Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, Parliament Speaker, Gordan Jandrokovic, and Health Minister, Vili Beros, were publicly vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine at the government building in Zagreb on Wednesday.

Beros said that by doing that, the trio had “sent out a message of confidence in medical science and the medical profession.”

“We will continue to work diligently on vaccinating Croatian citizens so that they could continue living and working with as little risk of infection as possible. Every vaccinated individual contributes to the protection of the population, and is definitely a step towards our old normal, and a step closer to a successful tourist season,” Beros told reporters after the vaccination.

Beros added that there are still “many challenges ahead” and that it was important to think about future challenges such as new strains of the virus appearing on Croatia’s shores.

“I believe that with this message we have encouraged citizens to follow us on that path towards curbing the epidemic and returning to our normal life,” Beros said.