As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, back on March the 31st this year, the National Civil Protection Headquarters issued three decisions which, with some minor changes, extended the current Croatian measures in the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Indoor sports are prohibited, except for those played by top athletes, and the operation of children’s playrooms and workshops for children was also prohibited. All other measures remained the same as they were before. Tomorrow, the National Civil Protection Headquarters must make some new decisions, ie extend or change the current Croatian measures that are in force.
No significant changes at the national level are expected
As Index has since found out, there should be no significant changes compared to the current Croatian measures we have at the national level.
At the moment, the headquarters isn’t planning to close the terraces of cafes/restaurants or to put the keys back in the locks of gyms, nor does it plan any other significant tightening up of anti-epidemic measures throughout Croatia. There should be no changes in the decision on crossing the Croatian border either. It’s worth nothing that two weeks ago, the decision Croatia implemented is what the European Union will soon adopt – crossing the border (in this case entering Croatia) will be permitted with proof of having two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, of proving that you’ve had coronavirus over the past six months (with a doctor’s certificate) or with a negative PCR or antigen test result which is recognised in the EU.
The measures are set to remain primarily adopted at the local level
The final decision, however, hasn’t yet been made as a session of the Scientific Council is expected on Wednesday, starting at 09:30. It is certain however that the strategy of the National Civil Protection Headquarters remains that the measures are to be primarily adopted at the local level.
“The local approach has proven to be effective and justified. We have a good example of the Dubrovnik area where stricter measures were in force and they’ve now begun to open up. It wouldn’t make much sense to impose any new restrictions on them. The meeting of the Scientific Council is set for tomorrow, where we’ll hear what the scientists have to say,” said Index’s interlocutor who is close to the National Civil Protection Headquarters.
Warnings about the potential tightening up of measures still remains
“Stricter measures at the national level are possible if we end up with dramatic figures. Then, the healthcare system should be taken into account,” he added.
Unofficially, it can be heard from the headquarters that it is constantly encouraging smaller local headquarters to actively engage in proposing and implementing measures in their respective areas.
“Counties need to lower their incidence, they can certainly do it more efficiently than we could do at the national level. We understand that the elections are coming soon, but the matter is much broader. This is actually the beginning of a fight that will last all summer, so that we have a season, and it’s a fight for the lowest possible incidence. This is something that other countries will follow, first of all Germany,” emphasised Index’s source.
Stricter measures were introduced this week in five Croatian counties
This week, new measures were adopted for Zagreb, Osijek-Baranja, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Istria counties. The strictest measures were introduced by Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, where a partial lockdown has been in force since Monday. In the coming days, the headquarters expects proposals for stricter measures from more counties.
Zagreb is proposing the easing of current Croatian measures?
It is interesting to note that the City of Zagreb, in which the numbers are also growing significantly, didn’t propose any stricter measures after the fiasco with outdoor masks, although the neighbouring Zagreb County did.
The Zagreb City Headquarters, which is now headed by acting mayor Jelena Pavicic Vukicevic (who in the meantime ended up in self-isolation after contracting the disease), asked the National Headquarters to lift the ban on holding outdoor fairs as of Monday, Index has learned.
In its letter, the Zagreb Headquarters states that open-air fairs are a tradition of the City of Zagreb and that they consider it justified to allow them to work in compliance with the epidemiological measures implemented for markets. As an argument, they also stated that markets and shopping centres are open. It has since been unofficially learned from the National Staff that they don’t intend to approve the proposal.
For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including border, travel and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section.
