New restrictive measures in Croatia: Restaurants, cafes, betting shops to close

(Patria) - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented new measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in order to protect citizens' health. Croatia has been facing record numbers of infections in recent days.

Plenković said that the measures previously adopted are not effective given the rising number of infections.

The new measures will come into effect on Saturday, November 28, and will last until December 21.

"Our goal, when it comes to health, is to take care of 4 aspects: to implement measures, to expand testing, to maintain the healthcare system and its capacities, and to effectively prepare for vaccine distribution when approved. Success in all 4 points, along with the personal responsibility of each of us, will guarantee the success of the fight against Covid-19," said Plenković.

New measures

- All public events and gatherings with more than 20 people in one place are prohibited; private gatherings can have a maximum of 10 people; wearing masks is mandatory even outdoors when it is not possible to maintain a distance of 1.5 m; public events and gatherings of all kinds can last until 10 p.m. Weddings are suspended; up to 25 people can attend funerals, and condolences involving close contact are prohibited, said Plenković.

Regarding public transport, it is limited to 40% of capacity. Carriers must display the maximum number of passengers.

Regarding shops and shopping malls, the number of people allowed inside must be displayed, and enhanced hygiene and ventilation are required. The limit for shops and bakeries is until 10 p.m.; alcohol sales are prohibited from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Casinos, slot machine clubs, and betting shops are suspended.

Fairs and other forms of economic and tourist events where products are sold, exhibited, or displayed are suspended. Catering facilities, restaurants, and cafes are suspended, except for hotels and camps that are allowed to serve guests using their accommodation services. Catering facilities such as restaurants, catering services, cafes, pubs, bistros, taverns, and bars are allowed to prepare and deliver food during working hours as if there were no Covid-19.

Sports competitions and training are suspended, except for athletes of the first, second, and third categories. Competitions and training are without spectators. Gyms, fitness centers, and sports and recreational centers are suspended.

Amateur cultural and artistic performances, including choirs and church choirs, are suspended. Performances of complex musical-stage works (operas and musicals) are suspended.

Children's and other playrooms, as well as organized dance schools, are suspended; consumption of food and drinks in cinemas is prohibited. Cinemas and theaters can operate with a limited number of people. Language schools can only operate online.

Driving schools can conduct theoretical parts online, and driving lessons with epidemiological measures. For Holy Masses, it is recommended that they be broadcast via television and radio and in other ways that allow believers to attend Mass without coming to religious buildings, whenever possible. The same limit of 25 believers applies to Holy Masses.

Businesses must prohibit employees with symptoms from coming to work, reduce physical contact between employees, and, where possible, introduce work from home, flexible working hours, shift work, group work, reduce the number of physical meetings, and ventilate premises.

"The measures will be in effect at least until December 21. If the daily number of new infections decreases sufficiently by then, some of these measures may be lifted or suspended. Otherwise, these measures will remain in effect. None of us want that, and personal responsibility is most important. The goal is to maintain and ensure the sustainability of the healthcare system, where everyone is making superhuman efforts to treat the sick and save every human life," said the Prime Minister.

In parallel, testing capacity will be increased to isolate infected individuals in a timely manner. Regarding vaccines, the Government has taken all necessary steps and is cooperating with European institutions to ensure timely and equitable vaccine distribution. Ministers from the economic sector will have meetings tomorrow with various employer associations and other representatives of the economy to discuss measures that will ease the situation for those directly affected by these measures, in order to help the private sector as we did in the spring. I would like to highlight the measure of HRK 4,000, which will be applied as compensation to employers for employee wages, concluded Plenković.