Time Out Croatia news

Zagreb's vegan and vegetarian OAZA Joyful Kitchen has been doing its part for the community since the COVID-19 crisis began. On top of the pandemic, Zagreb was recently hit heavily by an earthquake which forced some citizens out of their homes and into temporary accommodations in student dormitories. The earthquake mixed with an recent influx of cold weather and snow has further aggravated an already difficult situation. To help, OAZA is preparing free, warm dishes for those in Zagreb who need them. OAZA is able to cover 100 meals a day for the next two weeks - but it's also kicked off a crowdfunding campaign hoping to further prolong this praiseworthy project. OAZA Joyful Kitchen's crowdfunding campaign goal Donations will go toward food preparation (ingredients, packaging, bills and delivery costs), while restaurant staff and cooks will work on a voluntary basis. OAZA aims to, with the help of contributors, secure at least 100 vegetarian and nutritious free meals a day over the next two months to show solidarity and help suffering citizens. The entire campaign will be monitored by an accounting firm to ensure financial transparency. At the end of the initiative, a full financial report will be posted on the restaurant's website. How will those in need be reached? OAZA has an ongoing media campaign dedicated to spreading information on the initiative. It's also working directly with community-based associations and charities to receive information on who needs meals the most

With exception of Osijek's Spajderman and the national football team, Croatia had very few real superheroes. Until now. With some of the strictest levels of movement in Europe implemented by authorities, members of the government have emerged as unlikely heroes for their protection of the population.Alongside medical and healthcare staff, the heads of the Croatian Civil Protection Directorate are currently among the most praised and loved people in the country. They have been widely praised across all social media channels, not just for their results, but also because of their great communication skills. One of their fans is 8-year-old Šimun, from a small village Nuštar in Slavonia, who drew the members of the directorate as superheroes. He sent a picture message to the directorate, letting them know that they are his heroes and repeated their 'stay at home' plea to the people. His drawing features Vili Beroš (health minister) as Superman and Davor Božinović (interior affairs minister) as The Flash. Perhaps the most flattering character, Batman, has been assigned to Krunoslav Capak (the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health), while Alemka Markotić (the head of Zagreb's Clinic for Infectious Disease) was depicted as Wonder Woman. © Općina Nuštar The Minister of Health tourism himself called the boy in person and later commented on Facebook 'Dear Šimun, thank you. Take care of your loved ones, you are their shield and my hero'. The Interior Affairs minister also

The streets of coastal city Rijeka should be bustling right now, with visitors and residents enjoying the multifaceted arts programme long-in-preparation for its year as European Capital of Culture 2020. Instead, the streets are empty. Its museums, galleries and live music venues are closed. Like everywhere else, the city is at a standstill. However, social distancing did not stop the coming together of Rijeka's well known Josip Kaplan Youth Choir. The group, who are 14 years old and came to wider recognition via successfully appearing in a TV talent show, convened on Skype to record a brilliant version of 'Heal The World'. The Michael Jackson-penned track, originally released in 1991, has never sounded so good! You can watch the inspiring performance below.

Last week, the EU said it is dedicating €37 billion to fight the effects of Coronavirus within the union. Yesterday, we learned that €1.16 billion of this money will go to Croatia. After announcing details of the awarded funds, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that the main aim was to preserve health and jobs. The €37 billion Corona Response Investment Initiative has been set aside to help health care systems, small to medium-sized businesses and employment markets, plus other vulnerable sections of the economies belonging to EU member states.  

Check out this drone footage of some of the world's biggest cities looking deserted. The usually full streets in Budapest, Rio, Istanbul and more, look eerily quiet under the Coronavirus lockdown, as seen in this video posted by Euronews English's No Comment team.

Representatives of the Kaufland and Lidl supermarkets in Croatia have arranged for a donation of one million kuna to be given to the country's hospitals. The donation is a response to the Coronavirus outbreak and the earthquake, which the country suffered on Sunday.They have donated 250,000 kuna to both the Dubrava Clinical Hospital and the Fran Mihaljevic Infectious Diseases Clinic, 100,000 kuna to KBC Split, KBC Osijek and KBC Rijeka and they have made donations to hospitals in Varaždin and Pula. The money will be used to buy materials and equipment needed to fight Coronavirus on a day-to-day basis and to treat the most severe patients in intensive care.

With the closure of public marketplaces, many independent traders and small producers have been left without ways to reach their customers. Croatia's supermarket chain Spar are looking to help out. They have invited traders and small producers to contact them and Spar will try to ensure that their goods are given space to be sold in their stores.Supermarkets and food delivery services remain open in Croatia, as did marketplaces until last Saturday. Anyone visiting a public market last weekend, like Dolac or Kvatrić in Zagreb, will not have been surprised by the subsequent decision to close them - it was impossible for people to keep two metres apart.Social media pages have also emerged as another possible route for small producers. On Facebook, groups like 'Prodaja domaće hrane - Zagreb i okolica (Selling domestic food - Zagreb and surroundings)' are helping to bridge the gap between producers, growers and customers. Delivery or postage can be arranged direct between the two parties and similar social media pages exist for most cities and regions in Croatia.The latest public health advice is that all fruit, vegetables and packaged goods should be handled carefully and washed thoroughly upon bringing them into the home. Fruit and vegetables should be dried after washing and, if it's a sunny day, the best way to do so is the sunlight. It's also a good idea to keep some fruit and vegetables in the fridge, even if you wouldn't normally do so, as the cold temperatures help kill ba

Engineers have said that 88% of all homes damaged in Sunday's earthquake and then surveyed by them will be fine to return to. The structural engineers have been working on behalf of the City of Zagreb and have so far examined about 2,000 buildings. Up until now, they have released assessments for just over 1000 of these. Some buildings developed cracks in their plaster and walls following the earthquake and it is therefore necessary for them to be judged as habitable or not. The good news is that the vast majority of all damaged residential buildings so far assessed can be returned to by the people who live there. Unfortunately, this also means that 12% of the buildings so far judged cannot again be used as residencies in their present condition. Zagreb's centre holds many older dwellings and some of these were among the worst damaged. Fortunately, most people in the city live in reinforced concrete buildings which are constructed in order to withstand seismic activity of this kind. Some buildings are still awaiting assessment by the engineers.

Tests have confirmed that the water supply for the City of Zagreb, the City of Samobor, the City of Sveti Nedelja and the municipality of Stupnik are all perfectly fine to drink following Sunday's earthquake and its aftershocks. The cleanliness and purity of water supply is often at risk following seismic activity as the tremors can split and dislodge pipes. However, tests conducted by the City of Zagreb's water quality and supply authorities, in conjunction with the Dr. Andrija Štampar Public Health Teaching Institute and the Institute for Public Health of Zagreb County, confirm that the supplied water is well within the prescribed conditions of quality dictated by law. Time to put the coffee on!

Card or cache? Neither - software company Comms is currently offering use of its e-commerce platform for online businesses and non-profits free of charge. Comms is a website platform focused on e-commerce, attractive interfaces and communication with customers. It's just the thing many businesses and non-profts need right now, with brick-and-mortars closing because of COVID-19. E-commerce is the best way to stay afloat - and maybe even expand to a larger customer base - right now. For community-oriented non-profit institutions, the offer extends even further. Non-profits will receive completely free website setup and design as well as consulting services. © COMMS Businesses can use the e-commerce platform until June 30, 2020 (at least), for free. For online store creation and customisation,  Comms' Initial Setup service will be available at a lowered price (199 eur), also until June 30, 2020. Non-profits can use all e-commerce plans, and all other Comms services (such as the Initial Setup and consulting) until the end of the coronavirus crisis completely free of charge.     Offer details can be found on Comms' website. You can sign up for the program here.