In more than 80% of cases, the coronavirus infection is mild and there is no need for panic, however considering that the disease is spreading in Italy, the Crisis Team has two objectives - to prevent the disease from being imported into Croatia and, when it does appear in Croatia, to isolate patients and all their contacts as soon as possible to prevent the disease from spreading, Health Minister Vili Beros told a press conference.
Raising level of preparedness
Recommendations have been adopted that will change based on the situation in the field, said Beros and announced that the level of preparedness is being raised to a higher level, although there is no cause for panic.
Director of the Croatian Public Health Institute Krunoslav Capak said that they have decided to introduce special measures for people coming from Lombardy and Veneto and that the same is expected for those coming from Italy's Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont regions too.
That means the Croatian citizens returning from those regions will be questioned by border police, epidemiologists and border health inspectors. If they are determined to be healthy, they will be issued with a certificate but will have to be in contact with epidemologists for the next 14 days.
Anyone with any symptoms will be immediately transferred to a hospital and samples will be sent to Zagreb's Infectious Diseases Hospital.
"Foreigners will have to leave information of their travels with the border police, so that a possible manifestation of the disease can be recorded as soon as possible. If a person is traveling for one day and is healthy and states that they have not been in contact with someone with symptoms, they will be allowed to enter (the country) and return to Italy the same day. Anyone with any symptoms will not be allowed in the country," Capak explained.
Premises for quarantine being discussed
Quarantine is being introduced for anyone who was at high risk of infection, like Croatians who were on the Japanese cruise ship, and anyone returning from that area and who cannot be in isolation at home, it was said.
Several locations are being set up for quarantine purposes.
Checks at airports will remain in force and when it comes to the use of thermal cameras at the border, it was determined that this measure is inefficient as someone infected with coronavirus does not necessarily mean they have a high temperature.
Masks, which have been sold out in some towns, do not protect anyone from catching the virus but serve to prevent infected persons from spreading the disease, the Crisis Team said.
Considering the number of people from Italy who come to Croatia for dental services, it is recommended that dentists take extra care.
Epidemiologists: Children who returned from excursion in Italy should be quarantined
Children from Pula, Omis and Split who were on an excursion in Italy have been put into isolation, it was said, at epidemiologists' recommendation even though border health inspectors did not consider that to be necessary. That decision has to be respected, even though on Sunday only health checks were recommended but without any restrictions to their movements.
There is no need to shut the borders, but if need be extra epidemiological teams and health inspectors will be deployed on the border.
Text: Hina