The head of the national COVID-19 response team, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, said on Thursday that inspectors should not be expected to check on private gatherings during the Easter holidays, calling on citizens to observe the restrictions in place.

“I am confident that after over a year since the epidemic was declared in Croatia everyone knows everything because we have repeated so many times from all levels what people should do and what the basic epidemiological measures are,” Bozinovic told the press.

“It is just a matter of goodwill and responsibility, not just towards ourselves but towards others as well, whether we will abide by the measures or not,” he added.

Asked if the measures would be tightened for the Easter holidays, given that many people will take this opportunity to travel or organise family reunions, Bozinovic said he would not discuss people’s private affairs.

“We have been saying all along that gatherings of people from several families pose an epidemiological risk, but no one should expect that Civil Protection inspectors or the police would be checking whether people are maintaining personal hygiene, wearing face masks indoors and adhering to basic measures,” Bozinovic said.

Asked why King ICT had been selected in a public procurement tender for an early warning system in the event of natural disasters, and not a German company that offered several times lower prices, Bozinovic said that the tender procedure was run by professionals whom he trusted. He said that the cheaper offer did not include certain elements such as hardware or optical connections, which would require additional investments and the cost would have to be borne subsequently by the Ministry of the Interior, while now the cost was being covered by the EU.