ZAGREB, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's National Civil Protection Headquarters on Wednesday announced further easing of anti-COVID-19 measures.
Starting Friday, public gatherings will be allowed to up to 100 people. Bars, restaurants, and cafes will serve their customers one hour longer, to 11 pm. Restaurants will be allowed to serve indoors while bars still only at terraces. Wedding ceremonies will be allowed to up to 120 guests who are vaccinated, have recovered from infection, or with a negative PCR test. Masks will still be mandatory indoors.
Chief epidemiologist Krunoslav Capak said on Wednesday that a recent pilot business meeting with guests who are vaccinated, were infected in the past six months, or have a negative PCR test, showed that there was no infection or transmission between guests. It proved that such events can go on, he noted.
Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, who also heads the National Civil Protection Headquarters, said that Croatia will continue to gradually ease COVID-19 restrictions, saying that the Headquarters has to be careful with easing measures, because last summer the tourist season was finished earlier than expected due to the rise in new cases.
Croatia's economy is heavily depended on tourism that accounts for almost 20 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).
Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) recorded 538 new COVID-19 cases and 21 related deaths in the past 24 hours. So far, Croatia have vaccinated 1.2 million people, 411,127 of them given two shots. Enditem