Croatia COVID-19 Update October 30: 2,772 New Cases, 15,106 Active

October 30, 2020 — In the past 24 hours, Croatia reported 2,772 new COVID-19 cases. There are currently 15,106 active cases. Eighteen (18) have died. There are 29,098 people in self-isolation.

Follow this link for all Daily Croatia updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. UPDATED: 20:00 CET (Central European Time)
COVID-19 testing centers in Croatia here. Interactive map of testing centers here.

Croatia COVID-19 Quick Access

Current COVID-19 Data
Cumulative COVID-19 Data
Neighboring Countries New & Active COVID-19 Cases
COVID-19 Case Count by Croatia County
Croatia County COVID-19 Update Links
Croatia City & County COVID-19 Details
COVID-19 News in Past 48 Hours
Croatia National Headquarters New Safety Measures
Recommendations for Employers
Other Croatia COVID-19 Announcements
Travel from Croatia
Travel to Croatia
European Union COVID-19 Statistics
Croatia Health Updates & COVID-19 Tracking
World Live Updates
World Statistics & Pandemic Information

Current COVID-19 Data

2,772 – New cases
15,106 – Active cases
1,027 – Treated in hospitals
74 – On ventilators
20 – Deceased
1,677 – Recovered
9,287 – Tested
29,098 – In self-isolation

Cumulative COVID-19 Data

46,547 – Total cases (since 25.02.20)
30,910 – Total recovered (since 25.02.20)
531 – Total deceased (since 25.02.20)
485,281 – Total tested (since 25.02.20)

Neighboring Countries New & Active COVID-19 Cases

Source: Worldometers here.

Neighboring Counties New & Active COVID-19 Cases.

COVID-19 Case Count by Croatia County

Sources: Index here, koronavirus.hr here, and counties below. Google Translate plugin download here. NOTE: This is to demonstrate how the numbers can differ from each source.

In the City of Zagreb, 743 new cases have permanent residency (prebivaliste), while 110 have current residency (boraviste). The national headquarters only reports permanent residents, while the county reports all residents (853).

Croatia City & County COVID-19 Details

In Brod-Posavina County (156/127) – In one private home for the elderly and infirm in the Brod-Posavina County, 22 residents and 9 employees are positive. Due to two positive teachers in one primary school in the Brod-Posavina County, 3 classrooms and three other employees from the teaching staff were placed in self-isolation.
In Dubrovnik-Neretva County (66/56) – 37 people from Dubrovnik, five each from Župa dubrovačka and Blato, three each from Konavle and Ston, and one each from Opuzen, Smokvica and Vela Luka. A total of 31 men and 25 women were infected, and an epidemiological link was established for 47 of them. Twenty-six (26) people recovered: 15 from Dubrovnik, five from Metković, three from the Dubrovnik Parish and one each from Mljet, Ston and Kula Norinska. In OB Dubrovnik, 31 people are hospitalized, and four patients are on ventilators (non-invasive ventilation). There are 1103 people in self-isolation.
In Istra County (48/38) – 11 cases are epidemiologically imported [Rijeka (4), Zagreb (3), Republic of Slovenia (4)]. Twenty (20) people were already in self-isolation, or in close contact with an already known positive person.
In Međimurje County (150/123) – The percentage of positive people for the COVID-19 virus in relation to the number of tests for the past 24 hours is 40 percent.
In Split-Dalmatia County (316/343) – out of a total of 1,082 processed tests, there are 343 new COVID-19 cases. One hundred thirty four (134) people are contacts of previously infected. There are 70 people hospitalized at the Split Clinical Hospital, while 7 people are on ventilators. A total of 1888 people are in self-isolation.
In Zagreb City (743/853) – 1918 tested, 853 new cases and 630 people were successfully epidemiologically treated. Self-isolation was imposed on 986 people. In high schools, 23 students are positive, and 468 students received a decision to self-isolate. Thirty-nine (39) police officers are positive for COVID-19 and 90 percent of them are in self-isolation.
At the moment existing testing capacities have exceeded both technical and human potential. We currently have over a thousand tests. Effective Tuesday, Zagreb will move to a combination of PCR testing and antigen rapid tests.

COVID-19 News in Past 48 Hours

Epidemiologist Branko Kolarić, a guest on the show Dobro jutro, Hrvatska on HRT on Friday, said that we have 10 times more infected than a few weeks ago and that this information should concern us. He also pointed out that he expects that we will have one or two registered vaccines by the end of the year, and that vaccination could start in March/April next year. He added that the highest risk for transmission is close physical contact and that, if we adhered to restrictions for at least a month, the rate of infection would be reduced.
Croatian scientist Kristijan Ramadan, a professor of molecular medicine at Oxford, was a guest at Studio 4 on HRT on Friday and revealed that the COVID-19 vaccine has already been produced and that the latest test results are expected.
Molecular Biologist Ivan Đikić on HRT: We didn’t react fast enough. “The virus is spreading because people are indoors and closer to each other. We didn’t react early enough to prevent initial outbreaks. I believe we were more prepared during the summer and that we could have prevented this. We noticed that there are about 40 mutations, the most common is the one that first appeared in Italy and over 90 percent of all viruses have this mutation.” he explained on Friday.
The tense exchange between the Ministry of Health and family medicine doctors continues. On Wednesday, Health Minister Vili Beroš called on family medicine doctors to fulfill their responsibilities. “Enter the COVID-19 positives into the central registry and contact their contacts. According to the law, the role of primary caregivers is to participate in this. I ask that we all be conscious of our responsibilities. I am no singling out anyone for inaction. I’m doing my best. They say they’re overwhelmed. Come to the ministry and I’ll show you how many complaints we get from citizens who can’t get primary health care,” Minister Beros said on Wednesday.
Kolarić on the situation in Zagreb: “The number of people on ventilators and people with severe clinical outlooks is growing. Today (Thursday), Zagreb has between 700 and 800 newly infected people, we are still collecting data,” he said on N1.
As reported by Index on Wednesday, medical staff from six hospitals and four from Zagreb come to the aid of the medical staff of KB Dubrava. Doctors, nurses and technicians from the Dubrava Hospital, which became the main respiratory center for the fight against COVID-19 in March, are running out of energy, they report. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 50 nurses have left the hospital, new ones have not been hired, and the doctor dared to talk about the problems which escalated due to the lack of staff in that hospital.
The Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO) continued respond an increasing number complaints from insured people about the difficulty in obtaining health care, HZZO reported. They also received complaints from COVID-19 positive patients who were not contacted by their chosen doctors to give them instructions, as well as their contacts.
The Head of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases of the Clinical Hospital Center Split said on Wednesday that the hospital is being filled. Dr. Ivo Ivić said on Wednesday that 32 COVID-19 positive patients had been admitted to the clinic in the last two days and that half of the hospital capacity had been filled, adding that if such a trend of admission continued, the hospital would be filled in ten days.
“Our numbers are growing day by day. We noticed, in terms of testing, that we have an increased number in Sinj, Imotski and Split, but we see that in Sinj 50 percent are positive,” said Zeljka Karin, Director of the Teaching Institute for Public Health in Split.
On Wednesday, the director of the Međimurje company Tehnix informed his workers that he would deduct 10% from their salary if “they end up in self-isolation through their carelessness”

Croatia National Headquarters New Safety Measures

Ban on holding all public events and gatherings where more than 50 people are in one place.
A maximum of 30 people may be present at wedding ceremonies.
A maximum of 30 people may be present at funerals, final farewells and urn placements.
A maximum of 15 people may be present at other private ceremonies.
Sports competitions may only be held without spectators.
Public events and gatherings and ceremonies of any kind can last up to 22:00 CET, except for wedding ceremonies, which can last up to 00:00 CET.
Gatherings and ceremonies held in catering facilities may last until the end of working hours of the catering facility which are determined by the decision of the Civil Protection Headquarters of Croatia.
Obligation to submit notifications on the holding of all public events, gatherings and ceremonies, where more than 30 people are expected, to the appropriate service of the Directorate of Civil Protection.
Obligation to keep written records of participants in all public events, gatherings and ceremonies attended by more than 15 people. Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović explained that the obligation to keep written records of participants does not apply to professional artistic performances, religious ceremonies, exhibitions because there are provisions for them which follow a special protocol.
Ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages from 00:00 to 6:00 CET.
Mandatory use of face masks or medical masks outdoors when it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 1.5 meters.
Mandatory use of face masks or medical masks when entering and spending time in cemeteries.

Recommendations for Employers

Reduce physical contact between employees, whenever possible.
Introduce working from home, when possible given the nature of the work.
Introduce staggered working hours where possible.
Organize work in shifts and groups where possible.
Reduce the number of in-person meetings to a minimum.

Control over the implementation of this decision of the Croatian Institute of Public Health will be carried out by officers of the Directorate of Civil Protection, inspectors of the State Inspectorate, police officers and civil protection headquarters.

If a particular division of an individual local unit and area of (regional) self-government has determined a less-severe epidemiological measure than the measures prescribed by this decision, this decision shall override those measures.

Other Croatia COVID-19 Announcements

The National Civil Protection Headquarters announced new safety measures which go into effect on Monday, October 26. More information here. Compliance with the measures will be monitored by Civil Protection Directorate officers, inspectors, police officers and civil protection headquarters. Speaking about the fines for those who do not adhere to the safety measures, Bozinovic reported that about 1,000,000 HRK (131,947 EUR) fines have been written so far, and added that the point is for everyone to comply with the safety measures.
A new location for COVID-19 testing in Zagreb opened in the eastern parking lot of the Zagreb Fair. Director of the Zagreb Institute of Public Health Zvonimir Sostar says testing at the new location could begin by the end of the week. The new COVID-19 testing site at the Zagreb Fair should reduce the current crowds at the checkpoint in Mirogojska Street. Testing at the new location will be conducted daily from 8:00 to 11:00 CET.
The Institute of Public Health (NZJZ) “Dr. Andrija Štampar” announced a new model of taking COVID-19 swabs, and testing will be available only with an advance order online. Orders for COVID-19 testing are available on the Dr. Andrija Štampar website here or directly here. People will be able to select the testing date and testing is available from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 CET. On Sundays and public holidays, testing will take place from 8:00 to 14:00 CET.
Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the influenza vaccination started earlier this year in Croatia, in mid-October. A total of 590,000 doses of vaccine were ordered, and a vaccination plan has been prepared in compliance with all epidemiological measures. Contact information for pharmacies which offering vaccinations here.
Several Croatia counties have implemented safety measures in an attempt to control the transmission of COVID-19. Those include reducing the number of participants at weddings, funerals, wakes, and other private and public events. A full summary of county measures can be found here.

Travel from Croatia

A new website, canitravel.net, which updates COVID-19 travel restrictions and country entry requirements worldwide, can be accessed here. Another useful site, Re-open EU, can be found here.

The following countries have placed Croatia on their COVID-19 red lists which means that a negative PCR test and/or a 14-day quarantine is required upon entry. Countries that have placed Croatia on their orange lists are not recommending travel to Croatia.

Hungary has barred entry from foreign countries effective September 1, except for transit.

Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Denmark (Orange List)
Finland (Orange List)
Hungary (Barring entry from foreign countries beginning September 1)
Latvia
Lithuania
Germany (All counties in Croatia as of October 30, 2020)
Iceland
Ireland
Netherlands (Orange List)
Norway
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Switzerland
United Kingdom

Travel to Croatia

A new website, canitravel.net, which updates COVID-19 travel restrictions and country entry requirements worldwide, can be accessed here. Another useful site, Re-open EU, can be found here.

All EU/EEA citizens and EU/EEA permanent residents (EU 27 + UK + Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, as well as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican) can freely enter Croatia as of July 1, without restrictions. Non-EU/EEA citizens, or citizens from third countries (including US citizens) must meet certain conditions to enter (see below).

Enter Croatia Online Form

To expedite border crossing, travelers are advised to fill out the Enter Croatia website here before arriving at the border.

COVID-19 PCR Test or Self-Isolation Required for Third-Country Nationals

This applies to third-country national passengers entering Croatia for permitted tourism or other business reasons or who have other economic interests, as well as people traveling for educational purposes.

These passengers may enter Croatia without the obligation of self-isolation upon presentation of a negative nasal and pharynx swab test for COVID-19, not older than 48 hours (starting from the time of taking the swab until arrival at the border crossing), or with the obligation of 14 days quarantine/self-isolation if they do not have a negative PCR test.

If third-country nationals have a test older than 48 hours upon entering Croatia, they will be allowed to enter Croatia. However, they will be required to self-isolate and test again in Croatia at their own expense. The above also applies to passengers and crew members on yachts. People who do not present a negative PCR test result are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine/self-isolation measure.

People who have a negative PCR test, and are on the self-isolation list, whether they’ve been on the list for seven days or have re-tested because they had a test older than 48 hours when entering Croatia, are to be removed from the self-isolation list.

Full instructions for entering Croatia here, which are currently valid until November 2. Frequently asked questions here.

Croatia By Car

Border crossing wait times (provided by HAK) here.
Traffic report, map and cams (provided by HAK) here.

Croatia By Bus

GetByBus a one-stop resource for bus schedules and tickets (multiple bus lines) here.
Flixbus offers several domestic and international routes here.

Croatia By Train

HAK railway traffic and line information here.
Croatian Railways (HŽPP) schedule updates here.

Croatia by Ferry

HAK ferry traffic and line information here.
Jadrolinija ferry timetable and tickets here.
Kapetan Luka high speed ferry timetable and tickets here.

By Plane

Brač – Brač Airport and flight information here.
Dubrovnik – Dubrovnik Airport and flight information here with health and safety measures here.
Lošinj – Lošinj Airport and flight schedules here.
Osijek – Osijek Airport and flight schedules (in Croatian) here.
Pula – Pula Airport and flight information here.
Rijeka – Rijeka Airport and flight information here.
Split – Split Airport and flight information here.
Zadar – Zadar Airport and flight information here.
Zagreb – Franjo Tuđman Airport and flight information here with health and safety measures here.

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. Maps can be found here for:

Combined indicator: 14-day notification rate, testing rate and test positivity
14-day case notification rate per 100 000 inhabitants
Testing rates per 100 000 inhabitants

Note that COVID-19 testing varies greatly among countries. For comparison, Malta has tested over 75 percent of their total population for COVID-19, while Croatia has tested almost 12 percent.

14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000.

14-day COVID-19 case notification rate per 100,000.

Croatia Health Updates & COVID-19 Tracking

Koronavirus.hr (daily update at 10:00 CET in English) here, Facebook here, Twitter here and YouTube here.
Croatian Institute of Public Health (daily updates at 15:00 CET in Croatian) here.
COVID-19 INFO CROATIA well-moderated Facebook group providing rolling updates here.
US Embassy COVID-19 Information page can be found 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: 20:00 CET (Central European Time)