Croatia is one of the five European countries with the cleanest bathing water, the European Environment Agency said on Monday as borders are being reopened after the Covid-19 crisis and tourists are thinking about where to spend the summer holidays, dpa reported.

The cleanest bathing waters in Europe are in Cyprus, Austria, Malta, Greece, and Croatia, says a report by the European Commission and the EEA.

In those five countries, 95% or more of bathing waters were of excellent quality, the report says, adding that in Cyprus 99.1% of bathing waters were excellent.

Tourists who are afraid of contracting COVID-19 on the beach should follow the guidelines of national or local authorities, the EEA said. They should keep a physical distance and wash their hands sufficiently.

The EEA tested bathing waters at some 22,300 sea, river and lake beaches in the EU, plus the UK, Switzerland and Albania.