Croatia is reopening borders to nationals of 10 EU countries after pushing the daily COVID-19 increase to nearly zero, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday
BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) Croatia is reopening borders to nationals of 10 EU countries after pushing the daily COVID-19 increase to nearly zero, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
Earlier Thursday, Croatia updated its COVID-19 tally by one case to 2,245, following three days of zero growth. The death toll is standing at 102.
"Today's decision defines the EU countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Germany and Slovakia) whose citizens, given a satisfactory epidemiological situation, will not have to justify their crossing of the state border to enter Croatia," the ministry said.
To avoid traffic jams at checkpoints, those entering the country will be able to fill out a special electronic registration form in advance.
Croatia, which is currently holding the presidency of the council of the EU, suggested earlier in May that the bloc reopen borders between countries with a similar epidemiological situation based on bilateral agreements to revive the tourism sector hit by the pandemic.
Last week, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that his country and some other member states hoped to lift their international travel warnings on June 15. He stressed that it would be "not the day starting which one can go on vacation," but the day when the warning would be scrapped.
Italy has supported Germany in these plans, with Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio likening the importance of the reopening to the D-Day Normandy landings. Italy is expected reopen borders to EU tourists on June 3.
