Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Tuesday the amendments to the law on the protection of the population from infectious diseases would not mean any repression but expand the number of people who would be in charge of oversight, including the police.

“This law is directed at a minority, an increasingly small minority of people who won’t comply with the measures prescribed by experts,” he said during a government meeting with county heads.

It is expected that the police will first and foremost give warnings, penalising only in extreme cases or in case of persistent refusals.

“It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean any repression. This law doesn’t give any new powers, first and foremost to police officers, which are not stipulated by laws on police powers and jobs,” Bozinovic said.

He went on to say that a COVID vaccine had been produced and would be registered very soon and then sent to states and testing locations. He said the Croatian Institute of Public Health had drawn up a plan in that regard.

“We must all take into account that the winter is the hardest period for the epidemic.”

Bozinovic said the situation was serious as more and more people stayed at home. “Let’s hope there won’t be too many undiscovered illegal gatherings.”

He said the Civil Protection Directorate was constantly restocking supplies and that no problems were expected.