Passenger rail transport will resume in Croatia on Monday, May 11, as part of the third stage in easing restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus epidemic, the state-owned railways HZ announced on Thursday.

The announcement means than some 400 passenger train lines will resume normal operations on Monday, 50 days after all passenger railway lines had been suspended on March 22 due to sweeping travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders issued nationwide. The ban did not apply to cargo trains, which have been operating without interruption throughout the crisis.

Other forms of public transport are still either restricted of greatly reduced but are expected to slowly recover in the coming weeks.

Domestic air travel will also re-launch on May 11, with flag carrier Croatia Airlines set to introduce two flights a day from capital Zagreb to major cities of Split and Dubrovnik.

International air travel is expected to take a longer time to recover, and currently the only passenger route still served from Zagreb Airport is Croatia Airlines’ one daily flight to Frankfurt, a major European hub.

Ferry lines served by the state-owned company Jadrolinija – essential for connecting islands with cities on the Adriatic coast – kept operating throughout the crisis, albeit with reduced frequency.

Internal travel bans limiting inter-city and inter-city travel are still in place, although authorities have issued nearly a million QR codes to Croatians cleared to move around the country. People who had tested positive or people who had been in contact with the infected are ordered to self-isolate and are not allowed to move outside their place of residence.