0 new Covid cases again reported in Croatia in last 24 hours

ZAGREB, 5 JUNE, 2020 – There have been zero new COVID-19 cases reported in Croatia in the last 24 hours, the national crisis management team said in a statement on Friday.

Today is the 102nd day since coronavirus arrived in Croatia and with just five new cases in the last two weeks and one case so far in June, the total number of cases now stands at 2,247.

There were no new COVID-19-related fatalities reported in the last 24 hours.

The current death toll stands at 103.

There have been 2,113 recoveries to date, 8 more than yesterday. Currently, there are 30 active cases in Croatia with 12 people in hospital and 3 patients currently on a ventilator.

Since late February, Croatia has conducted 68,267 tests, including 270 in the last 24 hours.

Health Minister Vili Beros said on Friday there is no intention of declaring the end of the coronavirus epidemic just yet and that caution was needed due to the tourism season-opening, adding that it was uncertain whether there would be a second wave of the epidemic.

“There are precise epidemiological criteria for when to declare the end of an epidemic – the number of new cases, the number of people hospitalised and the period since the last new case is identified,” Beros told reporters.

He reiterated that COVID-19 is a new disease, a new virus and all the circumstances of how it is manifested are not known and whether a second wave will occur.

“We have to be prepared and cautious and an additional reason for caution is that we cannot stop life, which is why we have opened ourselves to tourism. Foreign citizens are arriving, they are coming from countries that have a similar or better epidemiological situation than we do in Croatia. We are being cautious here and there can never be enough caution,” he added.

“For that reason – opening up and the unknown future – we do not intend to declare the end of the epidemic just yet,” the minister said.

Asked to comment on a recent statement by the head of the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Alemka Markotic, that everything was shut the first time because of fear while the second time will not be like that, Beros said that her statement was taken out of context and that fear was not the reason for restrictions but caution and a response to the real epidemiological situation and by no means panic or fear.

“From the very first day of the threat the national response team communicated with the public calmly, precisely, transparently and exactly, giving forecasts and comparisons, and everything that we knew, the public knew as well. I trust that you did not notice any fear when we adopted those measures,” said Beros.