Croatia announces stricter border control measures as it confirms ninth COVID-19 case

Croatian Health Minister Vili Beros announced here on Tuesday stricter measures at the Croatian-Slovenian border for truck drivers arriving from Italy due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

"The situation is under control in Croatia, but we are concerned about the situation in Italy and we are negotiating with neighboring countries about measures that needed to be taken urgently," the minister said in a media statement.

Increased checks on truck drivers started after a truck driver who recently visited northern Italy tested positive and became the ninth COVID-19 infection in Croatia on Tuesday.

The Association of Croatian Road Carriers opposed the reintroduction of measures that were abolished last week, which include a two-week quarantine for truck drivers from northern Italy.

Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli told reporters on Tuesday that tourism industry had suffered a loss of 5 percent after the COVID-19 epidemic occurred, due to lower tourist arrivals.

"However, I am optimistic and I believe that pre-season bookings in Croatia will continue in a few weeks," the minister said.

Despite the epidemic in the Croatian neighborhood, especially in Italy, in the first two months of this year traffic increased at the Zagreb Airport by 6.2 percent in January and by 2 percent in February.

(CGTN)