Croatia Prepares for Mandatory Masks Indoors: How Will It Look Inside Restaurants and Cafes?

October 5, 2020 – As Croatia prepares for mandatory masks indoors, many wonder how this will work inside restaurants, bars, and cafes. A closer look. 

After mandatory masks were announced in public transport, shopping malls, bakeries, and shops, masks will be introduced in all other activities that operate indoors. What people are most interested in is how this will work in restaurants and cafes. 

Namely, Index.hr reports that the Croatian National Institue of Public Health director, Krunoslav Capak, announced that an indoor mandatory mask measure is being prepared.

“We are certainly preparing a measure making it mandatory to wear masks indoors. We will discuss other measures with individual sectors of the economy and adopt them in agreement with them,” he said. Waiters have had to wear masks for a long time, but now so should guests.

Marin Medak, head of the National Caterers Association, told Index that they had agreed with the Civil Protection Headquarters to jointly make all decisions regarding the implementation of measures in catering facilities, and a new one should be introduced in the next month.

“In a conversation with members of the Headquarters, we were told that Croatia could expect to replicate the German model in terms of wearing masks in restaurants, including cafes and pastry shops. The guest will need to wear a mask to the table and when they get up and leave to go to the toilet or leave the restaurant. While the guest is sitting at the table, they should not wear a mask, but can normally sit and consume food and drink. We asked the Headquarters when it should be in force, and they told us that it would be introduced in the next month,” Medak told Index.

He states that so far they have not mentioned any other measures that would be introduced, and adds that, in addition to Germany, this model of wearing masks in restaurants has been applied by Spain and that it is being introduced by Italy and France.

He believes that this measure should not deter guests from visiting restaurants and cafes, but it could even encourage those who are afraid of indoor spaces to feel safer in catering facilities.

“I believe it will be good because the guests will feel safer. And part of the traffic may drop, but for loyal guests, this security measure would certainly be an even bigger argument to visit the bar,” Medak said.

As the rainier days began, Index asked if the traffic had dropped for caterers, given that many do not want to sit on the terrace when it is colder and rainier.

“It is difficult to do analytics until we get data from the Tax Office, and they publish a report for the previous week at the end of this week. I know some locals who said that their turnover did not drop, I know some who lost 40 percent, but only Tax data can show the real situation,” Medak said.

He also said that the Headquarters mentioned another measure, but it will not be introduced for the time being.

“One of the measures is that guests would have to leave information when entering the facility, but that would complicate everything for us. We don’t have enough people to do that yet, and we can’t raise prices to offset the cost of hiring a person to run it. If it is in the state’s interest and the citizens to increase the security of everyone in that way, then the state should compensate us for that. I don’t know how that would be feasible in practice, say if a person works in a cafe in a shift, she can’t serve and make coffee and keep a list. Few restaurants have a reception,” Medak said.

He states that it will not be a problem for caterers to keep lists, but they must be paid by the person who would keep them.

“Whatever the state prescribes, we will do it, but on the condition that the state covers that part of the cost. The Headquarters initially copied all German and Austrian measures, so they copied the provision for reducing working hours, which proved to be a failure. We will see how things will go on,” Medak said.

Veljko Ostojic, director of the Croatian Tourism Association, which brings together leading hoteliers, told Index that he would not like to comment on anything until an official decision is made.

“We were at a meeting with the Headquarters last week and nothing concrete was announced. But I think that masks in catering facilities should not be brought for everyone, but depending on the epidemiological situation in each region. We expect proposals this afternoon, and we will react,” Ostojic said to Index.

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