The national coronavirus task force announced on Friday new coronavirus restrictions which will come into force at midnight on Saturday and will be in force until December 15.
“We have been saying for the past ten days or so that unless we see a decline this week, and we obviously haven’t, the response team will consider new measures. These measures have been agreed today,” Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, said at a news conference.
The new measures restrict the number of people attending a public event or gathering to 25 instead of 50 as has been the case so far. The number of people attending a wedding will be restricted to 15 instead of 30. No more than 25 people will be allowed to attend a funeral, compared to 30 so far, and they will not be allowed to express their condolences through close contact.
Private events will be restricted to 10 instead of 15 persons, and sporting competitions may only be held without spectators.
Nightclubs, casinos and gaming arcades will be closed down, while other hospitality establishments will be allowed to stay open until 10 pm, clearly displaying the maximum number of guests allowed on their premises at any one time in accordance with the recommendations of the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ). Such notices will also have to be displayed by retail shops and shopping malls.
Gatherings not limited to 25 persons, such as professional artistic programmes, film screenings, religious ceremonies and meetings of legislatures, will be subject to additional restrictions. The number of persons in attendance will depend on the size of the space, with four square metres ensured for each person.
Sales of alcoholic drinks will be banned from 10 pm until 6 am, which will be inspected by civil protection personnel, police officers and state inspectors.
Bozinovic said that the national response team had approved tighter restrictions for Varazdin and Osijek-Baranja Counties and the City of Daruvar following proposals from their respective local response teams.
As for financial compensation to hospitality establishments that would not be able to work due to the new restrictions, Bozinovic said that such compensation already existed and that the matter would be discussed with the government to find a viable solution in dialogue with industry representatives.
HZJZ director Krunoslav Capak said that the number of new coronavirus cases in Croatia continued to be high, but was stagnating and there were no increases.
The current 14-day incidence rate is 837.7 cases per 100,000 people, which ranks Croatia 22nd among the 27 EU member states. The share of positive tests in total tests is 29.7%, while the mortality rate is 282.4 per million people, Capak said.
The incidence rate is highest in northern Medjimurje and Varazdin Counties and lowest in Istria County. The incidence rate in the two northern counties is twice as high as the national average, he added.
Capak said that currently the average age of newly-infected persons is 43.4 years and that of hospitalised persons is 62 years, while the average age of people who have died from coronavirus-related causes is 76.
