Five new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia, bringing the total number of those infected with the virus to 24, the national civil protection authority said on Thursday.

The authority said that all gatherings would be restricted to not more than 100 people in attendance and that sporting events would be held without spectators.

The authority has also extended to new countries its earlier measure of compulsory self-isolation for people returning from visits to those countries.

Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic said that the general epidemiological situation regarding the coronavirus in Europe was not good, calling on citizens to strictly follow instructions issued by the Croatian Public Health Institute.

The best protection against the coronavirus is personal hygiene and avoidance of some types of contact such as handshaking, Bozinovic told a news conference.