Croatian president addresses the nation on coronavirus crisis

President Zoran Milanovic (Photo: HINA/ Ured predsjednika/ Marko Beljan/ ua)

ZAGREB, March 18 (Hina) – President Zoran Milanovic  addressed the nation on Wednesday, saying that Croatia has taken appropriate action to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and calling on the public to follow instructions from the National Civil Protection Authority.

“Today I signed a decision amending the Civil Protection Act giving greater powers to the National Civil Protection Authority. I expect all of us to seriously adhere to the instructions and decisions issued by the Authority because in this crisis that we are faced with, the state is working for our benefit and it is working a lot, and in my opinion it is doing a good job,” Milanovic said in an address to the nation which was aired by all national television stations.

“However, the personal responsibility of each of us, to adhere to the rules that we have been talking about for days, will make the difference between success and failure, between the length or shortness of this crisis, not necessarily between life and death,” he underscored.

Milanovic said that the crisis was addressed in a good way from the start. “The crisis, after all, is not so big. It is good that we approached it relatively seriously from the start and not at one moment did we fall victim to low or heavy feelings, much less panic, which is a word I do not wish to use at all,” the president said.