Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that there was 'no room for panic' during the struggle to limit the spread of coronavirus.

In his interview for state television HTV, Plenkovic also commented on the criticism levelled by President Zoran Milanovic against his cabinet and its actions to contain the spread of the epidemic.

“There are people who make serious efforts in the struggle against coronavirus and there are those who compare the virus with tooth decay or claim that handshaking is o.k. and that one should not wear a protective mask. Such statements carry messages about undermining the discipline and recommendations made by epidemiological experts,” Plenkovic said, alluding to some previous statements made by Milanovic.

“The national Covid-19 crisis management team operates, based on the law, and under the supervision of the government. All that we do is in the interest of the health conditions of our citizens and for the purpose to contain the spread of the epidemic,” Plenkovic said.

Asked by the anchorwoman whether after the political one-upmanship between the Office of President Zoran Milanovic and his cabinet, cooperation between him and the president was possible, the premier said that the cooperation was possible to the extent envisaged under the constitutionally defined powers.

“It is is possible as much as necessary,” he added.

Plenkovic said that Croatian healthcare system had enough capacity to cope with the pressure imposed by the current situation.

“We can now see that there are indications of a slower growth of (the epidemic) than it was a few weeks ago,” he said.

There is no need for panic as the healthcare system is strong enough to endure this pressure and that the actions being taken to handle the epidemic are based on the strategy that is proportional to the dynamic of the infection, he said.

Commenting on the first 100 days of the second term of his cabinet, Plenkovic recalled that the elections had been held in early July, at the most opportune time, and that since the establishment of the current cabinet, they had prepared the 2020 budget revision, a draft budget for 2021 and a new round of tax reform, and they had also made important steps in combating corruption.