Croatia still at three coronavirus patients, PM says border checks good both for Croatia and for Slovenia

Health Minister Vili Beros said on Thursday Croatia was still at three patients infected with coronavirus, adding that 144 samples had been checked and 16 were being processed.

Sixty-eight persons are in isolation, including a dozen in Rijeka, he told a press conference of the national civil protection authority.

Bozinovic: Slovenia's assessments are inappropriate

The head of the authority, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, commented on the Slovenian government's criticism that the measures Croatia has taken on some border crossings with Slovenia are ineffective.

From day one of the outbreak in China, the government and all relevant authorities have been transparently communicating everything they are doing, including the latest information, and the measures the government is taking are based on experts' instructions, he said.

"I won't comment on such assessments, which are inappropriate," he said, adding that Croatia had never publicly called out Slovenia for its border measures.

"In this case we have an external shock which Croatia is trying to confront in every way to prevent the infection from spreading on our territory. That's why such assessments are inappropriate," Bozinovic said, adding that the assessments were perhaps due to Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec, who he said entered high politics by criticising Croatia.

Bozinovic said the cooperation between the two countries' institutions was good and that this was neither the time nor the situation to send each other such messages. "Just as our institutions cooperate, so should our governments."

There is a real reason for stepping up protective measures on borders and what is being done to prevent the spreading of the novel coronavirus is good both for Croatia and for Slovenia, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday.

Plenkovic made the statement while submitting a list of signatures by HDZ members supporting his candidacy for HDZ president.

"There is a real reason why we are stepping up preventive measures on the border and what we have been doing is good both for us and for Slovenia. Croatia is taking measures which it considers necessary at the moment," said Plenkovic in a comment on criticism from Slovenia to the way Croatia has been trying to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus.

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said earlier in the day that the checks which Croatia has introduced over the novel coronavirus at some border crossings with Slovenia are ineffective and economically harmful.

"We have been doing what we should very calmly and rationally, without any panic, and we will continue to work on protecting public health and our citizens' health," said Plenkovic.

Text: Hina

News