Due to the constantly increasing number of new coronavirus infections in Croatia, the Croatian Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic has decreed new entry regulations for Croatia, which will be valid from December 1, 2020: First up to 15 December 2020 a current Corona test, which is not older than 48 hours and which proves that the person concerned is not ill with the Coronavirus, is to be submitted with the entry to Croatia.
Corona test or quarantine in Croatia
Those who cannot present this corona test, but still want to enter Croatia, must have a PCR test for corona virus performed in Croatia and wait for the test result in domestic quarantine.
Entry to Croatia only from “green zones” of the EU without quarantine
Without the proof of a negative Coronateststs may enter only inhabitants of an European Union country and/or a region, which is declared on the so-called “Corona traffic light” of the European health agency ECDC as green zone. One could have formulated it however also more simply: The entry to Croatia is permitted at present only with a negative PCR test on the Coronavirus.
PCR test with entry Croatia for (nearly) all EU states
At present all European Union countries stand in the map of the European Union Corona traffic light on red , only, then the Croatian Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic wants to have constituted, the Finnish Baltic Sea islands of the Fasta Aland archipelago with their scarcely 26,000 inhabitants is classified with green . Whether their inhabitants have however in the winter the desire to travel to Croatia, is times dahingestellt.
Effect of the measures for entry to Croatia doubtful
The only exceptions are for transit, which must take place within 12 hours, and for cross-border commuters and truck drivers in cross-border freight traffic. The effectiveness of this measure and its effects on the epidemiological situation around the coronavirus in Croatia may be doubted, however, because tourism in Croatia is currently hibernating, only visitors from the neighboring countries of the former Yugoslavia are likely to enter Croatia more frequently. In these countries, the number of new infections is in part still significantly higher than in Croatia itself, but many of these border crossers have dual citizenship and thus fall through the raster.
Penalties for disregarding the Corona measures
A much more effective instrument is likely to be the penalties that are due immediately if the hygiene rules are not observed: The fine for legal persons ranges from 10,000 kuna to 40,000 kuna, for responsible persons in companies or craftsmen the fine is 5,000 kuna to 10,000 kuna.
Citizens not wearing a mask will be fined 500 kuna. In case of direct payment during the measure, the intervening officials can reduce the fine from 500 to 250 HRK.
For a private person who organizes an illegal meeting, the fine is 5,000 to 10,000 kuna. The organization of a private party can be fined up to 10,000 kuna depending on the size of the party. Whether companies and citizens comply with the measures will be monitored by police officers, civil defense officers and inspectors of the state supervisory authority.
Violations mainly in southern regions
Ultimately, however, the effectiveness of the measures now introduced will also depend on the will of state institutions to implement them accordingly. In the Croatian media and social networks there are repeated reports of massive violations that are often not pursued by the intervening control bodies. This is especially true in the southern regions.
Croatia’s 14-day incidence at an all-time high
It’s about time if the coming tourist season is not to be significantly affected by the coronavirus. Croatia currently (as of November 30, 2020) has a 14-day incidence of 1040.3, in Austria the value is 843.1, in Slovenia 977.4, in Italy 673.7 and Germany has a low incidence value of 304.2.
