The number of tourists is increasing, restrictions are decreasing. The Headquarters presented new easing measures!

At a press conference held by the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia on Friday Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli participated, stating that a platform, or web application is being developed to somehow control tourism. This would mean that tourists will fill out a form in advance and will no longer have to wait long at the borders.

– There have been many inquiries about specific segments of tourism. We have agreed in detail with the services. Hotels are gradually opening, and you have seen that there has been an increased arrival of people, especially from Slovenia. By May 27, we will create a web application that tourists will be able to fill out. Guests will not have to wait at the borders; by filling it out in advance, they will pass through in a few minutes – said Cappelli.

Additionally, the minister stated that by the end of the month, entry from other countries with similar epidemiological situations will be allowed. For foreign tourists, all explanations are available in English so that ‘tourists who come cannot say they do not know how to behave.’ These notifications include behavior in hotels, contactless payment and hotel reservations, behavior on the beach, in closed and open spaces, and all other epidemiological measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. 

– In agreement with the ministers of all EU countries, Germany has expressed a desire to open for citizens to come to the sea around June 15, and this date also applies to Poland – said Cappelli.

Minister Božinović stated that the situation at border crossings is being monitored, which is done by the epidemiological profession and HZJZ.

– For the protection of the health of Croatian citizens and guests it is important that there is a database based on which action can be taken if the need arises – said Božinović, emphasizing that since Thursday there has been an online questionnaire explaining the conditions for entering the Republic of Croatia. The questionnaire can be found on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.

The minister announced the opening towards Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary by the end of May. He also reported that from midnight to 1 PM on Friday, 5,336 foreign nationals entered Croatia, mostly from Slovenia.

Cultural events and gatherings with a larger number of participants

In addition to tourism, the conference discussed cultural events that are gradually returning to the lives of Croatians. Minister of Culture Nina Obuljen Koržinek reminded at the beginning that Croatia is the first country in the European Union to restart and begin opening cultural events.

As a main recommendation, the minister emphasized encouraging as many events as possible in open spaces, as it is much easier to comply with all the epidemiological measures that are now prescribed.

– We have provided clear guidelines on organizing audiences in closed spaces, as well as the events themselves on stage. Recommendations have also been made for music and film recordings considering specific needs. And thanks to our good epidemiological situation, there is renewed interest from foreign productions for filming in Croatia, which means a lot for tourism – said the Minister of Culture. 

As the fourth phase of easing measures, the minister mentioned May 27. By then, recommendations for professional cultural events will be revised, and the number of visitors in closed and open spaces will be defined. 

– The largest number of inquiries is about events that gather more than 500 visitors, and currently, there is no model under which they could be held, said Minister Obuljen Koržinek, adding that it is recommended that all inquiries for such events be sent directly to the Ministry so that a special framework can be created for each event considering its specificity.

As measures are increasingly relaxed, allowing a larger number of people to gather in one place, and many want to celebrate a birthday, ‘monkey’ or exit from quarantine, one journalistic question at the conference was precisely about that – what about house parties, or gatherings.

– We continuously communicate about how the coronavirus is transmitted. Currently, we have only 133 infected individuals. The probability that one of them will come to your house is low, but we still recommend that gatherings and parties not be organized in homes – said Capak.

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