The national coronavirus response team on Monday discussed the COVID-19 situation in Croatia and the possibility of stepping up checks of the anti-epidemic measures in force, such as wearing face masks inside public spaces, the team's head, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, told a press conference.

They had anticipated a rise in the number of new cases in the autumn and addressed the problem by combining recommendations on compliance with the basic anti-epidemic measures with calls for vaccination, Bozinovic said. “Apart from these measures, there are no special activities that can be used in this situation.”

Since nearly a quarter of new cases come from schools, Bozinovic said that they would look into the possibility of face-to-face classes being suspended for two days in the week around All Saints’ Day, 1 November. He said they also discussed the promotion of a booster dose for people whose level of antibodies is decreasing.

“As for the existing measures, notably wearing face masks, checks should indeed be stepped up because this obligation is taken too lightly,” Bozinovic said, adding that the possibility of bringing COVID certificates into wider use is not being considered for now.

He stressed that there are enough vaccines against COVID-19 and that vaccination can prevent more serious forms of the disease. “A combination of the anti-epidemic measures and vaccination can get us out of the crisis,” Bozinovic said.