October. 17, 2020 – German TV praises Istria, as the region has managed to maintain its status as a corona-safe destination in Europe.
Index.hr reports that German RTL praised Istria, calling it a green oasis in a mostly red Europe, and tried to find the secret of the success of this Croatian region in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
RTL stated that about 210,000 people live in the Istrian peninsula and that by far the largest part of Istria belongs to Croatia, and a smaller part to Slovenia and Italy. They said that Istria, if you look at the corona map of Europe, is a green oasis as far as COVID-19 is concerned, because from the beginning of the pandemic until October 15, it had a total of 793 recorded infections, and in May and June it sometimes did not have a single new case.
RTL added that in the early phase of the epidemic, Istria requested a special position and took different measures than other parts of Croatia.
“Given the fact that we are very close to Italy and that a large number of people from Istria go to work in Italy every day, we have been monitoring the situation in Italy since the beginning of February and preparing in time for the possible spread of the infection. We have already taken appropriate measures. Eight days before the National Crisis Headquarters introduced the measures, we restricted free movement in Istria,” RTL quoted Denis Ivosevic, director of the Istria County Tourist Board.
One of the explanations for the successful fight against the coronavirus is the serious adherence to measures during the summer months. When the number of COVID-19 infections in Croatia increased in the summer, Istria reacted immediately, said RTL. Istria introduced the mandatory wearing of masks in all stores, with mandatory hand disinfection. Fifteen customers were allowed within 100 square meters in trade. It was similar in the markets, where masks were also mandatory. Measures were also applied on the beach: the deckchairs were spaced apart and disinfected regularly.
Seasonal workers coming to Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia had to immediately go into 14-day quarantine, and Istria canceled all events and developed new concepts during the summer season.
“We have invested a lot in making the holiday in Istria safe for everyone,” said Ivošević.
RTL concluded that tourists and Istrians appear to have acted responsibly and adhered to measures to preserve their small green oasis in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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