
August 20, 2020 — In the past 24 hours, Croatia reported 255 new COVID-19 cases. There are currently 1,689 active cases. No one has died. There are 5,929 people in self-isolation.
Follow this link for all Daily Croatia updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. UPDATED: 14:30 CET (Central European Time)
COVID-19 testing centers in Croatia here.
Current COVID-19 Data
255 – New cases
1,689 – Active cases
127 – Treated in hospitals
13 – On ventilators
0 – Deceased
86 – Recovered
2,397 – Tested
5,929 – In self-isolation
Cumulative COVID-19 Data
7,329 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
5,472 – Total recovered
168 – Total deceased
144,521 – Total tested
Neighboring Countries New & Active COVID-19 Cases
UPDATED: Daily at 20:30 CET
Italy – 642 New | 15,360 Active
Austria – 255 New | 2,397 Active
Slovenia – 37 New | 285 Active
Hungary – 32 New | 728 Active
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 340 New | 5,473 Active
Serbia – 158 New | 1,662 Active
Montenegro – 42 New | 967 Active
COVID-19 Case Count by Croatia County
(Updates provided by Index)
Bjelovar-Bilogora – 2
Brod-Posavina – Pending
Dubrovnik-Neretva – 8
Istria – 27
Karlovac – 6
Koprivnica-Križevci – 3
Krapina-Zagorje – 0
Lika-Senj – 2
Medimurje – 1
Osijek-Baranja – 5
Pozega-Slavonia – Pending
Primorje-Gorski Kotar – 9
Sisak-Moslovina – 1
Split-Dalmatia – 75
Sibenik-Knin – 9
Varazdin – 4
Virovitica-Podravina – 4
Vukovar-Srijem – 13
Zadar – 9
Zagreb County – 7
Zagreb City – 44
County Daily COVID-19 Reports
(Updates provided by Index)
Slovenia and UK Put Croatia on Red List
18:30 – The United Kingdom and Slovenia have put Croatia on the red list due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation.
As announced by the British Ministry of Transport, British tourists and others staying in Croatia are encouraged to return home immediately because the mandatory 14-day isolation for all returnees from Croatia will go into effect soon. The new measure takes effect on Saturday at 5:00 CET. According to British information, there are currently 20,000 UK tourists in Croatia. Britain views Croatia as a whole, according to Vecernji list, and warns that the situation has deteriorated dramatically compared to three weeks ago.
They are referring to the latest data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Croatia has recorded 41.7 infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the last two weeks, although that number does not include tourists currently staying in Croatia. For comparison, during the same period, the United Kingdom recorded 20.9 infected, Germany 19.9, and Slovenia 12.8 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Slovenia Allow Tourists to Return by Monday: Avoid Quarantine
Slovenia also made a decision that Croatia will be on the Slovenian red list effective midnight, but return to the homeland without mandatory quarantine will be possible until Monday. That decision was made to avoid crowds at the border, and to give homeowners and boat owners time to take care of their property.
Exceptions are workers who travel daily or weekly between the two countries, persons with urgent obligations and those who travel for medical purposes. The decision to put Croatia on the red list was made by the Slovenian government during its afternoon session. According to data available to the Slovenian media, there are currently around 78,000 Slovenian citizens in Croatia.
Slovenian media write that the situation in Croatia is deteriorating by the hour. They note that a third of the 43 new cases were imported from Croatia and citing Austria, Germany and Italy who also claim that “Croatia is no longer a safe country”.
13:38 – Dubrovnik-Neretva County – 8
30 – Active cases
1 – Treated in hospitals
8 – Deceased
7884 – Tested (since 25.02.20)
345 – In self-isolation
The men and women are from Zagreb who currently reside in Slivno, one man each from Konavle, Opuzen and Dubrovnik, and one man from Kula Norinska who resides in Dubrovnik.
Also, an elderly man from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who is currently in Dubrovnik, and one woman from the Dubrovnik became infected. Four people were infected outside the county, while the others were confirmed to have an epidemiological link.
One person from Metković recovered, and one foreign citizen is no longer in the county. One person was hospitalized in OB Dubrovnik.
Two self-isolation violations were confirmed. Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 59 cases of self-isolation violations have been identified.
13:03 – Split-Dalmatia County – 75
363 – Active cases
15 – Treated in hospitals
2 – On ventilators
47 – Deceased
538 – Tested
1193 – In self-isolation
2 – In quarantine
Case Breakdown: from Split 26, Podstrana 2, Sinja 6, Dugi Rat 4, Makarska 12, Kastela 4, Stari Grad 1, Hvar 2, Solina 2, Vrlike 4, Šestanovac 1, Tučepi 3, Otok 2, Imotski 5 and Marina 1.
Ten are contacts of infected patients, while the others are being epidemiologically treated. Two are in quarantine: one is a Croatian citizen and one is a foreign citizen.
13:04 – Krapina-Zagorje County – 0
16 – Active cases
2 – Deceased
62 – Tested
12:48 – “Personally, I think we should respond to the red lists of neighboring countries with free testing of tourists. Local government units must be involved,” Sibenik Mayor Zeljko Buric told N1.
12:30 – Zadarska County – 9
97 – Active cases
11 – Treated in hospitals
4 – On ventilators
2 – Deceased
240 – Tested
449 – Now In self-isolation
4988 – Previously in self-isolation (since 25.02.20)
Case Breakdown: The new cases are mostly family contacts, the County Civil Protection Headquarters reported on Thursday.
12:29 – Zagrebačka County – 7
78 – Active cases
333 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
11 – Deceased
10 – Recovered
244 – Recovered (since 25.02.20)
Case Breakdown: Two are from Jastrebarsko, Velika Gorica and Zaprešić, and one is from Samobor.
Germany: Šibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia Counties on Red List
12:16 – Germany put Šibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia counties on the red list. They explained their decision by citing the increase in the number of infected people in those counties.
12:15 – Karlovacka County – 6
43 – Active cases
152 – Total cases
2 – Treated in hospitals
2 – Deceased
94 – Tested (14 in Ogulin)
193 – In self-isolation
Case Breakdown: 4 women and 2 men, mostly young people. Four people have been in contact with infected people and 1 returned from a vacation on the coast. For one, the source of the infection has not been determined yet. Two are from Karlovac, 1 from Draganić, 1 from Barilović, 1 from Ogulin and 1 from Lasinja.
12:13 – Varaždinska County – 4
27 – Active cases
93 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
4 – Treated in hospitals
3 – Deceased
90 – In self-isolation
These are three close family contacts of infected people, two are elderly and one is middle-aged. All have mild symptoms and are being treated at home. The fourth person is a middle-aged woman, who is still being treated epidemiologically as the source of infection is unknown. She is also being treated at home due her mild symptoms.
One person was hospitalized at Varaždin General Hospital due to moderate symptoms. An additional 13 cases are attributed to the county as it is the reported residency.
11:45 – Šibenik-Knin County – 9
97 – Active cases
6 – Treated in hospitals
5 – Deceased
221 – Tested
416 – In self-isolation
Case Breakdown: These are seven people from Šibenik, one person from Pirovac and one from Drniš. Most of the new patients are young.
There are currently 416 in self-isolation: 412 are contacts of patients and 4 contacted the competent epidemiologist when they entered Croatia from third countries.
11:44 – Međimurska County – 1
25 – Active cases
0 – Deceased
“We expected that at some point this situation would occur given that our citizens were vacationing along the coast where, unfortunately, there are certain hotspots. Everyone was infected upon arrival and there is no transmission within our county,” they reported.
The director of the Public Health Institute of Međimurje County, Marina Payer Pal, emphasized that 25 patients were classified into two groups: those infected during the summer holidays and those who were temporarily working in Međimurje County.
“After returning from vacation, they developed symptoms which are mostly very mild, but because they stayed in those places the media refers to, they contacted our epidemiological service or their doctors and were tested. A much smaller group temporary workers in our county who, upon returning from their home countries, were tested at the initiative of their employers,” she added.
11:40 – Zdravko Marić reported at the government session that, according to preliminary data, the total cost of the COVID-19 pandemic to the state budget is 21 billion HRK (2,789,166,756 EUR).
11:31 – Due to the crowds at the “Dr. Andrija Štampar” Teaching Institute for Public Health, the citizens of Zagreb can also get a COVID-19 test in three health centers: the Health Center-West (Prilaz baruna Filipovića), the Health Center-East (Grižanska ) and Health Center-Siget.
11:07 – Lika-Senj County – 2
8 – Active cases
39 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
1 – Deceased
30 – Recovered
18 – Tested
54 – In self-isolation
Case Breakdown: The patients are from the Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Šibenik-Knin counties. They are in isolation Lika-Senj County. To date, COVID-19 has been confirmed in two foreign nationals residing in our area.
11:00 – City of Zagreb – 44
474 – Active cases
25 – Deceased
574 – Tested
97 – New in self-isolation
977 – Active in self-isolation
Case Breakdown: Out of the 44 new cases, 18 are returnees from vacations, 11 are contacts with previously detected covid-19 positive persons, in eight cases there is a negative epidemiological history, six are imports from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, and in one case epidemiological processing is still in progress.
10:33 – “COVID-19 is still among us and we can only behave responsibly to keep the situation under control.122 people are in the hospital. The number of infected and the increase was expected. Almost a fifth of the new cases were infected at gatherings or along the coast,” said Minister Beroš at the government session.
10:30 – “The pandemic is accelerating, and spreading around the world. We must continue to be vigilant and protect people, our economy and jobs. We are seeing an increase in infected, but it is good that most have mild clinical symptoms,” Prime Minister Plenković explained.
“What we are noticing is that (the new cases) are mostly young people and people returning from vacations. I appeal to everyone, especially young people, to behave responsibly and to limit contacts,” he added.
10:25 – Vukovar-Srijem County – 13
61 – Active cases
574 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
27 – Treated in hospitals
1 – Deceased (today)
8 – Deceased (since 25.02.20)
425 – Recovered (since 25.02.20)
345 – Tested
7314 – Tested (since 25.02.20)
189 – In self-isolation
New Case Breakdown: 7 from Vinkovci, 1 from Županja, 2 from Cerna, 1 from Gradište, 1 from Vukovar and 1 from Otok.
There are 9 COVID-19 positive health care workers: 1 doctor, 2 nurses/technicians, 3 other health care workers and 3 non-health care workers. There are also 18 health care workers in self-isolation: 9 nurses/technicians and 9 other health care workers.
10:15 – Minister of Education Radovan Fuchs commented before the government session regarding beginning of the school year and the possibility that “the situation with the epidemic in the country is escalating.”
“In three weeks, the question is whether we will be able to start at all. If this escalates, we will certainly implement some new measures, but for now everything is working the way we envisioned,” Fuchs said.
10:13 – The Slovenian Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, said that a quarantine is being considered for travelers from Croatia, with a few exceptions, like daily business commutes or medical examinations.
Regarding Slovenian citizens who own real estate and vessels in Croatia, according to Hojs, they are no exception and will also have to be quarantined upon return. He added that they will be given 48 to 72 hours to organize everything they need.
10:10 – Osijek-Baranja County – 5
90 – Active cases
18 – Treated in hospitals
4 – On ventilators
21 – Deceased
203 – Tested
21 – New in self-isolation
284 – Total in self-isolation
Case Breakdown: The newly infected people are from Osijek, Vuka, Đakovo, Petrijevci and Našice.
9:59 – Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić-Radman commented on the COVID-19 epidemiological situation. He said he spoke with Italian and German foreign ministers on Wednesday about putting Croatia on the red list.
“Germany will do it partially. I guess that decision has yet to be made. I obtained this information in talks with the minister,” Grlic-Radman said.
9:36 – Along Nazorova Street in Pula you can see an incredibly long line of people patiently waiting their turn to be tested. Tourists are admitted daily from 8:00 to 13:00 CET. After that, the time is reserved for locals who must be tested for some reason.
It is also crowded this morning at the testing station in Krk.
9:32 – Primorje-Gorski Kotar County – 9
36 – Active cases
1 – Deceased
Case Breakdown: All of the new patients are young people. Eight returned from vacation, and were mostly in Dalmatia. One returned from Austria.
9:33 – Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska County – 2
9 – Active cases
0 – Deceased
106 – In self-isolation
One of the two patents was tested in the county, but has residency outside of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. The new cases are not contacts of COVID-19 infected.
9:11 – Istarska County – 27
49 – Active cases
1 – Recovered
320 – Tested (155 for administrative purposes)
Case Breakdown: In 18 cases, these patients were close contacts with positive people and were already in self-isolation. They are also related to previously reported events (meat processing and sales facility, preschools in Pula and Vrsar).
Three are imported cases (business stay in Serbia and a stay in central Dalmatia). Epidemiological treatment is underway for 6 people.
8:56 – Sisak-Moslavina County – 1
23 – Active cases
0 – Deceased
Case Breakdown: The new patient is from Sisak.
8:36 – Virovitica-Podravina County – 4
10 – Active cases
42 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
1 – Deceased (since 25.02.20)
31 – Recovered (since 25.02.20)
33 – Tested
2705 – Tested (since 25.02.20)
Case Breakdown: Three young women and one middle-aged woman. They all have mild symptoms and are being treated at home. One of them is a health care worker.
8.30 – Koprivnica-Križevci County – 3
8 – Active cases
114 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
16 – Deceased
39 – Tested
24 – In self-isolation
Case Breakdown: The patients are young people from Koprivnica and Đurđevac, one is the contact of an infected person, and two people are not associated with currently active infected cases, but have developed symptoms of the disease after returning from vacation.
8:10 – This morning there is a big crowd for COVID-19 drive-in testing at the Dr. Andrija Štampar Institute of Public Health in Zagreb.
Croatia May Go on UK Red List
Croatia could be removed from the list of safe travel corridors for the UK today, after the first imported COVID-19 cases from Croatia were confirmed there, according to The Guardian. They report that the British government will probably remove Croatia from the list of safe countries due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
If that happens, everyone who enters the UK from Croatia will have to go into 14-day quarantine. The decision could affect thousands of British tourists currently staying in Croatia. British Transport Minister Grant Shapps met with other ministers on Wednesday afternoon to discuss next steps, and an official announcement could be made today.
The Guardian also learned that officials from the government’s Joint Center for Biosafety had identified certain COVID-19 cases imported into Britain from Croatia.
Exact case details are not known but the number of imported cases from Croatia was similar to the number of confirmed cases imported from Spain, before that country was removed from the safe list within just a few hours, which caused great problems to many tourists.
After France and several other countries were recently removed from the list, the government still allowed a 30-hour deadline to adjust, so it is believed that this will be the case in Croatia as well.
Slovenia’s Decision Awaited
The Slovenian government will also make a decision today regarding putting Croatia on the red list. According to the Slovenian newspaper Delo, the decision has already been made and it is a matter of awaiting official confirmation.
“The situation is so bad that we have no choice but to call on our citizens to return from this insecure country as soon as possible,” said Jelko Kacina, a spokesman for the Slovenian government. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports rejected the Slovenian position that the situation in Croatia was dramatic.
“Most Slovenian tourists have a extremely positive perception of Croatian. They feel safe in the country because they are very familiar with it and are the owners of numerous properties (more than 100,000 owners),” the ministry explained.
Bozinovic: Measures for Nightclubs Will be Extended
On Wednesday, the head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, Davor Bozinovic, stated that the ban on nightclubs would be extended after midnight as a safety measure, given that most of the newly infected were young people who were going out to nightclubs, especially in central Dalmatia.
“They will certainly be extended and we will see if there is room for adjustments. Now there are efforts get around the measures at other facilities. Catering and bars are actually the only spaces that can work until after midnight,” Bozinovic said.
Markotic: We Test as Needed
Director of the Zagreb Clinic for Infectious Diseases ” Dr. Fran Mihaljević ” Alemka Markotić explained that the increased number of new cases is mostly not the result of an increased number of tests.
”We test as needed. People are recognizing the need to test more and are coming accordingly. The situation is definitely different now. In the first phase, we had few patients and few asymptomatics, so we tested people with symptoms and close contacts. Now there are many more patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. However, people are aware that they are returning home to their families from vacation, so more are going in for testing on their own initiative,” Markotić explained.
(Updates provided by Index)
European Union COVID-19 Statistics
Information on the COVID-19 situation and maps can be found on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control website here. Note that number of reported cases correlates with testing, which varies among countries. More details to follow.


Croatia Health Updates & COVID-19 Tracking
Croatian Institute of Public Health (daily updates at 15:00 CET in Croatian) here.
Koronavirus.hr (daily updates at 14:00 CET in English) here, Facebook here, Twitter here and YouTube here.
CroatiaCovid19.info launched by HUT (Croatian Tourism Association) updates COVID-19 cases by region here.
World Live Updates
CNN updates can be found here.
The Guardian updates are here.
Al Jazeera updates are available here.
World Statistics & Pandemic Information
Johns Hopkins international map tracking spread of COVID-19 here.
Worldometers spreadsheets and charts here.
World Health Organization (WHO) updates here.
Follow this link for all Daily Croatia updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. UPDATED: 14:30 CET (Central European Time)
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