As of today, Croatia is slightly easing epidemiological measures in two segments. Elementary school students are returning to classes, and outdoor training is allowed. The terraces of cafes and restaurants remain closed, as do gyms and sports centers. But some gym owners were overwhelmed and decided to open their doors.
One of them is Andrej Klarić, the owner of the Quantum Premium Gym. He opened his gym’s doors in Zagreb’s Trešnjevka, despite the Civil Protection Headquarters’ measures imposing a work ban. Several people came to exercise, aware of the consequences, Index reports.
‘It’s unbearable to live off the minimum salary for so long’
Last night via Facebook, the gym owner publicly invited the exercisers to come, and since then, the police have been on duty at their doorstep. A few minutes after the people started exercising this morning, the police and the inspection entered and closed the doors, leaving many journalists who gathered outside.
While people were exercising in the gym, the police arrested the owner. Klarić is one of the few who dared to make such a move but claims that he has nothing more to lose. He says he was tricked, no longer trusting anyone, and that the lockdown was unnecessary without any effect.
“The reasons why I did this are very simple. From the first day when the facilities were closed, I was against their closure because I believe that the already existing measures were more than appropriate,” Klarić told 24sata before his arrest.
He added that it is unbearable to be patient and live on the minimum salary for so many months.
His daughter Duga Klarić made a brief statement, expressing surprise that more police vehicles than trainers had gathered. She pointed out that the gym remains open today because they were told so.
“They told us that we received a fine, but that we could stay open today, so we stay open today,” the owner’s daughter said, adding that she did not know how high fine they received.
However, the police identified all the people who were exercising at the gym this morning, and the gym is now closed. No one is inside, and there are still two police cars in front of it.
Messages of support
Klarić is already receiving messages of support from all sides. Dražen Oreščanin, the director of the Voice of Entrepreneurs, also came to the scene to support Klarić, who is about to stand trial.
“I came to support Mr. Andrija Klarić on behalf of the Voice of Entrepreneurs, ahead of the trial that awaits him regarding legal aid because it is something we provide to all our members through the program. The police are behind me. I asked them if I could come in, and they told me I couldn’t. The gym is closed and locked. I also talked to the owner’s daughter. She told me that he was taken into custody, so he was arrested, and he went to give a statement. We wouldn’t want him to spend 30 days in custody because of the possibility of a repeat offense. We were there to show his support,” Oreščanin said in a Facebook video.
He thanked everyone who supports Klarić and called on everyone to join the protest action on Ban Jelačić Square on Wednesday at 10 am.
Božinović: Police and inspectors acted following the law
At a press conference of the Civil Protection Headquarters, Interior Minister Davor Božinović briefly commented on police interventions due to the gyms’ opening, saying he was aware of one case.
“I know that the police and the inspectors of the Civil Protection and the State Inspectorate, who go on patrols together, will enforce the law. I am sure that what they have acted so far was acted in accordance with the law. If everyone would decide for themselves when to open facilities during an epidemic, what measures would he determine, then there would be no need for specializations such as the specialization of prof. Capak or immunologists. This situation is not easy for anyone, but I think that people are showing rationality and resisting attempts to create an atmosphere where there is no epidemic or that it has passed. By all parameters, Croatia has the least strict measures in the EU, and if we keep this downward trend, we can talk about new corrections,” Božinović said.
When asked about the sanctions that await the gym owner, Božinović did not want to speculate about it because it is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.
“We recently changed the laws in the Parliament because there are situations in which we must resort to sanctioning behavior that is risky for the spread of the infection. Let’s leave it to the institutions,“ said Božinović.
To read more news from Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
