damage begin.

20:20: Four more people in Istria have been infected with coronavirus, so today the infection has been confirmed for a total of seven people, with a total of 30 infected in the General Hospital in Pula.

19:40: At the request of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, the Rijeka Municipal Autotrolej Society will establish three city and six suburban public transport lines from Monday, which can only be used by passengers who need to get to their place of work.

Autotrolej reports say that emergency public transport lines will start operating on Monday, March 23, and are intended exclusively for citizens who have to come to work.

Transportation for all other users is strictly forbidden, so they will not be allowed to enter the vehicles.

The buses will only be accessible with a face mask.

Autotrolej vehicles will intensify their disinfection several times during the day, according to Autotrolej, which posted the emergency timetable on its website.

19:20: Croatian Telecom has announced that the malfunction was being addressed.

"We are gradually eliminating all the problems our customers have experienced since the Zagreb earthquake. We thank all users for their understanding and all our troubleshooting experts. The primary cause was the earthquake that caused a fire in the part of Hrvatski Telekom building in Draskovic Street. Although the fire was quickly extinguished, and for the safety of firefighters it was shut off the electricity supply for that part of the city, which caused longer troubleshooting. Thanks again for understanding in this emergency situation," Croatian Telecom announced.

19:15: Interior Minister Bozinovic has announced the closure of markets and the ban on internal migration between cities.

19:15: The failure of the Zagreb electricity grid has been repaired this morning, with the electricity supply system in the City of Zagreb and the surrounding area stable, with full normalization of heat supply expected in the morning tomorrow, the Croatian Electric Power Company (HEP) said on Sunday.

"The employees of the HEP Operator of the Elektra Zagreb Distribution System and HEP Toplinarstvo are intensively working to completely normalize the supply of electricity and heat in the Zagreb area. They remain on the ground and are making every effort to remedy any remaining defects as soon as possible," the statement said.

A malfunction was repaired at the Zagreb Thermal Power Plant, on part of the heat supply plant. However, the earthquake caused a number of failures in the hot water network, which temporarily suspended heat supply to the final customers of HEP-Toplinarstvo in the town district of Tresnjevka south. Full supply normalization is expected tomorrow morning, March 23, 2020, according to HEP.

19:10: Two more aftershocks were felt in Zagreb in the last few minutes. One was more intense.

18:55: Heads of health care institutions from Split-Dalmatia, Zadar, Šibenik-Knin and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties met on Sunday at the Faculty of Medicine in Split to discuss, among other things, co-operation in the current coronavirus pandemic.

The Split Clinical Hospital Center (KBC) is a respiratory center for these four Dalmatian counties. They also discussed possible transportation of patients to Split, if needed.

More information on this meeting, as announced by its attendees, is expected on Monday.

18:48: The City of Zagreb has introduced toll-free hotlines (0800 8805 and 0800 8805) for citizens directly affected by today's earthquake.

18:45: So far, 80 interventions with about 300 firefighters and 175 vehicles have taken place in Zagreb. 111 interventions are currently underway, which include opening apartments, elevators, gas and water closures, transferring immovable persons, rehabilitating chimneys, roofs and cracked walls.

There were 8 technical interventions in the County of Zagreb, more specifically in the Samobor area, with 31 firefighters and 9 vehicles.

In Krapina-Zagorje County, in the area of Donja and Gornja Stubica, 8 technical interventions were carried out with 65 firefighters and 11 vehicles.

4 car ladders and 1 auto platform from Varaždin, Sisak, Bjelovar and Karlovac were also hired to assist Zagreb firefighters in interventions on roofs.

"Once again, we appeal to citizens that, given a large number of ongoing interventions, they only call 193 in the event of an imminent threat to life," the fire department said in a statement.

18:35: Crowds in front of gas stations in Zagreb have significantly decreased compared to the morning, there is enough fuel, and customers must strictly adhere to the instructions of the Civil Protection Headquarters on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Ina said.

Several gas stations had to be shut down due to a power outage in some parts of the city, but now they are doing everything they can, Ina said, pointing out that the company's manufacturing process and market supply are regular, meaning that there is enough fuel and no talk of a possible shortage.

Buyers are once again invited to strictly follow the instructions of the Civil Protection Headquarters when making a purchase. This means that they must keep a physical distance from each other and follow the other instructions in force.

After the earthquake in Zagreb this morning, crowds formed in front of INA's pumps and those of other companies. This made it difficult to implement safety measures against the coronavirus.

18:30: Croatian Parliament must move as the building was damaged in the earthquake.

18:00: koronavirus.hr, the official website for coronavirus in Croatia, has published information that can help people overcome fears of earthquakes and pandemics. The advice is signed by prof.dr. Dražen Begić, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Zagreb University School of Medicine, and prof.dr.sc. Nataša Jokić-Begić from the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb.

17:58: Bozinovic sent a message to anyone spreading fake news

"Those spreading fake news must be severely punished. Police are already conducting investigations," Bozinovic warned.

Recall, fake news about the coronavirus has been spreading for weeks. Fake news about the earthquake also spread in a short time this morning. 

17:55: The earthquake crushed a dome on a building at Ban Jelacic Square, firefighters destroyed another.

17:50: After Sunday's earthquake in Zagreb, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the Croatian people and asked Christ to give them strength and solidarity in the face of disaster.

The Pope indicated that he would send an extraordinary message and blessing this week to "Urbi et Orbi" (City and World), which is usually referred only to Christmas and Easter, and called for prayer worldwide in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I express my closeness to the Croatian people affected by the earthquake on Sunday morning. May the Risen Lord give them strength and solidarity in the face of this calamity," Pope Francis said.

17:40: Important expert advice on pandemics and fear of earthquakes has been published

17:26: When visiting the city center, President Zoran Milanovic said we should listen to the government and the relevant services, not those who spread social media.

"Believe the Croatian authorities; this is not a normal situation. Hell, we must learn something from this," Milanovic said.

17:20: Health Minister Vili Beros said that the fact that on Sunday afternoon, a total of 254 people are infected with the coronavirus, which is 19 more than this morning, shows that Croatia is still on the upward of the pandemic curve.

Beros also revealed that the coronavirus positive detection system was out of use for a short time, but is now functioning again.

The minister also reported that the girl was seriously injured in the morning quake in central Zagreb and is still undergoing treatment, and all the injured were taken care of.

"We need to keep our distance from the edges of the buildings, but also each other. This is the only measure at this time," Beros said at the press conference after a meeting between the state leadership and the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

"We have two newborns after the earthquake, and all the infants from the intensive care unit of the Women's Clinic are safely taken care of at the Dubrava Hospital," the minister said.

17:00: All shops in Croatia closed for the day. 

16:59: The earthquake experienced at 16:16 had a magnitude of 2.8, but at a depth of only 2 kilometers. The epicenter was near Sopot.

16:55: "We have a combination of two crises. We have 254 infected," Plenkovic said. "The Sava home is ready to accommodate anyone whose apartments have been damaged. A hotline is available for anyone who cannot sleep in their homes. Indeed, in the coming hours, everyone must have good information about who to report to," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic during his direct address.

16:50: Press conference held on coronavirus crisis in Croatia, which you can read here. Sisak-Moslavina County Civil Protection Headquarters confirms that the fourth person diagnosed with coronavirus infection in Sisak-Moslavina County is a surgeon from Sisak General Hospital. 

16:45: Press release from Emergency Management Office, transmitted in full:

The Emergency Management Office has been in the field all day. 1200 members of the General Civil Protection Unit of the City of Zagreb in all city districts, as well as 550 members of the City of Zagreb Civil Protection Specialist Search and Rescue Unit.

Members visited their inner-city neighborhoods and provided first immediate assistance to fellow citizens. Currently, about 100 members of general-purpose civil protection are erecting a tent village for 500 people on the location of Franjo Tudjman Square.

There are 50 teams in the field, with over 200 construction professionals doing rapid damage assessment of buildings. Teams of construction experts evaluate damage to buildings by priority, and after inspection of the building will put a mark in a visible place. Please note that construction professionals are working on special forms designed specifically to assess post-earthquake damage. "

16:16: Another earthquake! The earthquake was felt in almost all of Zagreb.

15:55: Croatian Vice-President of the European Commission Dubravka Suica confirmed that she had spoken with colleagues from the Commission and announced that the European system for natural disasters "rescEU" and the civil protection mechanism were likely to be activated.

She expressed her belief that Croatia would have the best mechanisms in place.

15:40: The vicar's vicar in the parish of Marija Bistrica was slightly injured in the earthquake, and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Bistrica in Marija Bistrica was also damaged.

At the time of the first earthquake, the priest found himself on an open air staircase next to the Basilica of Our Lady of Bistrica, and as a result of the tremor, he fell to the ground and injured his left lower leg, shoulders and head parts around his eyes.

15:30: The interior ministry reported on Sunday that a joint checkpoint for epidemiologists, police and civil protection has been set up at the Kikovica payment station to control people who have decided to leave Zagreb in the wake of the earthquake and have a measure of self-isolation.

"When controlling passengers, persons will be missed to continue their journey to their destinations by taking the information at which address they intend to stay," the Interior Ministry reported.

They added that, in agreement with the highway staff, the exits at Vrata, Delnice and Ostrovica interchanges were closed, and the old road to Rijeka would be controlled.

15:24: Meteoalarm for today issued a warning for the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County.

Strong gusts of north and northeast wind are expected, especially in the northern regions. Wind gusts could be up to 65 kilometers per hour.

"Beware of debris flying in high winds. Localized interruptions in outdoor activities are possible," they warn.

In addition, it will be chilly, but there will also be rainfall, with some rain and even snow. Snow will be more frequent in the middle of next week.

15:08: Police have released the latest information on the quakes.

The magnitude of the earthquake was 5.5 according to the Richter scale, and the intensity at the epicenter was level VII of the MCS scale. The earthquake was felt all over Croatia. After that, at 07:01, there was another 5.0 earthquake and a few smaller earthquakes, which is common after such strong earthquakes. In the wider epicentral area, the earthquake caused considerable damage.

Three people were injured in the Krapina-Zagorje County, 11 in Zagreb (one of which is life-threatening) and three in Zagreb County.

15:00: "Due to the earthquake that hit Zagreb in the morning and damaged many buildings and facades, citizens are being asked not to walk downtown or near buildings that have suffered damage.

We ask the citizens for understanding and patience, and to behave responsibly and follow the instructions of the competent institutions," said the City.

14:55: Jutarnji List announced at 2.48 pm that the girl at Klaic has died. Index contacted the Director at Klaic, who told us that intensive care doctors said she was fighting for her life.

14:28: Seismologist Snjezan Prevolnik, from the Faculty of Science in Zagreb, has commented on the earthquake damage in Zagreb for N1, but also reported new ground tremors in the capital.

"It is important to emphasize that after an earthquake of this magnitude, it is common for low magnitude earthquakes to occur. In these 4-5 hours, tens and hundreds of earthquakes are recorded, and only some of them are felt by people," said seismologist Snow Prevolnik.

"It is not a question at all whether a major earthquake will occur, but when. It can be now while we are talking about it, and it can be in fifty years," said Prevolnik. > More

14:25 Ten meters of the Zagreb Cathedral spire was destroyed.

14:17 Health Minister Vili Beros reports that the condition of a 15-year-old girl who is still severe, adding that the injury was treated neurosurgically, after which intensive treatment was undertaken.

"The situation is still difficult and requires intensive treatment measures. The prognosis is questionable at this time," Beros said when visiting the Pediatric Disease Clinic in Klaic.

14:15: Bitno.net has learned that holy masses were held at several locations in Zagreb this morning.

For example, the Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross broadcast a celebration of Traditional Latin Mass from the courtyard of the church.

Similar scenes could also be seen in front of the shrine of Saint Mother of Liberty in Jarun. There, priests from surrounding buildings spontaneously joined the priests in the Mass.

We are reminding people that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as experts, have warned that the citizens outside that they must obey the prescribed distance so that the coronavirus does not spread further!

14:05: Two babies have been born at the Petrova Hospital in Zagreb. 

14:00: Minister Beroš is a guest on the show "Sundays at 2." You can watch his guest appearance HERE.

13:30: The City of Zagreb has introduced a toll-free hotlin (0800 8805) for citizens directly affected by today's earthquake.

13:26: Director Alemka Markotic has spoken about the situation in front of the Infectious Diseases Clinic "Dr. Fran Mihaljevic". At the end of the report, journalists asked her what she thought of the situation, and then replied with a strong message:

"In situations like this, we should all think about priorities in life. To be better to each other and not make some material things our highest priority in the world. This situation will clarify such things a lot," Markotic said.

13:23: Police have released the latest information on the quake.

"Due to a strong earthquake that shook the City of Zagreb in the morning, by 11am in the area of ​​the Zagreb Police Directorate, police now have information on a total of 66 damaged buildings and 23 passenger cars.
 
Most of the buildings and cars were damaged in the city center. The Zagreb Cathedral and the church in Palmoticeva Street were damaged, and in the Dubrava area, there are reports of damage to several buildings, and the church in Čučer has also been damaged," they said.

13:20: Minister of the Interior and President of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic said that all residents of the center of Zagreb who, due to damage after Sunday's earthquakes, are unable to go home, will be accommodated in a dormitory at Cvjetno naselje. 

13:12: The director of the Department of Seismology and Mathematical Geophysics at the Australian National University has posted a long status explaining what happened in Zagreb today, and added that further tremors are expected.

12:56: Seventy members of the Croatian Army, from the Engineering Regiment and Mechanized Battalion, Tigers and Thunder are in the center of Zagreb on the ground and are helping to repair the effects of a major earthquake from Ban Jelacic Square, Ilica to the western part of the city.

Members of the Support Command are assisting patients and assisting hospitals in Zagreb, the Clinic for Women's Diseases and Births at Petrova, and the Hospital for Infectious Diseases. Fran Mihaljevic will normalize the situation as soon as possible, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) reported on its website.

Police have closed Ban Jelacic Square and surrounding streets.

12:55: The church and the monastery of St. Francis of Assisi at the Zagreb Kaptol was damaged, but the monks and nuns are alive and well.

12:50: Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said on Sunday that the Government would mobilize all available resources and everything in its power to repair as soon as possible the damage caused by the earthquake that hit Zagreb.

12:43: "Intensive care measures are being implemented. CT diagnostics are being done, intensive measures are being taken. The patient is critical," Klaic's director said of the injured 15-year-old girl.

12:35: Surveillance cameras captured the moment of the first earthquake.

12:33: Mayor Željko Kolar after visiting the terrain claimed that the area of ​​Gornja Stubica was the most severely damaged and that there was almost no damage to the settlement in Slani Potok.

"If nothing else, then a building lost a roof, roof tiles fell, and there are 6 to 8 houses from which families need to be evacuated. At first estimation, there is so much damage that it is impossible to live in them. creating cracks of 20 to 30 centimeters and that's where all the static is disturbed, "said Kolar.

In some homes, he says, there is a risk of collapse through additional tremors.

12:13: The earthquakes were also felt in Međimurje, where, according to the information provided by the Civil Protection Headquarters, there were no material damage or injuries.

12:05: "There is a lot of damage, buildings, cars ... Fortunately, there are no casualties," Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said. "Listen to the information we give. Stay home, we have to be wise and careful," Plenkovic added.

11:55: "The construction profession is in the field, only when they give the green light does the placement of patients follow," Minister Beros said. "There is no major damage to KB Dubrava," he added. "Outside the machine is an intervention room in Vinogradski. We have taken care of children from neonatology," Beros added.

"This is a new, unforeseen circumstance. I hope there will be no higher percentage of the spread of the virus, the more dangerous it is, we must remain cautious," Beros said.

Alemka Markotic said everything was under control. "The military is helping, the people are not threatened. Everyone responded immediately. The army is setting up heated tents, there will be temporarily housed patients. Statics experts are checking the condition of the buildings," she said.

11:52: The Office of Emergency Management has organized meals for all citizens who cannot return to their homes.

Meals will be available after 1 pm at the following locations:

- Zrinjevac
- Mazuranic Square
- Dr. Franjo Tudjman Square

Teams of construction experts are evaluating the damage to buildings by priority, and after inspections will mark buildings visibly. Please note that construction professionals are working specifically to assess post-earthquake damage.

"Please, strictly obey the markings and do not risk entering the building!"

11:35: Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic urged residents who live in buildings with reinforced concrete structures to return to their homes after the earthquakes this morning. They will decide how to care for those whose buildings are unsafe.

"Eighty percent of Zagreb residents live in structures that have reinforced concrete structures, and I ask them to return to their homes. There would have to be a double earthquake to demolish these buildings. That has never happened in history," Bandic said.

11:23: The Parliament building has been heavily damaged. No one can go inside without the permission of the relevant services.

11:17: The National Civil Protection Headquarters has decided to limit the opening hours of stores operating from Sunday, March 22, from 8am to 5pm.

11:04: City of Zagreb firefighters recorded 35 interventions involving 161 firefighters. These were fires that were successfully extinguished, and firefighters continue to participate in technical interventions that include rescuing people who are trapped in collapsed buildings and elevators, and removing chimneys and other objects that endanger citizens' lives. There are 57 volunteer fire companies in the City of Zagreb on alert, and the commander-in-chief of the fire department issued an order for firefighters from the Zagreb County Fire Department to be on standby.

10:58: "We met with seismologists to see the situation and to determine the course of action. I appeal for citizens to be calm and keep composure. Twice a day you will receive information from the National Headquarters," said Minister Radman.

He condemned the spread of panic and inaccuracy about new major earthquakes. "Listen to the instructions!" 

10:55: Franjo Tudjman Airport reported:

"We would like to inform you that, in these unexpected circumstances, all of Franjo Tudjman's airport duty staff responded in accordance with procedures, taking into account that safety and security of passengers were a priority and evacuated passengers from the passenger terminal at the time of the earthquake. It has been determined that there is no damage to the building itself or to the runway and other maneuvering areas. After operating systems are set up, we expect to have traffic established after 10:30 am, as scheduled," they said.

10:50: 3 more cases of COVID-19 virus have been reported in Split-Dalmatia County, which now makes the total number of 10 patients. They all feel good and are in stable condition. All contacts of newcomers are put into self-isolation and processed.

There are 56 persons quarantined: 32 of whom are Croatian nationals and 24 are foreign nationals.
The number of people in self-isolation is increasing due to the contacts of diseased persons who also have a measure of self-isolation.

10:45: The Coronavirus is more of a challenge than the earthquake, according to the crisis headquarters, said Interior Minister and Head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic.

"On behalf of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, I can guarantee that we will continue communication as we have hitherto, and in the crisis with the coronavirus, which is still ongoing and which in our estimations is a bigger challenge, and in this one with the earthquake," Bozinovic said.

10:36: In Istria, three more people have been infected with coronavirus and 26 patients are currently hospitalized at the Pula hospital, the County Civil Protection Headquarters announced today. Of the 18 samples taken on Saturday from a sample of persons from the Istria County who were sent to the Infectious Diseases Clinic "Dr. Fran Mihaljević", three were positive for coronavirus.

10:35: An aftershock felt at 10:13 was magnitude 3.3. It was felt most strongly in the eastern part of the city.

10:30: A total of 11 people have contracted coronavirus disease in Karlovac County, three newly diagnosed people have been in contact since before and the epidemiological processing of their contacts is underway.

"For now, we have no information that anyone is developing a more severe clinical picture," said epidemiologist Biserka Hranilovic.

10:27: The director of the Croatian Emergency Medicine Institute, Maja Grba-Bujevic, appealed to citizens who took to the streets this morning for the Zagreb earthquake, to dress appropriately and keep themselves out of the cold and to keep distance from each other to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

10:25: A strong earthquake hit twice Sunday in the Krapina-Zagorje County area, with the largest property damage reported in the municipalities of Gornja Stubica and Donja Stubica, said Mayor Zeljko Kolar.

"According to the information provided by the Mayor of Donja Stubica, we have two houses that have suffered and the families will have to move. There are four in Gornja Stubica for now," Kolar said.

10:23: The European Commission said on Sunday it is monitoring the situation in Croatia after the Zagreb earthquake and is ready to help.

"We are closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Croatia after the earthquake in Zagreb.

"Our Emergency Response Coordination Center is in contact with the Croatian authorities. We are ready to help," said Crisis Commissioner Janez Lenarcic.

10:06: The quake has no effect on the coronavirus, said Interior Minister and Head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic, urging citizens to keep a distance. The minister urged citizens who came out after the earthquake to keep a distance of at least three meters to prevent the spread of coronaviruses.

10:05: The army took to the streets.

"They are all in operation. I gave the order to bring in the Croatian Armed Forces, we are available to assist the city of Zagreb. Our task is, as part of the homeland security, to help our citizens when it is most difficult," said the Ministry of Defense.

10:01: “The most important thing at this point is to listen to the Government and the Headquarters. Listen to the news of those in charge. They exist because of situations like this, you can ignore everything else," President Zoran Milanovic said.

"The quake was 5.5 magnitude, the strongest in the last 140 years," said Prime Minister Plenkovic.

"There is a lot of damage. We urge citizens to exercise caution. We recommend that you stay in front of the buildings for the time being," Plenkovic said. You can read the full press conference here.

10:00: A15-year-old child is in critical condition.

Goran Roic, the director of the Klaiceva Children's Hospital, said on Sunday that the 15-year-old is in a very critical condition and is undergoing additional diagnostics.

"The child is very, very critical, but we are still doing further and doing everything we can," Roic told N1.

09:53: The Zagreb Office for Emergency Situations has urged citizens not to enter damaged buildings following three earthquakes in the capital on Sunday morning. 

"After the earthquakes in Zagreb this morning, we are informing citizens not to enter the damaged buildings. Teams of construction experts are coming to the scene, who will prioritize damage assessment of buildings and mark buildings according to the assessment. The priority is hospitals and later all other buildings. 

In addition, teams of construction workers have been hired to clean roads and corridors,” they reported.

"There is also a Special Search and Rescue Civil Protection Unit on the ground, and it is starting to work. All general-purpose Civil Protection units are invited to report to their assembly sites and take on tasks.

NO Krško is not damaged and the electricity supply is normalized and the failures are not large. Unfortunately, we cannot know when and what the subsequent earthquakes will be, but according to seismologists, they should not be stronger than the first earthquake.

We ask all citizens to remain calm and follow the notices of official sources. We ask all citizens to respect the coronavirus-related social distance recommendations in this situation as well," they said.

09:43 The Civil Protection again urged citizens to keep the necessary clearance even in these extraordinary conditions to prevent the spread of coronaviruses.

"We know you are scared, you feel fear and discomfort. Despite the intense emotions and fear that has arisen, we urge you to keep the required gap in these extraordinary conditions," the Civil Protection Directorate announced.

09:39: There was another earthquake, this time of 3.0 magnitude.

09:38: Contrary to initial reports that a 15-year-old child was the first victim of an earthquake in Zagreb, the child has apparently been resuscitated and is fighting for his life 

09:33: Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic told citizens of Zagreb this morning to keep their distance.

"I repeat, keep your distance. Do not cluster. We are dealing with two serious crises in parallel, an earthquake and an epidemic. There are protocols when it comes to earthquakes, but when it comes to an earthquake and an epidemic, it is a more complicated situation, we have to make the right decisions for the benefit of all of us,"  Bozinovic said.

(Updates provided by Index)

• Message to General Public: STAY HOME. Do not leave your house unless you have to go to work, store or hospital. That means not going for walks, bike rides, trips to the mountains, family gatherings, barbecues and similar gatherings.
• Self-Isolation Violators: Over 100 people left self-isolation to go to pharmacies. Movement can be tracked by use of HZZO (Croatian Health Insurance) card. 
• Children's parks and playgrounds closed.
• Bus and Train Stations Closed: All intercity transport lines abolished.
• Ferry Passenger Traffic: Forbidden except for permanent residents. High-speed ferry service stopped. Ferries will deliver the necessary supplies. More here.
• Public Transportation to Shut Down Tomorrow: Local Buses, Trams, Rail and Cable cars etc.
• New Funeral Guidelines: Only immediate family and religious community representatives may attend.
• United Arab Emirates Donates Face Masks to Croatia: 11 million HRK (1.44 million EUR) donation.

Suspension of public transportation for 30 days. | Railway and bus stations closed. | Restrictions on public transport on ferry lines. | Restrictions on social interaction on streets.

Entry into Republic of Croatia

As of midnight on March 19, 2020; crossing the border of the Republic of Croatia is temporarily restricted. Croatian citizens and residents will be allowed to return to Croatia, which means that they may go to the country where they work and reside and must follow the instructions and measures of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) upon their return. These measures went into effect at 00:01 on March 19, 2020 and are valid for 30 days. More information and exceptions here.

Social Distancing Measures Implemented

Also as of March 19, 2020; it is compulsory to strictly adhere to anti-epidemic measures and strict social distance measures. A strict measure of social distance requires avoiding close personal contact at a distance of at least:

• Two (2) meters indoors
• One (1) meter outdoors

The anti-epidemic measures required according to this decision include a ban on holding all public events, gatherings of more than 5 people in one place and the suspension of all retail and trade activities. EXCEPTIONS and details can be found here. These measures were strengthened today March 21, 2020. Residents are being ordered not to leave home except to get food or medicine. 

Total Croatia News Coronavirus Coverage

• Coronavirus Bigger Threat than Earthquakes.
• 'Za Krizen' on Hvar Overcame Fascists, Tito, Sinai Desert, But Will It Beat Corona?
• COVID-19 Morning Press Conference, March 22, 2020.
• Igor Rudan: How Epidemiologists Used Numbers to Protect Croats from COVID-19.

Total Slovenia News & Total Montenegro News Updates

• COVID-19 & Slovenia, Mid-Day 22 March: Ban on Leaving Municipality - here.
• Morning Headlines for Slovenia:  22 March 2020 - here.
• Coronavirus in Montenegro: 12 Tested Negative, Number of COVID19 Infections 14 - here.
• Coronavirus in Montenegro: 14 cases, Epidemic Spreads, We Should Take It Seriously - here.

Live World Coronavirus Updates

• Live world updates from CNN here.
• Live world updates from The Guardian here.
• Live world updates from Al Jazeera here.

World Health Organization Coronavirus Updates

• Live updated international map tracking spread of coronavirus from Johns Hopkins CSSE here.
• Live updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) here.

Croatian Health Organization Coronavirus Updates

• Live updates from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (daily updates at 15:00 CET in Croatian) here.
• Live updates from Croatian Government at their dedicated website koronavirus.hr here and their Facebook page here.

Other Croatia Resources for Updates, Information and Assistance

• COVID-19 INFO CROATIA - A Facebook group with updates and information in English here.
• Jedni za druge - A Facebook group of volunteers who do deliveries in several cities here.

UPDATED: March 22, 2020 16:00 CET (Central European Time)

*Follow this page for updates on the coronavirus in Croatia from Total Croatia News. 

*Follow this page for updates on the Zagreb earthquake in Croatia from Total Croatia News. 

March 22, 2020 - Dinamo Zagreb’s beloved fan group Bad Blue Boys were in action on Sunday in the wake of the Zagreb earthquake. 

The Bad Blue Boys again came to the aid of the people of Zagreb after a strong earthquake hit the Croatian capital Sunday morning.

After assisting in the relocation of the Dubrava Clinical Hospital over the past few days due to a coronavirus pandemic, delivering medicines and supplies to the elderly and infirm, the ardent football fan group is now helping after a severe 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit Zagreb Sunday morning.

?? Bad Blue Boys of Dinamo Zagreb gathered to help people after 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Zagreb this morning pic.twitter.com/70JJJdHKmM

— 101% ULTRAS (@101ULTRAS) March 22, 2020

The Bad Blue Boys assisted at the maternity hospital on Petrova street, escorting pregnant women out of the building and transferring newborn babies to safer hospitals.

Croatian Army and Dinamo Zagreb supporters Bad Blue Boys are helping to evacuate newborns ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/NCmB5JvgJn

— ????'? ??? (@CillsWife) March 22, 2020

The Bad Blue Boys were led by competent services and equipped with protective masks to reduce the risk of the possible transmission of the coronavirus.

As an incubator baby myself, only love and respect for @badblueboys_zg helping in the aftermath of #ZagrebEarthquake https://t.co/giq77yWk35

— Emma Stepinac (@emmchywarrior) March 22, 2020

More than a thousand members gathered to help.

As so many times before, from the Homeland War to all the adversities that hit Croatia in recent years and decades, members of Croatian football fan groups have always been among the first to help their fellow citizens.

Dinamo Zagreb's #BadBlueBoys helping to evacuate newborn babies shortly after #Zagreb #earthquake: https://t.co/8Vh8P8aCoB pic.twitter.com/BoBJ2jC2xJ

— Dario Brentin (@DarioBrentin) March 22, 2020

When it's hardest, they're always on the front line.

This is really not what we needed right now amid the #CoronaCrisis , but what can you do?It will unite us even more-here is a picure of Dinamo Zagreb ultras #badblueboys help evacuating a maternity hospital.With so many heroes on the streets, Zagreb will recover quickly #Zagreb pic.twitter.com/lwfC1QBWbl

— Siminho (@Siminho_) March 22, 2020

There were three initial earthquakes, all a few kilometers north of Zagreb. The first had a magnitude of 5.3 at 06:24, the second 5.0 at 07:01, and a third at 07:41, measuring 3.7. There were two further quakes, both 3.0, 6km north of Zagreb at 09:04 and 09:10. Follow this official global earthquake monitoring website for the latest.

Click here for the latest updated article.  

March 22, 2020 - Important contact information and advice for Zagreb citizens in the aftermath of the earthquake on Sunday morning.

The City of Zagreb has introduced a toll-free hotline for citizens directly affected by today's earthquake

The City of Zagreb has introduced a toll-free hotline for citizens directly affected by today's earthquake. If you’re in need, please call 0800 8805.

The City of Zagreb is urging, first of all, those who have lost their homes or have homes that have been severely damaged in the earthquake, to immediately contact this telephone number to ensure that they receive adequate assistance as soon as possible.

Also, anyone who has been left homeless will be provided with accommodation. For now this is the Cvjetno naselje student dorms at Odranska ulica 8. If necessary, additional accommodation will be provided. You can read more below. 

Anyone worried about gas leaks after the earthquake can call the toll free number 0800 400 400.

In case of problems with water supply, contact 01 / 616-39-99.

The City of Zagreb is asking citizens for understanding and patience and to act responsibly and follow the instructions of the competent institutions

Teams of construction experts are currently on the streets evaluating the damage to buildings by priority. After inspection, they will mark each building visibly. Construction experts are working to assess post-earthquake damage, the Office noted.

The Zagreb Emergency Management Office is pleading for citizens to strictly obey the markings and do not risk entering the building. You can also send a photo of the damage and the address to the e-mail address of the Emergency Management Office: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Beans and tea are being distributed at the French Republic Square

The Croatian Red Cross reported that its crews were heading to the downtown and wider center of Zagreb, where blankets would be distributed to citizens who could not return to their homes, and tents would be erected in the French Republic Square where beans and tea will be distributed.

"1200 blankets will be distributed, and we will first take care of the elderly, the sick, children and pregnant women. Tents will be set up in the French Republic Square, where beans and tea will be given out," HCK posted on its Facebook page.

"We invite you once again to stay calm. This morning, we distributed blankets and water to people in front of Petrova and Klaiceva hospitals.

Do not gather in groups, keep a distance of two meters. If you have masks and gloves, put them on. All measures related to the protection against coronavirus infection are still in force,” HCK told citizens.

Meals will also be available after 1 pm at Zrinjevac, Mazuranic Square, and Franjo Tudjman Square, the Office of Emergency Management announced.

Accommodation for Zagreb residents whose homes are damaged is being arranged at the Cvjetno naselje student dorms

Interior Minister and President of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic said that all residents of downtown Zagreb whose homes suffered from the Sunday earthquake would be accommodated in the student dormitory Cvjetno naselje.

"There are more than 20 statics engineers on the scene at the moment who will expertly evaluate which buildings can still be used and which will require remediation," said Bozinovic.

He added that, according to initial estimates, about 1,000 people could not get into their homes due to damage. If there are no new earthquakes, no additional accommodations will be needed.

"The capacity of the dormitory is 1800 places, so unless there are new waves of earthquakes, we hope that we will not need to mobilize additional facilities," Bozinovic said.

Source: Dnevnik.hr

Click here for the latest updated article. 

As Igor Rudan/Vecernji list writes on the 20th of March, 2020, Croatia was the country with the lowest percentage of newly COVID-19 infected persons in Europe during the two weeks from March the 2nd to the 17th, 2020, which means that our "first line of defense" did an excellent job and lasted the longest. Then we went into quarantine at the right time, at a much earlier stage of the spread of the epidemic than everyone else did.

Now that we have all become "Quarantine Croatia", yesterday, I joined forces with our famous mathematician Toni Milun to explain together just how we came to be in this situation at all.

In mid-January 2020, a number of friends from Croatia suggested that I start a new popular science series on Facebook in order to follow the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan. I called my Chinese colleagues at the time, asking them to briefly describe what was happening to them. They conveyed a few simple but very helpful messages to me. What surprised me the most was the thought of putting 56 million people in quarantine for an extended period. That, then, on January the 17th - so, just two months ago - sounded like a completely radical idea. But when I found out more, and then one week later - on January the 23rd and 24th - I saw that they'd indeed closed off Wuhan and fifteen other cities, I realised that it was an almost surreal event, one that was certainly worth watching. Thus, on January the 29th, the ''Quarantine Wuhan'' series of texts began.

My Chinese colleagues told me that more and more people with some sort of unusual pneumonia began to show up at Wuhan's huge hospitals on a daily basis. That would usually drag on on for about ten days without responding to any sort of antibiotic therapy.

Some people soon required additional oxygen or mechanical support to help them to breathe. If the doctors themselves became infected, the fear would grab them. How could it not? It was an unknown cause of pneumonia, and about one in ten patients would die even with hospital treatment. But what would surprise them was that the infected doctors had generally mild symptoms. They didn't understand how it was possible that these infected patients were in such a poor condition but the infected doctors seemed much better if the cause of their respiratory infection was the same.

The answer to that enigma, however, was hiding outside the hospitals, in the very streets of Wuhan with its eleven million residents. To epidemiologists, such a rift of symptoms was a clear signal that an epidemic had to have been spreading rapidly among the population of that city for some time. It can cause different symptoms in different people. In the vast majority of those infected, the symptoms will be mild or moderate, so they will never report to the hospital. Symptoms would be worse in about fifteen percent of people, and they'd require extra oxygen. Only the remaining five percent of those infected would end up in critical condition, in need of respiration and intensive care. They also noted that when doctors transmit the virus to other patients in the hospital, it also kills about one in ten people infected. Mostly those who already have other serious illnesses. Men, smokers and older people were the most high risk groups.

The doctors in the hospitals saw only that extreme part of the spectrum of the sick - serious and critical cases. Other infected residents, those with mild and moderate symptoms, walked around Wuhan normally. There, they spread the epidemic at a rapid speed. Epidemiologists in Wuhan realised that the new illness would therefore not kill every tenth person it infects, but maybe every 100th person, maybe even every thousandth.

The number of deaths in the hospitals could be used as a numerator, but all infected residents of Wuhan outside the hospital should have been placed in the denominator, ie, the numerous people with milder symptoms spreading it around. At the beginning of the epidemic in this city of eleven million people, no one knew if there were just a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand or maybe a million [infected people]. So quarantine had to be declared. Most importantly, then, it was urgent to stop the exponential spread and then slowly explore what was going on.

It then became clear to them that COVID-19 was not an illness that primarily kills owing to the sheer severity of its symptoms. This was an illness that kills with an incredibly high rate of spread among the community. This spread leads to a tremendously rapid increase in the total number of infected people, and thus five percent of critically ill people, day by day. The critically ill people then cannot receive adequate care. That is why, for every deceased person who couldn't be saved, there are several others who probably could be, but they all came in for treatment at the same time.

This overloaded the hospital's intensive care facilities. My colleagues in China have told me that, after all the bad news from Wuhan, it will probably surprise us how relatively mild it is for most infected people, whether tourists or seafarers bring it to our area of the world. They told me that the illness itself should not feared, but its rapid spread should be. Therefore, three things are crucial to its control:

(1) The spread from China to other countries should simply be stopped by the "first line of defense" - the constant isolation of the infected people and their contacts. This approach had previously proved successful and stopped two previous coronaviruses, SARS and MERS, although both of them had managed to spread to more than twenty countries from China and Saudi Arabia. It was therefore likely that this would work for COVID-19.

(2) We must be extremely careful if a virus manages to break through the "first line of defense" by mere chance. That is when all those infected people with milder symptoms will start spreading it to the population very quickly, aided by the "super spreaders" that infect many individuals. Then the rate of increase in the number of cases can make anyone unpleasantly surprised and entirely unprepared.

The reason is that the infections we're confirming today reflect the spread of the infection days earlier, and not the current situation. Between the infection and the diagnosis of the symptoms, there is a period of "incubation", which lasts about a week. Therefore, if we diagnose 100 infected people on Saturday, we gain information about the spread of the infection since last Saturday. But during those seven days, the virus has spread rapidly, so today it has, in fact, infected more than 1,000 new people. But they will only become visible to us next Saturday. This is the problem of "silent", invisible, exponential growth, which isn't intuitive to the human brain.

In short, the actual current state of spread of the COVID-19 infection is always significantly worse for us, as the current number of confirmed cases indicates - about ten times worse. Therefore, if the virus breaks through the first line of defense, the key decision will be to declare quarantine as soon as possible so that the virus doesn't manage to escape and grow exponentially. And the effects of quarantine will not be visible for the next day, but only in a week's time. Until then, terrible losses will be suffered if a state of quarantine is declared too late, as is happening these days in Italy.

(3) Of course, we must take great care to prevent the virus from entering our hospitals or nursing homes, as it can create a huge amount of death there among patients who are already impaired. These three points are the standard epidemiological measures of protection, so it was quite clear what to do when COVID-19 knocked at our door. I began to closely monitor the results of the quarantine effect in Wuhan, but also a comparative increase in the number of cases in Europe, and Toni Milun showed how that works in a video.

The most important day of this COVID-19 pandemic, at least so far, was probably February the 8th, 2020. Thanks to several consecutive days of declining infections in Wuhan, it became clear that the epidemic in China was beginning to wane and would virtually be extinguished over the coming weeks. It was great news for all of us. That meant that the COVID-19 epidemic could be suppressed even if the virus broke through the first line of defense.

From that February the 8th until February the 21st, things were constantly getting better globally. The number of newly infected individuals in China had been steadily declining. China's surrounding countries, already taught by experience with SARS - Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan - "caught" the virus from China in their first line(s) of defense. They controlled it with a stricter regime along borders, with frequent testing and the isolation of the infected and their contacts. They didn't even need a quarantine, the first line of defense measures produced results.

Furthermore, with the exception of three cases in Australia and one case in Argentina, there were no recorded deaths from COVID-19 in the entire Southern Hemisphere. It gave us all a huge amount of hope that COVID-19 would actually prove to be a seasonal virus and disappear from the Northern Hemisphere with the arrival of late spring and summer. And in Europe and the US, very rare cases were easily ''captured'' by the front lines of defense.

Since February the 21st, however, South Korea and Iran unexpectedly came into focus. The first country had a really awkward incident, which I'll describe in one of the following sequels as an example of another successful way to fight this virus. They were able to extend their first line of defense without quarantine. On the other hand, very little was clear about Iran. I was worried that this country could eventually become the biggest problem with COVID-19 because it was the first less developed country in which the virus began to spread freely. On the positive side, however, Iranian epidemiologists are very adept at combating infectious diseases.

I also noticed that Italy jumped from 3 to 20 cases on February the 21st. I thought, maybe it's some group travelling together. But on a day-to-day basis, on February the 24th, Italy already had a total of 229 infected people, while other European Union (EU) countries had only a few cases and controlled that with their first line(s) of defense.

When I landed in Zagreb four days later, on February the 25th, Croatia discovered its first infected citizen after they were tested. Italy, just across the ''way'' from us, already had 322 infected people by then. The virus had already penetrated their first line of defense by then, so I expected that they would declare a quarantine for at least Lombardy the next morning.

If they'd already registered 322 infected people, it meant that the population was already significantly more infected than that. However, the situation in all other EU countries was still calm. The first lines of defense in the EU were expected to successfully control the entry of the virus. One country can always be isolated from another if that is needed, and Italy is pretty well isolated anyway. I was hoping, in fact, that my colleagues in Italy would have additional reports from China, so they probably calculated their hospital capacity and knew what they were doing. I assumed that they wanted to preserve Italian tourism and the economy for as long as possible and prepare people for quarantine, which they'd obviously have to declare as the first in Europe.

In Zagreb, therefore, I was really amazed by the panic that gripped people when they heard that our first case had been recorded here. I knew that our first line of defense could easily deal with sporadic infections, and globally the situation was getting better day by day. For epidemiologists, the most important of all indicators was the transition of the exponential growth of all newly infected people, from the onset of the epidemic in Wuhan, in a linear way, which was greatly slowed down. It was exponential until about February the 17th, and linear from February the 17th to March the 1st. After this "linear" period, the epidemic is expected to enter into a final stage, ie - a curve alignment and then a decrease in the number of new cases. Tony explains that nicely in a video, too.

All of the available data at the time fueled the real hope that the virus was indeed seasonal, and that the first lines of defense of all developed countries would successfully stop it. We knew then that just about all Chinese provinces had already stopped it, from which it had expanded from the Hubei province, to some thirty of them. Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong had also succeeded. So why wouldn't it be stopped by the EU and the US?

Owing to all that, panic in Zagreb didn't really seem appropriate to me. As my return coincided with the first recorded case, the cameras of many televisions ''stumbled'' upon me unexpectedly during a guest appearance at Edward Bernays, where I gave a lecture upon invitation. At that time, I tried to appease all of the journalists, as well as the general public, knowing that all epidemiological measures were functioning globally, that the virus was already under control in China and held back by the front lines of defense elsewhere.

When asked what kind of ailment was approaching us, I compared it to "more severe flu, but for which we don't have a vaccine." As an epidemiologist, I knew that severe flu alone was equal to about 650,000 deaths a year, and without a vaccine, well over a million.

It didn't seem to me that COVID-19 could ever reach those figures, given that it had been effectively halted in China at less than 5,000 deaths, and elsewhere the situation was quite calm. But what I wasn't aware of was how little of a danger people in Croatia associate the flu with today. Unfortunately, this misunderstanding still follows me around in many conversations with people today. Then, on March the 1st, I explained on Sunday at 2 that you really shouldn't panic in Croatia, because unless the virus mutates, it can hardly endanger more than 0.5 percent to 1 percent of all infected people.

That it will not endanger the younger age groups, but mostly those over fifty years of age. And it can't even infect us all, because infecting the entire population must also be self-limiting at some point when collective immunity is acquired. With all these predictions, nothing has changed to this day. After that show, however, completely incredible things began to happen, like from something out of a nightmare designed for an epidemiologist.

First, on March the 3rd, WHO Director Tedros Adhanom announced that the COVID-19 death rate so far had been 3.4 percent. This was not inaccurate in any way, as he listed it as the death rate among all positively tested people but not all of those who were infected. Therefore, it wasn't useful information to the public. Specifically, the figure is a combination of the death rate of hospital infections among the elderly and sick from Wuhan and Italy, which was as high as 5 to 10 percent, and the death rate when the virus has spread in the community, which is typically about 0.5 to 1 percent. Therefore, it isn't actually representative of either situation.

But how do you explain to anyone now that the director of the World Health Organisation in Geneva doesn't understand how confusing it is for the concerned public to quote such a figure, perhaps five times the one that is really more applicable? To make matters worse, he was first opposed by US President Donald Trump. He called that number "wrong," and he was largely correct in doing so. Suddenly, it put me in a situation where I had to explain to many that I wasn't underestimating the danger of COVID-19 when I said that the death rate, applicable to the whole population, could be 0.5-1 percent. And next to me, opposite to the director of the World Health Organisation in Geneva, was Donald Trump alone. No wonder the people who trusted me the most were already quite mad at that point. Fortunately, many other experts came forward over the next few days, confirming the estimates of 0.5-1 percent.

Thus, the days of March the 5th to the 7th were spent trying to explain the applicable rate of death, in three consecutive posts. All of this at least served as a great article in Index.hr with answers to 20 questions about COVID-19, which, I hope, helped many to understand more about the threat we're facing and reduce the noise. However, in these discussions, of course, I kept looking into the numbers of newly infected people around the world through the corner of my eye.

Suddenly, not only was the situation in Italy no longer clear to me, but the situation in the whole of Europe became a blur. What is everyone waiting for, why don't they declare quarantine? On Saturday evening, March the 7th, Austria already had 79 cases, Sweden 161 cases, Belgium 169 cases, Switzerland 268 cases, Spain 500 cases, Germany 799 cases, France 949 cases... and Italy had 5883 confirmed infected people?!

I looked at all these figures and I was deeply concerned - but I just couldn't believe the Italian situation. It has been revealed that they already had at least 60,000 people spreading the infection around, and that number was to grow exponentially for at least another ten days, even if they were to have declared quarantine the very next day. In any case, it was then quite clear that everyone in Europe would have to be quarantined, regardless of the fact that we in Croatia were still holding up with our first line of defense.

The next day, on March the 8th, Lombardy was quarantined, but the news leaked to the media too soon. Numerous students fled to the south of the country, spreading the contagion. The whole of Italy was then quarantined. On the same day, March the 8th, I explain in my post "The Justification of the Huge Quarantines" and the problem of exponential growth in numbers infected as a key problem of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was already quite clear by then that we'd be quarantined in Croatia in a few days. I started counting when it would be best to declare a quarantine in Croatia. I estimated that the first major jump from 10 to 20 infected people would be a good time. The number of infected people who were suffering more could then, with a little luck, see it stop at figures where our health system would have a good chance of helping everyone, with a truly minimal number of serious cases of infection.

That jump, from 14 to 19 infected people, happened on March the 11th. At 3:00 on March the 12th, I immediately posted a status entitled "Contrast is the mother of clarity", explaining that we now have the option to either quarantine very strictly for the next 30 hours and then cure the severely ill as they emerge or let the virus spread to save the economy and preserve normal life, but also prepare for a fair number of deaths. I knew that our epidemiologists were looking at these figures and thinking about them, so I wanted to give them the support from science that they weren't wrong. It is, however, a completely unbelievable decision to invite the whole nation to temporarily self-isolate.

In our case, that decision was further complicated. Namely, we're holding the rotating Presidency of the European Union and we have only 19 infected people, and we could close our borders. Other countries, however, have hundreds and thousands of infected people, numbers that are growing exponentially, but they aren't even thinking about such a move yet. I was pleased to see that as early as Friday, March the 13th, a decision was made to close the schools, sending a message to the population that Croatia was withdrawing into self-isolation.

We locked our country up exactly when we needed to, so we shouldn't have too many infected now, and again, Toni Milun assesses the details in his video. Toni and I joined forces today to show that Croatia was the country with the lowest percentage increase in newly infected people in Europe during the two weeks of March the 2nd to the 17th, which means that our "first line of defense" did a great job and endured for the longest period of time.

Then we went into quarantine at the right time, at a much earlier stage of the spread of the epidemic than everyone else. This has already prevented a very large number of infections so that we don't have to treat them. It has helped us in all steps with the legacy of the great Andrija Stampar, but also with our relatively recent war experience that EU countries don't have. But if anyone thinks this is the end now, I'm afraid he's living in fantasy land. This is just the end of the beginning.

****

Translation by Lauren Simmonds, Editor of Total Croatia News. 

For the latest on the coronavirus in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

UPDATE IN TODAY'S FULL OVERVIEW HERE

March 22, 2020 - The latest news about the spread of COVID-19 in Croatia, as well as the Zagreb earthquake from the morning press conference. 

Yesterday's rolling update of the coronavirus in Croatia was fully updated late last night. You can see the full day's events here.

There are two recommended maps to follow. The first is the official government one on the Koronavirus.hr website.

This is broken down by country in terms of numbers, and Health Minister Vili Beros has announced 29 new cases overnight, bringing the number to 235, of which 5 have recovered. The locations of the new cases will be made available later today.

The other is by Index, which breaks everything down by destination. Of the two, in general, I find Index is updated quicker. Index reports one death, while the government site reports none. The reason for this difference is the death of a restaurant owner in Istria which was announced as coronavirus, is still being confirmed by official sources before going on the official website. It has been counted in the global numbers by respected sources.

11:52: The Office of Emergency Management has organized meals for all citizens who cannot return to their homes.

Meals will be available after 1 pm at the following locations:

- Zrinjevac
- Mazuranic Square
- Dr. Franjo Tudjman Square

Teams of construction experts are evaluating the damage to buildings by priority, and after inspections will mark buildings visibly. Please note that construction professionals are working specifically to assess post-earthquake damage.

"Please, strictly obey the markings and do not risk entering the building!"

11:35: Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic urged residents who live in buildings with reinforced concrete structures to return to their homes after the earthquakes this morning. They will decide how to care for those whose buildings are unsafe.

"Eighty percent of Zagreb residents live in structures that have reinforced concrete structures, and I ask them to return to their homes. There would have to be a double earthquake to demolish these buildings. That has never happened in history," Bandic said.

11:23: The Parliament building has been heavily damaged. No one can go inside without the permission of the relevant services.

11:17: The National Civil Protection Headquarters has decided to limit the opening hours of stores operating from Sunday, March 22, from 8am to 5pm.

11:04: City of Zagreb firefighters recorded 35 interventions involving 161 firefighters. These were fires that were successfully extinguished, and firefighters continue to participate in technical interventions that include rescuing people who are trapped in collapsed buildings and elevators, and removing chimneys and other objects that endanger citizens' lives. There are 57 volunteer fire companies in the City of Zagreb on alert, and the commander-in-chief of the fire department issued an order for firefighters from the Zagreb County Fire Department to be on standby.

10:58: "We met with seismologists to see the situation and to determine the course of action. I appeal for citizens to be calm and keep composure. Twice a day you will receive information from the National Headquarters," said Minister Radman.

He condemned the spread of panic and inaccuracy about new major earthquakes. "Listen to the instructions!" 

10:55: Franjo Tudjman Airport reported:

"We would like to inform you that, in these unexpected circumstances, all of Franjo Tudjman's airport duty staff responded in accordance with procedures, taking into account that safety and security of passengers were a priority and evacuated passengers from the passenger terminal at the time of the earthquake. It has been determined that there is no damage to the building itself or to the runway and other maneuvering areas. After operating systems are set up, we expect to have traffic established after 10:30 am, as scheduled," they said.

10:50: 3 more cases of COVID-19 virus have been reported in Split-Dalmatia County, which now makes the total number of 10 patients. They all feel good and are in stable condition. All contacts of newcomers are put into self-isolation and processed.

There are 56 persons quarantined: 32 of whom are Croatian nationals and 24 are foreign nationals.
The number of people in self-isolation is increasing due to the contacts of diseased persons who also have a measure of self-isolation.

10:45: The Coronavirus is more of a challenge than the earthquake, according to the crisis headquarters, said Interior Minister and Head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic.

"On behalf of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, I can guarantee that we will continue communication as we have hitherto, and in the crisis with the coronavirus, which is still ongoing and which in our estimations is a bigger challenge, and in this one with the earthquake," Bozinovic said.

10:36: In Istria, three more people have been infected with coronavirus and 26 patients are currently hospitalized at the Pula hospital, the County Civil Protection Headquarters announced today. Of the 18 samples taken on Saturday from a sample of persons from the Istria County who were sent to the Infectious Diseases Clinic "Dr. Fran Mihaljević", three were positive for coronavirus.

10:35: An aftershock felt at 10:13 was magnitude 3.3. It was felt most strongly in the eastern part of the city.

10:30: A total of 11 people have contracted coronavirus disease in Karlovac County, three newly diagnosed people have been in contact since before and the epidemiological processing of their contacts is underway.

"For now, we have no information that anyone is developing a more severe clinical picture," said epidemiologist Biserka Hranilovic.

10:27: The director of the Croatian Emergency Medicine Institute, Maja Grba-Bujevic, appealed to citizens who took to the streets this morning for the Zagreb earthquake, to dress appropriately and keep themselves out of the cold and to keep distance from each other to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

10:25: A strong earthquake hit twice Sunday in the Krapina-Zagorje County area, with the largest property damage reported in the municipalities of Gornja Stubica and Donja Stubica, said Mayor Zeljko Kolar.

"According to the information provided by the Mayor of Donja Stubica, we have two houses that have suffered and the families will have to move. There are four in Gornja Stubica for now," Kolar said.

10:23: The European Commission said on Sunday it is monitoring the situation in Croatia after the Zagreb earthquake and is ready to help.

"We are closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Croatia after the earthquake in Zagreb.

"Our Emergency Response Coordination Center is in contact with the Croatian authorities. We are ready to help," said Crisis Commissioner Janez Lenarcic.

10:06: The quake has no effect on the coronavirus, said Interior Minister and Head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic, urging citizens to keep a distance. The minister urged citizens who came out after the earthquake to keep a distance of at least three meters to prevent the spread of coronaviruses.

10:05: The army took to the streets.

"They are all in operation. I gave the order to bring in the Croatian Armed Forces, we are available to assist the city of Zagreb. Our task is, as part of the homeland security, to help our citizens when it is most difficult," said the Ministry of Defense.

10:01: “The most important thing at this point is to listen to the Government and the Headquarters. Listen to the news of those in charge. They exist because of situations like this, you can ignore everything else," President Zoran Milanovic said.

"The quake was 5.5 magnitude, the strongest in the last 140 years," said Prime Minister Plenkovic.

"There is a lot of damage. We urge citizens to exercise caution. We recommend that you stay in front of the buildings for the time being," Plenkovic said. You can read the full press conference here.

10:00: A15-year-old child is in critical condition.

Goran Roic, the director of the Klaiceva Children's Hospital, said on Sunday that the 15-year-old is in a very critical condition and is undergoing additional diagnostics.

"The child is very, very critical, but we are still doing further and doing everything we can," Roic told N1.

09:53: The Zagreb Office for Emergency Situations has urged citizens not to enter damaged buildings following three earthquakes in the capital on Sunday morning. 

"After the earthquakes in Zagreb this morning, we are informing citizens not to enter the damaged buildings. Teams of construction experts are coming to the scene, who will prioritize damage assessment of buildings and mark buildings according to the assessment. The priority is hospitals and later all other buildings. 

In addition, teams of construction workers have been hired to clean roads and corridors,” they reported.

"There is also a Special Search and Rescue Civil Protection Unit on the ground, and it is starting to work. All general-purpose Civil Protection units are invited to report to their assembly sites and take on tasks.

NO Krško is not damaged and the electricity supply is normalized and the failures are not large. Unfortunately, we cannot know when and what the subsequent earthquakes will be, but according to seismologists, they should not be stronger than the first earthquake.

We ask all citizens to remain calm and follow the notices of official sources. We ask all citizens to respect the coronavirus-related social distance recommendations in this situation as well," they said.

09:43 The Civil Protection again urged citizens to keep the necessary clearance even in these extraordinary conditions to prevent the spread of coronaviruses.

"We know you are scared, you feel fear and discomfort. Despite the intense emotions and fear that has arisen, we urge you to keep the required gap in these extraordinary conditions," the Civil Protection Directorate announced.

09:39: There was another earthquake, this time of 3.0 magnitude.

09:38: Contrary to initial reports that a 15-year-old child was the first victim of an earthquake in Zagreb, the child has apparently been resuscitated and is fighting for his life 

09:33: Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic told citizens of Zagreb this morning to keep their distance.

"I repeat, keep your distance. Do not cluster. We are dealing with two serious crises in parallel, an earthquake and an epidemic. There are protocols when it comes to earthquakes, but when it comes to an earthquake and an epidemic, it is a more complicated situation, we have to make the right decisions for the benefit of all of us,"  Bozinovic said.

For the latest update from the official government website for COVID-19 in Croatia, click here (Croatian language only, Google Translate is your friend).

We will have more in our comprehensive daily update later. For the latest news on COVID-19 in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

For the latest TCN coverage of the Zagreb earthquake, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

ZAGREB, March 22, 2020 - The head of the national civil protection authority, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, said on Sunday that coronavirus was a bigger challenge than the earthquakes which rocked Zagreb this morning.

"On behalf of the Croatian Civil Protection Authority, I guarantee that we will continue to communicate as we have until now, both on the coronavirus crisis, which is ongoing and which, according to our estimates, is the bigger challenge, and this crisis now with the earthquake," Božinović said.

The national civil protection authority will continue to rely on the positions and suggestions of professionals.

"What is specific to this situation is that the novel coronavirus is full of question marks and we know from before that earthquakes are not something to which science can given an exact answer. It's therefore essential that we have full coordination of all services," the minister said.

The army is already clearing up the rubble in downtown Zagreb, he added.

"Everything at Croatia's disposal will be in function, coordinated. This is a double crisis currently focused only on Zagreb and its environs. The rest of Croatia is mostly and primarily dealing with the coronavirus epidemic," the minister said.

"Together we will come out of this, don't worry," he added.

More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 22, 2020 - The European Commission said on Sunday that it was following the developments in Croatia after Zagreb was hit by a few strong quakes and was ready to provide assistance to the country.

The Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčić said today that the Emergency Response Coordination Centre was in contact with Croatia's authorities.

The three strong quakes rocked Zagreb and the wider area in the morning. The first tremor with 5.3 magnitude was the strongest. There were two subsequent tremors with magnitudes 5.0 and 3.7. According to first reports, a child in Zagreb was severely injured, and some residents remained trapped in their homes.

European Council President Charles Michel on Sunday extended a message of support to Croatia, saying the EU is willing to help after strong quakes hit Zagreb this morning.

"My thoughts are with the people of Croatia following the devastating earthquake this morning. I just assured (Croatian PM) Andrej Plenković that the EU stands with our friends and is ready to offer help and assistance," Michel said on Twitter.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

 March 22, 2020 - After this morning's devastating earthquakes, a drone flight over Zagreb Cathedral to assess the damage by Cro Drone.

The Croatian capital of Zagreb is struggling to come to terms with the double devastation of the coronavirus and five earthquakes which rocked the Croatian capital between 06:24 and 09:10 this morning. 

You can read the initial TCN report here, as well as an updated article with more videos here. 

The most prominent building to be affected by the earthquake was Zagreb Cathedral, which had one of its spires damaged, among other damage. 

We are very grateful to the team from Cro Drone for posting this video overview of Zagreb Cathedral from the air, to make clearer the extent of the damage. 

Heartbreaking.  

We are trying to get the latest and most accurate information in these challenging times. For the latest on the Zagreb earthquake from TCN, follow our dedicated section.