Tourists Returning Home From Croatia Helped Catch Second Wave Of COVID-19

From the country with which it could be compared, to the outbreak. This is how Croatia changed when the government, concerned about the economy, decided to open its borders in early summer and start attracting tourists so important to the country. The infected tourists returned home and carried the virus.

The case of Croatia is now being analyzed to assess how international travel is acting as a catalyst during a pandemic. Like Croatia, other traditional tourist destinations on the continent are linked to an increase in new cases, health officials say. In France, local tourists are associated with new cases in the south of the country and along the Atlantic coast. In Spain, record figures are being recorded in Madrid and in tourist destinations.

While experts believe that the increase in COVID-19 cases is due to all tourism-related travel, the example of Croatia shows how the European summer season has erased much of the continent’s previous achievements in fighting the pandemic. A relatively small state played an important role in the spread of the virus.

With the lifting of the quarantine, Croatian local authorities have allowed clubs and bars to reopen in popular spots along the Adriatic coast, attracting a wide range of travelers, from low-cost German students to Beyonce and Jay- Z, who were on vacation here in September.

The pleasant Mediterranean climate, the long coastline, the picturesque old towns and the low prices of accommodation make Croatia a magnet for Europeans all year round. 2019 the country received about 21 million. tourists.

Maria Tejero, 34, traveled to the Croatian coast in August, visiting the island of Hvar, Split and Dubrovnik. She told The Wall Street Journal about crowded parties and crowded bars and restaurants, where hardly anyone followed recommendations to wear masks or stay away.

“People politely told us that we didn’t have to follow the rules of wearing masks in bars and shops,” said Tejero, who lives in Parma, Italy.

The example of Croatia shows how the European summer season ended much of the continent’s earlier achievements in fighting the pandemic.

European governments, who were eager at the time to deal with the economic and political consequences of the spring quarantine as soon as possible, opened the Community’s internal borders in June. Tourists immediately headed to the sunny south of the region.

According to health officials in several countries, the result is an increase in the number of new cases, mainly among young travelers, and when they return, the infection has spread to their countries of origin. The Wall Street Journal calls it the biggest step back in the fight against the virus since the first wave, which peaked in March and April.

Now fighting the growing number of cases, Croatian authorities continue to say that opening the country to the tourist season was a calculated risk that had to be taken to avoid a serious economic recession.

“People need to make money,” President Zoran Milanovic said in a recent interview. “Maybe it’s not so bad after all,” he added, pointing to the low number of deaths from COVID-19 so far.

By the end of July, Croatia had adopted 2.5 million about 40-50% of tourists. less than last year. By comparison, Spain has lost around 75 percent. tourists, Portugal 83%, Turkey 86%.

Croatia’s geographical location has given the country a significant advantage: flights on the mainland have decreased significantly, and Croatia can be easily reached by road from many European countries. During peak season, cars and buses waited up to 10 hours at the country’s border in August.

Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic have stated that the increase in new cases since mid-July has also been linked to people returning from Croatia.

From August 10 to September 6. Travelers returning from Croatia accounted for 12%. all new cases of COVID-19 in Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

In the Czech Republic, record numbers of infections are being recorded, and officials explain that this has led to almost 100,000 infections. tourists returning from Croatia. In Austria, almost a third of the new cases are tourists returning from their holidays in September, and more than a thousand are leaving Croatia.

Records are being set in Croatia itself. During the spring peak, a maximum of 96 new cases per day were recorded in March and September 3. up to 369 new diseases were announced. 4 million In a country with a population of around 15 thousand, people. Its morbidity rate already exceeds 70 cases per 100,000. persons.

This situation is reminiscent of the events that helped spread the virus across Europe during winter. Austrian ski resort The scandal became the focal point from which COVID-19 spread to many countries.

As in the case of Ischgl, the majority of infected tourists in Croatia are believed to have visited clubs, bars and parties, says Dr. Krunoslav Capak, Croatia’s head of anti-COVID-19 operations.

“We had some tourists who came infected, but the vast majority got infected when they were here,” he said.

The Croatian authorities have issued recommendations on wearing masks and keeping distance in bars, restaurants and event venues, but they are not mandatory. As a result, some places functioned without restrictions.

Mirjam Hagmann, 26, from Sweden, said that hardly anyone wore masks when on vacation on the island of Krk in July.

“It was understandable: it was very hot and no one wanted to wear a mask,” he said. “Everything was the same as before the pandemic.”

This is in stark contrast to winter and spring, when Croatia managed to protect itself from the virus. According to Ivan Dikičius, a professor of biochemistry, the success of the spring was determined by a well-developed health care system, timely epidemiological decisions, and great public caution.

I don’t know if it was naive, or an esteemed attempt to attract tourists, or a bit of both …

“But caution declined after initial success, people were thirsty for outings, travel and enjoyment in the summer after strict quarantines,” said I. Dikičius. “However, it is not clear why the clubs were allowed to open.”

Antje Rothemund, a German living in France, told The Wall Street Journal that she enjoyed the freedom while on vacation in Croatia in August, a snack after reminiscing about the strict rules of Strasbourg.

“I don’t know if it was naive, or an esteemed attempt to attract tourists, or a bit of both … But there were no masks and no distance, and tables in crowded restaurants and cafes weren’t even repulsed,” he recalled. “Everything was basically the same as in any other year.”