Croatia's national institutions suspend cultural programmes in a precautionary move

Although Croatia so far has a very small number of confirmed COVID-19 (Coronavirus) cases, the country's public bodies, national institutions and cultural sector have recently responded with a range of preventative measures intended to keep everyone safe. Many cultural institutions have announced short term closures and many events have been postponed, with the safety of residents and visitors being the top priority.

The entire programme of Rijeka European Capital of Culture 2020 has been put on hold until April 14. The Croatian National Theatre Ivan Zajc in Rijeka has cancelled all of its shows until the end of March. The Croatian National Theatre in Split and the Museum of the City of Split have also closed until further notice. All large scale and official public events in Istria and in Zagreb have been temporarily halted, such as the ZagrebDox film festival and the Festival of Lights. Other events have been cancelled. At the time of writing, Zagreb's Museum of Contemporary Art has stated they intend to remain open, with a strict hygiene protocol now in place to protect all staff and visitors. Cleanliness and hygiene protocols have now been implemented in all of the country's major hotels, although some, such as the Valamar portfolio in Istria and Dalmatia, have chosen to close entirely for a limited period. All Croatian schools, colleges and universities will close for an initial two week period beginning on Monday 16 March.

At the time of writing, Croatia currently has 31 confirmed cases of Coronavirus. All of the confirmed cases are receiving the best possible care within Croatia's excellent hospital and healthcare system and all confirmed cases have been traced back to people who have just returned to the country from overseas. Croatia's first confirmed case is now fully recovered and is soon expected to be released from the quarantine. 

While some events have been put on hold and some institutions shut temporarily, Croatia's borders and airports are not closed, although strict medical checks are taking place on anyone who enters. Croatia remains open to travellers and the warm temperatures of the Croatian spring have already arrived. These usually signify the subsiding of flus and seasonal illnesses. 

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