The head of the national Covid-19 crisis management team, Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, said on Thursday that over 132,000 foreigners and almost 146,000 Croatian citizens entered Croatia last week after the border restrictions had been partially lifted.

“The entry of EU citizens into Croatia has increased. In the period between May 13 and 21, 277,805 passengers entered, 145,801 Croatian citizens and 132,000 foreigners. In the same period, 225,438 passengers left Croatia, an equal ratio of foreigners and Croatian citizens,” Bozinovic said at a cabinet session.

He said border crossings were open first and foremost for EU citizens and that third country citizens could still enter and cross Croatia only under certain conditions.

The recommendation is for the EU to not open the borders to third countries before June 15, he added.

Croatia is in phase when many epidemiological measures have been relaxed, which is why the engagement of the civil protection service has been halved from up to 20,000 people initially because there is no more lockdown or passes (to leave one’s place of residence) and there is less monitoring of compliance with restrictions, Bozinovic said.

He warned that the number of Covid-19 cases in the world was still rising and that people in Croatia, in order to keep the situation favourable, should continue to act responsibly.