April 3, 2020 – Do foreigners in Croatia feel more or less safe sitting out COVID-19 here than in their home country, and what are their experiences? A new series on TCN, with Josip Hrgetic from Venezuela in Zagreb as our 21st contributor.
Oxford University recently published some research on government responses to coronavirus which showed that Croatia currently has the strictest measures in the world. While inconvenient, this is a good thing in terms of reducing the spread of the virus, and I am certainly not alone in my admiration of the official Croatian handling of this crisis in recent weeks, both in terms of action and communication.
But what do other expats here think? And how does it compare with the response in their home country? Would they rather sit this one out here or there? In the first of a new series on TCN, we will be featuring expats from all over the world to see what their views are on life in corona Croatia rather than back home. So far we have heard from expats in Croatia from Romania, USA, Ireland, UK, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Singapore, Holland, Canada, India, Hong Kong and Germany. Next up, Josip Hrgetic from Venezuela, who runs the fabulous Forum Congress Centre in Zagreb with lovely wife Mara.
If you would like to contribute to this series, full details are below. Now, over to Josip.
Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.
Thank God, everything is good, seeing how this Chinese virus could paralyze the world in just weeks. I am now with part of my family at home, waiting for the news moment by moment.
What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business?
The measures that have been taken I must say are good. Unfortunately for businesses like ours, which lose 100% every month, nothing will ever be good enough, (We have a meeting center) but when you see the whole situation, I think the government has made a significant effort. It is definitely supporting private businesses.
When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue?
At first I thought it would be a bad flu. In Venezuela we are used to massive infections of this type. Between 2014 and 2018 we had 2 epidemics (Chikungunya and Zika) which infected more than 70% of the population, that is more than 20 million people, and everything remained normal. But in this case, I understood how bad it was when the NBA suspended the entire basketball tournament in the USA, as well as the MLB for baseball. I thought, “If these business monsters suspend and stop collecting billions of USD, this is bigger than we think.” At that time in the USA, nothing had happened yet.
What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?
I think the effort Croatia has made has been formidable. The government understood that they couldn’t afford to have half the country infected, because Croatia does not have the health infrastructure to deal with this emergency. For me, what they have done so far is the right thing to do: keep the contagion curve low and avoid the scenarios of Italy and Spain. Yes, so far I feel safe with the measures taken.
Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?
Venezuela took radical measures, but it is for another reason, in Venezuela in these last four years there are no medicines, and in this last year there is no gasoline. For example, in Caracas, a city of 5 million inhabitants, there is only ONE gas station working. That is why the government took advantage of the moment to send everyone home with the excuse that it is motivated by the Coronavirus, without a doubt that this will save many lives. Croatia is doing something similar in another way but it has also restricted public transport and meetings in social areas such as hotels, restaurants or meeting centers.
What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?
There is no comparison, in Venezuela it is plain and simple political propaganda of the regime, which is why the numbers very different from reality. There are no official health statistics from 2016. While in Croatia every day Ministers and representatives from medical institutes and institutions appear in the different media, in Venezuela only politicians.
What’s the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation?
I was isolated for a week at my family home. Thank God today with the internet and the phone you can be connected to everyone, I can not say that I was missing anything.
One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis.
I confirmed my theory that I love statistics, these days I have made all kinds of tables related to the disease, its evolution and how this can be reflected in other countries. From others, I must admit that I have been amazed at how organized Croats are as a nation. They do not realize how valuable they are in difficult times. In moments of tranquility, I get frustrated at the amount of time they spend criticizing everyone while sitting in a cafe, but they are a highly organized nation, with an excellent sense of collectivity in pressing moments.
Thanks, Josip, stay safe and see you on the other side.
TCN is starting a new feature series on foreign experiences of sitting out COVID-19 here in Croatia compared to their home country. If you would like to contribute, the questions are below. Please also include a para about yourself and where you are from, and a link to your website if you would like. Please also send 3-4 photos minimum to [email protected] Subject Corona Foreigner
If you would be interested to record a video version for our partners www.rplus.video please let us know in the email. Thanks and stay safe.
Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer Than in Your Home Country?
Firstly, how are you? Are you alone/with someone? Tell us a little about your situation and sanity levels.
What do you think about the economic measures the government is taking, are they helping your business? (PLEASE IGNORE IF THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU)
When did you realise that corona was going to be a big issue?
What is your impression of the way Croatia is dealing with the crisis? How safe do you feel?
Now compare that to your home country and how they are handling it. What is Croatia doing better/worse?
What about official communications from the authorities, compared to your home country?
What’s the one thing you wish you had taken with you into self-isolation.
One thing you have learned about yourself, and one thing you have learned about others during this crisis.
TCN has recently become a partner in Robert Tomic Zuber’s new R+ video channel, initially telling stories about corona experiences. You can see the first TCN contribution from this morning, my video from Jelsa talking about the realities of running a news portal in the corona era below. If you would like to also submit a video interview, please find Robert’s guidelines below
VIDEO RECORDING GUIDE
The video footage should be recorded so that the cell phone is turned horizontally (landscape mode).
There are several rules for television and video news:- length is not a virtue- a picture speaks more than a thousand words
In short, this would mean that your story should not last more than 90 seconds and that everything you say in the report should be shown by video (for example, if you talk about empty streets, we should see those empty streets, etc.).
How to do it with your cell phone? First, use a selfie camera to record yourself telling your story for about a minute and a half. Ideally, it would be taken in the exterior, except in situations where you are reporting on things in the interior (quarantine, hospital, self-isolation, etc.). Also, when shooting, move freely, make sure everything is not static.
After you have recorded your report, you should capture footage that will tell your story with a picture, such as an earlier example with empty streets.
One of the basic rules of TV journalism is that the story is told in the same way as a journalist with his text. Therefore, we ask you for additional effort. Because we work in a very specific situation, sometimes you may not be able to capture footage for each sentence of the report. In this case, record the details on the streets: people walking, the main features of the city where you live, inscriptions on the windows related to the virus, etc.
The same rules apply if you are shooting a story from your apartment, self-isolation, quarantine. We also need you to capture footage that describes your story.
When shooting frames to cover your reports, it is important that you change the angle of the shot (in other words, shoot that empty street from several angles). Also, when shooting a detail, count at least five seconds before removing the camera to another detail.
The material should be about 5 minutes long (90 seconds of your report + frames to cover your story).
After recording everything, send us to Zagreb, preferably via WeTransfer to [email protected]
Subscribe to our newsletter
the fields marked with * are requiredRelated posts:
Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer? Mirela from Romania
Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer? Jason from Ireland/USA
Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer? Steve from UK in Vinkovci
Foreigners Self-Isolating in Croatia: Do You Feel Safer? Gaby from Mexico
