Croatian Public Health Institute recommends ban on indoor nightclubs

ZAGREB, Aug 12 (Hina) – The Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) on Tuesday amended its recommendations for nightclubs, suggesting that its owners organise their work in the open and prevent the stay of their guests indoors in order to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus.

The HZJZ said its latest recommendations for nightclubs were in line with the current situation regarding the coronavirus disease in Croatia.

Nightclubs that cannot organise their work in the open are allowed to continue operating as cafes.

The HZJZ has also banned dance floors, recommending that instead seating areas with tables and chairs be set up, with a distance of 1.5 metres between them.

The latest recommendations were made in light of the appearance of new coronavirus hot spots, notably in nightclubs along the coast.

There were 91 new coronavirus cases in Croatia reported yesterday with the number of active cases standing now at 619, the national COVID-19 response team said on Tuesday.

Among the active cases, 115 are hospitalised, including five who are on ventilators.

Since the start of the epidemic in Croatia in late February, 5,740 people have contracted the disease, and of that number 160 have died and 4,962 have recovered.

A total of 2,111 people are in self-isolation. To date, 130,688 people have been tested, including 1,309 in the last 24 hours. The most active cases currently are in Zagreb (143), followed by the Split-Dalmatia County (142).