March 13, 2020 - Experts say that panic surrounding coronavirus can be more dangerous that the virus itself. Amid news of panic Croatian supermarket buying, TCN visits three supermarkets in Varazdin to see the realities on the ground.  

Even though TCN is enjoying record traffic at the moment (who would have thought mid-March, out of the tourist season and with no football happening, we would have more traffic than Croatia reaching the World Cup Final in July 2018), I will confess that I am not enjoying my job at the moment. I am also realising the ease and the power of fake news in a time of international panic. The conditions for clickbait and short-term Adsense gain are huge. As someone who has always been relaxed about my style of writing, I realise that this is a time to be careful about every word we publish. And with people searching for trustworthy sources of information, providing non-sensationalist, reliable information is what we are aiming for. One of the aims of this approach is to provide some kind of buffer against the understandable panic and hysteria that the current situation can easily create.  

Stories of panic buying of items such as toilet paper have done the rounds all over the globe, with Australians distinguishing themselves in this particular sport. 

Stories of panic buying in Croatian supermarkets have started to circulate, so I decided to see what the situation was on the ground this afternoon here in Varazdin, a city close to the Slovenian border. Varazdin has four confirmed cases of coronavirus and, along with the rest of Croatia, it was announced today that schools would be closed for an initial two weeks from Monday. So how was the panic buying in reality?

First stop, Spar.  

At least if there was no food, we would be able to drown our sorrows.

But food was indeed plentiful.  

And, for from panic buying, trolleys were not overloaded, and queues were short.  

Bread was plentiful.  

As was the selection of fresh meat.  

And then the most important item, it seems - are you watching, Australia?  

So much toilet paper, in fact, that there as an extra pallet in an aisle, with discount sales. Who would have thought! 

Off to Plodine. 

Toilet Paper Heaven! 

Nothing out of the ordinary about those queues.  

And plenty of tissues and other sanitaries.  

Plenty of choice to stock up on.  

Including a healthy meat selection.  

Off to Lidl. 

A nice welcoming bread selection.  

I fought my way through the panicked crowds.  

Mercifully, for any visiting Australian tourists, there was still some dunny paper for sale. 

And the sort of waiting time that this impatient shopper can deal with.

Keep Calm and Carry On. Croatians know well how to survive hardship and crisis, as their recent wartime experiences will attest to. If hard times come, Croatians will adapt, as they always do. The situation here in Varazdin is very calm, and as long as we all stay calm, we will avoid the panic. And if we avoid the panic, half the battle is won. 

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

ZAGREB, March 13, 2020 - President Zoran Milanović said on Friday he was refraining from commenting on coronavirus because he felt that his interventions would cause confusion and he was confident the government had not made one mistake about it so far.

Speaking to reporters, the president said he still felt it was his duty to say something. He said he was talking with the prime minister and the head of the national civil protection authority and that he was being briefed about everything.

He said coronavirus was also a political issue and one on which even experts did not see eye to eye. "The approach to solving with this problem and dealing with this challenge isn't the same in every state, independently of their economic development, tradition, culture, the epidemiology of the public health sector."

The president said he feared it might never be known what happened in northern Italy, where the first oversight was made, and that this would make analyses harder. "When we see what happened in such a developed and wealthy state, then we see that luck plays a very important part, as do permanent action and analysis."

Asked if he thought kindergartens, schools and faculties should have been closed earlier, the president said he supported it and that it was good that a decision to that effect was made now.

"You have no one to clearly look up to. You must take responsibility. It depends from state to state. This is the Croatian approach. It's in force as of yesterday and I believe it has its logic. We don't know many things."

The president underlined the importance of people keeping 1.5 m apart, as recommended by the Croatian Institute of Public Health. "People will have to, especially in the next two weeks, withdraw into their nucleus a little, into the family, go out less. This can't be fully stopped, but we'll have to socialise and communicate less. That's the reality."

He also commented on empty shelves in supermarkets across the country due to mass shopping. "If (people) don't do it, they will have to leave the house more often, so it's good that they buy as much as they can in a couple of days. That's not panic," he said, adding that "we must create conditions for a life indoors, isolated... with all its limitations. Unfortunately, that's the way it is."

The president said he was confident there was no danger of a greater panic but that one could read and hear all sorts of things in the media "and people are easily influenced."

He hopes that in Croatia the epidemic will peak in the next two weeks and then start decreasing. He said the situation in Croatia was different than in other countries and that for now he supported the closure of schools.

More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 13, 2020 - Strategic buffer stocks in Croatia total HRK 537 million and are enough to supply the entire population for 30 days and if Croatia were quarantined, the necessary range of buffer stocks would be activated, the Economy Ministry said on Friday.

Strategic buffer stocks ensure the most basic needs during and after the initial impact based on the type of natural or other disaster and they comprise food and non-food products.

Food products are wheat, corn, rice, pasta, meat, canned meat and fish, bottled drinking water, whole day food rations, salt, sugar, oil, cheese, powdered milk, baby food, powdered eggs, jam, frozen and canned fruit.

Non-food products include oil products, container homes, water tank trucks, rescue vessels, water pumps, and hydraulic rescue tools.

Buffer stock warehouses are located around the country.

In early February, Buffer Stocks started supplying the Health Ministry with antiviral suits and masks to deal with coronavirus and delivering containers to border crossings for the needs of sanitary inspectors.

The Economy Ministry said the situation was under control and advised all the citizens to continue to follow the recommendations of the national civil protection authority.

More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 13, 2020 - The Croatian National Bank (HNB) on Friday intervened on the foreign exchange market for the third time this week, selling €479.55 million to commercial banks.

HNB sold €479.55 million at a middle exchange rate of HRK 7.564914, withdrawing an additional HRK 3.63 billion from the financial system.

This is the third time in a week and this year the central bank has intervened with more than €1.2 billion being sold to banks withdrawing about HRK 9.1 billion from the financial system.

HNB on Monday sold €387 million at a rate of 7.512738 for HRK 2.9 billion. On Thursday it sold an additional €347.8 million at a rate of HRK 7.554019 withdrawing HRK 2.63 billion from the system.

Despite the three interventions the kuna continued to depreciate against the euro with the exchange rate decreasing by 0.16% against the euro currency since Wednesday.

The middle exchange rate to be applied as of Saturday will be €1 = HRK 7.569972, which is its highest level of the euro on the Croatian market since November 2017.

More economy news can be found in the Business section.

March 13, 2020 - The City of Split and Mayor Andro Krustolovic Opara address citizens on the coronavirus outbreak. 

“In accordance with the decision of the Ministry of Health to declare the danger of an epidemic of infectious disease COVID-19, and in order to prevent the spread of the disease, the City of Split temporarily changes its working hours to work with parties in the administrative bodies of the city administration.

From Monday, March 16, 2020, all communications from the City Administration will be made by telephone and email. Parties will be received at the offices exclusively at the times agreed upon by telephone or email. Central Office hours remain unchanged, every working day from 8 am to 3 pm. Also, the office hours of the City Treasury remain unchanged, from 8 am to 12 pm. We remind you that invoices can be paid at all OTP Bank branches free of charge.

City companies, Split Vodovod and Sewerage, Split Čistoća and Split Parking have also called on service users to communicate by telephone or e-mail, all with a view to suppressing coronaviruses, protection, and employees and citizens.

City institutions in culture, according to the instructions of the Headquarters, postponed all the planned events, and all sports events in the sports facilities of the City of Split are postponed.

Employees of the city government, city companies and city institutions continue to carry out their regular jobs on a regular basis, and all these measures, according to the recommendation of the Ministry of Health and the National Headquarters, must be introduced to protect all citizens.

City institutions in the culture, according to the instructions of the Headquarters, postponed all the planned events and events, and all sports events in the sports facilities of the City of Split are postponed.

Employees of the city government, city companies and city institutions continue to carry out their regular jobs on a regular basis, and all these measures, according to the recommendation of the Ministry of Health and the National Headquarters, must be introduced to protect all citizens.

According to the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, as of Monday, March 16, there will be no teaching in primary and secondary schools or colleges. The Ministry of Science and Education will organize the classes electronically, which all parents and students have already received or will receive instruction in their schools, which are ready to teach according to the Ministry's instructions. The elementary schools of the City of Split will receive lower-grade students who cannot be provided with care by their parents from 8 am to 4 pm.

The kindergartens co-founded by the City of Split (DV Cvit Mediterranean, DV Grigor Vitez, DV Radost and DV Marjan) will also be open Monday for children whose parents work and cannot arrange for home care. We encourage parents to request detailed information at the schools and kindergartens their children attend.”

Information and instructions for citizens on how to behave if they have coronavirus symptoms and preventive measures have been published on the website of the City of Split," said the City.

Mayor Andro Krustolovic Opara also addressed the people of Split.

“We are facing a situation that needs to be addressed with utmost prudence, responsibility, and solidarity.

I know that I should tell you "don't panic", and indeed, with our Ministry of Health and the National Headquarters, which has been leading the lead well since the beginning of this crisis, and we should not panic but listen to them and act in accordance with their instructions. However, I understand the fear of the unknown, the emptying of shops and pharmacies,… Keep in mind that all measures taken are aimed at preventing and preventing the spread of the infection, so we are obliged to respect them all.

I would ask our youngest fellow citizens to listen to their parents and seniors and to follow their school responsibilities from home. I know it's a good time and you would most like to go out and play. Patience, the time will come for this as soon as this virus passes, and it will happen quickly if we are all responsible and obey the instructions of our crisis staff. Help grandparents avoid having to go outside or shop because we have to keep them safe the most because they are the most sensitive.

Dear fellow citizens, it is up to us to act responsibly, to ourselves and to the society in which we live. Only if we listen to the professionals and respect the measures that those responsible give us, life in Split, Dalmatia and in Croatia, and ultimately the whole world, will soon return to normal,” said Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara.

In addition to the daily TCN briefing, you can follow all aspects of TCN's coronavirus coverage in the dedicated COVID-19 section by clicking here. 

ZAGREB, March 13, 2020 - The European Union must show its citizens that it has answers to their concerns, Croatian Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said ahead of a regular meeting of EU ministers of the interior in Brussels on Friday.

The meeting is expected to discuss assistance to Greece in coping with the migrant wave from Turkey and ways of strengthening cooperation in civil protection to stop the spreading of the novel coronavirus.

"This is a regular meeting in extraordinary circumstances. As the county chairing the Council of the EU, we have to demonstrate leadership because citizens across the EU want to see Europe having answers to their concerns," Božinović said ahead of the meeting.

Only a few ministers arrived in Brussels for the meeting while other countries were represented either by state secretaries or ambassadors to the EU.

The meeting is taking place at a time when a number of EU countries have closed their borders, schools, restaurants and shops in an attempt to stop or slow down the spreading of the coronavirus.

Božinović underlined the need for decisions in the EU to be adopted in a "more uniform way", noting that that would enhance citizens' trust.

Asked if Croatia was prepared to take in unaccompanied migrant children currently staying on Greek islands, Božinović said that the matter had been discussed, that there was a willingness to do so, but that the matter should also be considered in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johannson recently visited Greece and she will inform the ministers about the result of her visit, he said.

EU ministers of the interior held an extraordinary meeting in Brussels two weeks ago at which they expressed support for Greece and concluded that illegal crossings of the border into EU territory would not be tolerated after Turkey opened its borders to migrants.

Today's meeting will discuss Germany's proposal to take in 1,600 unaccompanied migrant children from Greek islands, which has been supported by several member-countries.

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

Mach 13, 2020 - Valamar, the largest hotel company in Croatia, has decided to temporarily close its hotels in Porec, Rabac, and Dubrovnik due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

Valamar decided to close its hotels in Porec, Rabac, and Dubrovnik temporarily, following the recommendation of the competent authorities and the decision of the County of Istria, which restricted public gatherings, closed schools and kindergartens and restricted use of public spaces, reports Index.hr and T.portal.

The Valamar Riveria Administration's statement is transmitted below in its entirety:

"Following the recommendations of the competent authorities and the decision of the County of Istria, which restricted public gatherings, closed schools and kindergartens and restricted the use of public spaces, Valamar decided to temporarily close the Diamond Hotel in Porec and Sanfior in Rabac. After the crisis headquarters stepped up border controls yesterday for nationals of Germany, Austria and other countries, we also decided to close the Lacroma and Argosy hotels in Dubrovnik.

There is no suspicion or occurrence of COVID-19 in Valamar hotels, but we are not able to provide the guests with the desired level of security, quality of service and experience of the destination in this situation. Given the closure of the schools and kindergartens, we have decided to stand behind our parents first and foremost, so Valamar employees will be on a collective vacation until the end of March. We believe that the National Headquarters is managing this unusual situation very well and it is only responsible to follow their recommendations and decisions with the common goal of preventing this as much as possible.

Tourism is a very important industry, so Valamar will continue to work closely with the competent authorities so that we can continue with preparations for the tourist season as soon as possible.”

The number of cases of coronavirus in Croatia rose from 27 to 31 overnight, Health Minister Vili Beros announced at a 9 am press conference in Zagreb.

There were two new cases in Istria, bringing the total there to 6, and two more in Zagreb, bringing the total to 12. the two Zagreb patients were from the close circle of existing patients, while one of the Istrian cases had returned from Italy, and the other had been in contact with someone from Zagreb who had returned to Switzerland. 

In addition to the daily TCN briefing, you can follow all aspects of TCN's coronavirus coverage in the dedicated COVID-19 section by clicking here. 

March 13, 2020 - PR agency IMC launches Budi(KO)odgovoran, a new information portal to coordinate information in the fight against coronavirus.

Aware of its responsibility, but also the potential that Croatian society, its companies and individuals indisputably have, IMC launched an initiative #Budikoodgovoran.

The initiative was launched with the aim of fostering responsible behavior of citizens and legal persons of the Republic of Croatia and togetherness in the fight against coronavirus as another quality solution for combating the further spread of the virus.

Indeed, while the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the National Crisis Command and other competent institutions take the necessary steps and measures, each of us, through our contribution, and above all with responsible behaviour, can and must help combat this pandemic, and thus together we can become an example country and provide a healthier and better future for all of us.

That is why we have decided to move on from ourselves and by making our example and contribution to make the necessary step.

The www.budikoodgovoran.com page contains all the necessary information about Coronavirus, which is updated in real time, and also there are useful tips and recommendations for behaviors in the newly created Corona situation. We firmly believe that change starts from each individual, and that by expanding the right models of behavior and habits, we can influence the present, but also the future.

Anyone wishing to become (CO)responsible is welcome to join via the www.budikoodgovoran.com website or Facebook page of Budikoodgovoran, thus becoming part of a team determined to win the most important game of the 21^st century.

All details can be found in the press release attached to the e-mail, and for all information we are available.

We would be delighted to support us in this way in this initiative, but also to join as a Croatian company by sharing your experiences. 

Visit the website here and follow Budi(KO)odgovoran on Facebook.