Deputy Prime Minister Davor Bozinovic on Thursday told the cabinet that due to the fall in new COVID numbers, the relaxation of some COVID measures is being considered, primarily regarding the limit on the number of people allowed at gatherings.

“If these developments with the epidemiological situation continue until the end of the week, it is realistic that measures will be relaxed to a certain extent, primarily related to the restriction of gatherings,” Bozinovic said.

Seeing that the majority of epidemiological measures in force are of limited duration until the end of the month, and considering the current epidemiological situation, where the daily number of new cases has been decreasing over the past few weeks, since the start of the week we have been considering the possibility of lifting certain measures and relaxing others, Bozinovic said.

The national COVID response team is examining what effect removing mandatory testing in public services and masks in education would have.

“The team plans to adopt some measures by the end of the week and to announce them on Monday, 28 February while some measures, in a milder version, will be extended until the end of March,” he added.

Fall in new cases by 39%

Health Minister Vili Beros recalled that tomorrow will be two years since coronavirus appeared in Croatia.

Today Croatia registered 2,559 positive cases confirmed by PCR and 1,348 by rapid antigen testing, which is a fall of 39% on the week.

In the five waves of the epidemic, Croatia has had 1,210,243 positive cases, 4,695,103 tests have been conducted, 74,136 patients have been hospitalised and 14,964 people have died as a consequence. A total of 5,189,032 doses of a vaccine have been administered and 2,305,857 citizens have been vaccinated.

By the end of the week 69,000 doses of protein vaccines are expected out of a total of 198,000 ordered for citizens aged over 18 who haven’t been inoculated as yet.