€2.6 million secured for antigen testing of Croatian tourists

ZAGREB, 15 April (Hina) – The Ministry of Tourism and Sport has secured HRK 20 million (€2.6m) for the purchase of antigen tests for tourists who will need to undergo testing before returning to their home countries, and the vaccination of tourism workers against COVID-19 will begin next week, Minister Nikolina Brnjac told Hina in an interview.

The funds are provided for under the budget heading for increasing the competitiveness of the tourism industry and will be reallocated to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Directorate for Commodity Stockpiles, which has been authorised to procure the testing kits, Brnjac said.

The exact price of the test and the amount payable by tourists will be known after the completion of public procurement procedure.

“We consider this to be the key measure that will impact all stakeholders in the tourism sector in efforts to revive the tourist season and increase the competitiveness of the Croatian tourism industry on foreign markets,” Brnjac said.

Antigen tests will be distributed through the network of local public health institutes, which will conduct testing in cooperation with local and regional government units and tourism boards, train testing staff and issue the necessary certificates to businesses.

Testing sites will be set up in tourist resorts, hotels, campsites and marinas, and mobile testing teams will also be organised.

“The epidemiological situation is and will remain the key factor for tourists when choosing a holiday destination. That is why we are all responsible to ensure vaccination, as well as the application of and compliance with the rules of work and behaviour, so that this tourist year can be as successful as possible,” Brnjac said.

Coronavirus latest in Croatia

Of 10,876 tests performed for coronavirus in Croatia in the last 24 hours, 27%, that is 2,927, have turned out to be positive, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

The COVID-related death toll has risen by 43 to 6,442.

Currently, there are 15,307 active cases of the infection, including 1,988 patients in hospitals, of whom 179 are placed on ventilators.

Since the confirmation of the first case of the infection with the novel virus on 25 February 2020, Croatia has performed 1,674,418 tests, and to date 300,900 people have tested positive. Of them, 279,151 have recovered from this disease, including 1,457 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

To date, under the Croatia’s vaccine rollout plan, 617,516 doses have been administered. As many as 381,164 people have received the first shot of the two-dose vaccine, while 117,283 have been inoculated with both doses.