The national COVID-19 crisis management team on Wednesday adopted new rules for crossing the state border to restrict non-mandatory arrivals in Croatia, especially from countries where a new strain of coronavirus is spreading, such as Great Britain and the South African Republic.

The list of those countries will be made by the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), and special epidemiological measures will apply to travellers from those countries, Davor Božinović, who is the head of the national COVID-19 crisis management team, told a press conference, adding that the decision is not related to citizenship but to the area from which a traveller is coming.

“Travellers from those countries must show a negative PCR test not older than 48 hours when entering Croatia and they will be issued a 14-day isolation order. Currently, Great Britain and the South African Republic are on the list,” Božinović said.

He added that the quarantine period could be decreased to seven days if travellers undergo PCR testing in authorised institutions and they test negative.

Persons from third countries who are coming due to urgent personal reasons such as funerals or medical treatment will have their stay in Croatia limited to a maximum of 12 hours.

“Special rules have been introduced for persons coming to deliver aid for the quake-hit areas. They will be able to enter Croatia with prior consent from the crisis management team, in other words without a test,” Božinović added.