Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, said on Monday he expected the organisers of the Croatian basketball championship final in the coastal city of Zadar on Saturday to be fined for allowing too many people into the Visnjik sports hall.

“This message at the start of the tourist season is not good. We must be aware that we are watched by the governments and other authorities of the countries that are our market. If footage showing a large number of people gathered in an enclosed space is seen in western countries, you can be sure that it will deter some people from visiting Croatia. That is contrary to what we are doing. Tourists will, first and foremost, opt for safe destinations, and we all know how important tourism is for Croatia,” Bozinovic said.

He said that about 5,000 foreign tourists had entered Croatia at the weekend with valid digital certificates of vaccination against Covid-19.

Health Minister, Vili Beros, called on the management of the Zadar Basketball Club to demonstrate genuine concern for their fans by appealing to them and other members of the public to get vaccinated.

“What happened at the basketball game in Zadar on Saturday is a big blow to our efforts to bring down the number of Covid infections. I fear that in a week or two we will be seeing an increase in the number of cases in this important tourist destination,” Beros said in a statement.