"Any panic, going on big shopping trips, stocking up, should stop. We are not in that kind of situation or at that stage at all. The government will be 100% transparent in real time as it's discovered that someone is positive or not, and we will inform the public. Everything we know, the public will know," Plenkovic told reporters.
Although the spread of coronavirus is a kind of external shock, a new circumstance whose effect on the economy no one can fully estimate, the government will do everything so that life goes on normally, he added.
"All services have raised their readiness," he said, adding that quarantine premises were also being provided. "Everything at this moment is as it should be. There's no need to raise excessive panic or do something out of the ordinary."
FinMin: Difficult to estimate economic impact of epidemic
Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said it was difficult to estimate how the epidemic would impact the Croatian economy due to a lack of key data.
He told reporters the government would do its utmost to reduce the potential impact as much as possible, adding that the impact on tourist arrivals from Italy and other European countries should be taken into consideration.
Maric did not rule out additional state budget allocations to cover the costs of fighting coronavirus.
Minister: Situation in schools normal
Science and Education Minister Blazenka Divjak told reporters everything was under control in schools with regard to coronavirus and that the situation was normal. Recommendations to cancel trips to Italy and abide by hygiene standards in schools remain in force, she added.
First step taken towards establishing Intelligence College in Europe
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic described the Intelligence College as "a very good form of cooperation which is more open than is usual in the intelligence community." He added that it would not be "operational cooperation", but that the College would deal with "strategic issues, communication and training."
The Intelligence College will not function as a platform for the exchange of security and intelligence data. It will be based in Paris, and conferences and seminars will be held in countries that join it.
Thirty countries, including all 27 EU member states, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland, have been offered to participate in the initiative. To date, 22 EU member states and the UK have given the green light to the Intelligence College, while EU members Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Luxembourg and Greece have not yet joined in. Plenkovic believes that "the other countries will join with time."
Text: Hina