Health Minister Vili Beros on Thursday announced, after a meeting of the Covid response team with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, that decisions on restricting public gatherings and mandatory masks in all closed premises are being prepared in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“We informed the Prime Minister of the epidemiological situation in Croatia and of new clusters, and we considered new measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” Beros told reporters after the meeting in Government House.

Being considered are restrictions on public gatherings and mandatory masks in all closed premises and outdoors where close contact with others is unavoidable.

Croatia recorded a record number of 542 new cases of the virus today and one new fatality, while the number of active cases currently is 2,206.

The newest measures need to be applied in addition to the usual measures of physical distance and hygiene, said Beros.

New measures as of next week

The head of the Croatian Institute for Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, announced that the new measures would be in force as of the start of next week.

By the weekend we will prepare new recommendations and decisions and complete talks with our partners such as the Croatian Bishops’ Conference and the hospitality sector, he said.

“We will definitely introduce mandatory masks in all closed premises and in the open where close contact is unavoidable,” he said.

We are also discussing more frequent and more stringent controls of whether restrictions are being adhered to, underlined Capak.

He added that the Covid response team would do all it can to avoid another lockdown, although that cannot be entirely excluded.