Classes to go online next Thursday, Friday

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said after a meeting of the ruling coalition on Tuesday that on Thursday and Friday next week, November 4 and 5, all schools and classes in the country would go online.

Monday, November 1, is All Saints' Day, a public holiday. According to the school calendar, there are no classes on that day and on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 2 and 3.   

"Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs has agreed this with all county COVID-19 response teams," Plenković told reporters, denying that there had been glitches in communication regarding this issue.

He again pointed to the need for compliance with epidemiological measures and called on everyone to get vaccinated.

In the past 24 hours another 18 people have ended up on ventilators, and of them 13 are not vaccinated. Of the 159 hospitalised COVID-19 patients, 116 did not get vaccinated, and of the latest 30 fatalities, 23 did not get vaccinated, Plenković said, underlining the importance of vaccination.

The ruling coalition discussed a budget revision for this year and a budget for next year, welcoming the two documents.

Both documents will be adopted by the government on Thursday, after which the budget revision will be discussed by the parliament next week, and the budget for 2022 in early December, the PM said.

I never interfered in promotions, dismissals or retirements

Asked to comment on the ongoing conflict between President Zoran Milanović and Defence Minister Mario Banožić regarding the early retirement of the commander of the Honorary and Protection Battalion, Colonel Elvis Burčul, Plenković said that he did not want to get involved in the matter and that he had never interfered in the promotion, dismissal or retirement of any officer.

"Under the law, such matters are dealt with by the president, the defence minister and the army chief-of-staff," he said.

As for a meeting of the Council for Defence and the National Security Council, he said that he had proposed to the president three time slots in November and expected the meeting to be held in about two weeks.

Health reform: Text made public was never discussed by gov't 

Speaking of the reform of the healthcare sector, whose outlines have been published by media outlets recently, Plenković said that he would comment on it once the final text was submitted to the government.

"A working document has been published that was never discussed by the government and it has caused many comments. Those are working documents, those are not final decisions or final reforms but rather ideas that exist in the ministry," he said, calming citizens.

As for the statement by Reconstruction Fund director Damir Vanđelić that around 2,000 families in the earthquake-struck Banovina region still did not have adequate accommodation, which was denied by the task force dealing with the aftermath of the 29 December 2020 earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County, Plenković said that he did not know what good such statements did to Vanđelić.

HDZ has paid HRK 14.3 million into state budget

Plenković also confirmed that his HDZ party had paid HRK 14.3 million into the state budgetunder the Supreme Court ruling in the Fimi Media corruption case, stressing that the party's financial operations would continue normally after the payment.

Asked about the latest popularity ratings, Plenković expressed satisfaction that the HDZ enjoyed the support of 31% of the electorate while its rivals enjoyed the support of 12% of the electorate or less.

Text: Hina

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