Coronavirus in Croatia, Zagreb Earthquake Press Conference Update March 22, 2020

March 22, 2020 – A press conference was held at the National and University Library in Zagreb on Sunday afternoon about the coronavirus crisis in Croatia and the Zagreb earthquake.

Index.hr reports that the state summit met on Sunday at 3 pm at the National and University Library in Zagreb. After the meeting, they addressed the public with more information on the effects of the severe earthquake Sunday morning, as well as on the state of the coronavirus pandemic in Croatia.

The number of coronaviruses increased to 254 on Sunday, and Zagreb was hit by about 30 earthquakes during the day.

“We held a meeting after the earthquake,” Prime Minister Plenkovic said. “I thank everyone for the quality, fast reporting,” he said.

“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. Everyone who cannot sleep in their homes should call the hotline for help,” the prime minister added.

“We will provide the city center with security clearance from the buildings. You will see that the weather will be bad, there will also be a strong wind. We will record the complete situation with the drones. Walk as far away from the buildings as possible so that the tiles and parts of the facades do not fall on you,” the prime minister warned.

There had been thirty earthquakes since morning, and another was felt around 4 pm: “I urge you to be careful, the cold weather is coming, it is not realistic for people to be on the streets. Be extremely careful. We have no guarantees of what will happen next. Be careful, stay in your homes if you can. Let’s not forget the coronavirus pandemic – it is dangerous, let’s not allow ourselves to have a scenario like Italy,” Plenkovic urged.

The seismologist reported there were thirty earthquakes. “It’s common and it can happen from a few days to a few months. We can’t predict if there will be another big one. Let’s all stay calm. With each earthquake, do what you would do with the first earthquake, don’t go up the stairs, stand against a solid wall, be careful not to go near the glass,” she warned.

Vili Beros said there was no major damage to hospitals. “We have provided adequate care. All patients and outpatients are slowly returning. The Infectious Diseases Clinic is in good health. The situation is under control. We have two newborns. All newborns were cared for. There were no casualties apart from a severe injure in the center. She is still in treatment,” Minister Beros reported.

Minister Bozinovic expressed his gratitude to all the services. “The system has hired about 2,500 people, all of whom immediately took to the field in very complex conditions. We are fighting two crises, one is invisible, the other is unpredictable. We hope earthquakes will be less intense than the first. We will all, the military and the police and civil protection, be on the top of every task as we were before,” Bozinovic said.

There are 19 new coronavirus cases since this morning, reported Beros. “We need to keep our distance from each other,” he noted again.

“We need to help everyone who needs it. In order to do this, we need to reduce the spread of the virus. Although it may seem simple, you can see now that it is not so simple because people do not feel that they may be transmitting the virus. Therefore, more stringent measures are taken,” Minister Bozinovic said.

“Everyone who spreads fake news must be punished. The police are conducting investigations,” Bozinovic said. “We are fighting, you see the police have solved murder cases, all the lines are working and I am sure there is no police officer who is not protecting citizens at this time,” he concluded.

He added that more than 150 structural engineers are in the field and that 67 facilities have been damaged.

“It is already felt that people are leaving less, which is a consequence of the earthquake. They realize that non-adherence to decisions creates additional pressure on the services,” Bozinovic said. He adds that people should not leave Zagreb.

Plenkovic said officials across Europe were responding and expressed support. “Bozinovic has been in contact with the Slovenian commissioner, we are constantly in contact with Suica, tomorrow Grlic will have a video conference with the ministers, and the Minister of Finance will do the same. We will seek help when we better analyze the extent of the damage,” Plenkovic said, adding that financial assistance is likely to be sought.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated section for all you need to know about COVID-19 in Croatia.

 

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