Interior Minister: Brac Island could go on lockdown

Brac

ZAGREB, May 8 (Hina) – Due to the increased number of novel coronavirus infections on Brac Island, there is a possibility the island will be quarantined while the lockdown in the rest of the country will be lifted, Interior Minister and head of the National Civil Protection Authority Davor Bozinovic said on Friday.

“Today’s increase in the number of infections is connected with two localities, one is Brac and the other is Osijek. We know who the contacts in Osijek are. The situation on Brac is a more significant change compared to the situation of several days ago, Bozinovic told a press conference.

There were 36 new COVID-19 cases reported in Croatia on Friday with 22 cases on Brac Island. 

“We will continue to relax restrictions. The situation on one island at the moment does not determine our actions in the rest of the country,” Bozinovic said, adding that it was possible that lockdown measures on Brac would remain while those in the rest of the country would be lifted.

Bozinovic said that no new decisions had been made regarding e-passes or any other epidemiological measures.

“We said that we would be easing restrictions and we will continue to do so. May 11 is the date when we will consider e-passes. That decision, like other decisions, will be based on the general epidemiological situation. Today we see it in a different light but those are isolated cases that are not expected to impact the entire country,” he said.

Speaking about the possibility of more people crossing the border, Bozinovic stressed that the Croatian Institute for Public Health would have to prepare recommendations in that regard “because epidemiological challenges still exist.”

He reiterated that the easing of restrictions does not mean one can be absolutely relaxed.