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Coronavirus Update – April 14, 2020
As part of our continued efforts to keep clients and travelers abreast of the latest in Croatia concerning COVID-19, here is this week’s travel update.
From across the world our team have been busy keeping up to date with the latest developments affecting travel, helping to re-arrange any impacted bookings and putting together future itineraries for those dreaming of their next Croatian adventure!
Current Situation in Croatia
Croatia continues to receive worldwide recognition and accolades for its aggressive response to the COVID-19 virus. An Oxford University study rating countries on the stringency of their approach rated Croatia as having the strictest worldwide response. Toby Phillips, Head of Digital Research at Oxford University commented on April 7th 2020:
“Croatia at the moment on all of the measures that go into the stringency index, ranks the strictest on our scale,”
The stringency index included factors such as school closures, travel bans and restrictions of public gatherings and helps emphasize Croatia’s swift and decisive response to combating the spread and impact of COVID-19.
At the time of writing, there have been only 25 deaths and 1,650 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Croatia. Since our last update on April 6th, one week ago, there have sadly, yet remarkably been just 10 additional deaths, trending significantly lower than many other impacted countries from around the world. Both in Europe and on a worldwide scale, Croatia continues to remain as one of the lesser impacted countries by COVID-19, achieving results that place it as low as 70th on a worldwide scale for the low number of deaths from the virus. Regardless of the numbers, our hearts go out to each and every family who has tragically lost a loved one to COVID-19, in Croatia and elsewhere.
As we have stated in all of our Croatia COVID-19 travel updates, healthcare in Croatia is of an exceptionally high caliber, meeting and exceeding European Union standards. All Croatian citizens are able to use the service free at the point of use. Facilities are modern and advanced levels of treatment are provided for all patients who need it.
Reasons To Feel Hopeful
As the impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt both in our daily lives and on our ability to travel, we continue to see reasons to feel positive as the crisis wanes in other areas around the world which brings hope that your next illustrious travel experience may not be as far away as you think!
In the United Kingdom a team of scientists are developing a vaccine that could be ready for use as early as September. Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at The University Of Oxford, told the Times of London newspaper she was “80% confident” the vaccine being developed by her team will work, “based on other things that we have done with this type of vaccine.” Human trials of the vaccine will be starting in the next two weeks.
Like Austria in our travel update of April 6th 2020, Spain has begun to loosen its lockdown restrictions as its new number of cases continue to fall. Meanwhile in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, a light show took place around the city to celebrate the end of the 76 day lockdown. Travel has now resumed in and out of the city as well as a relaxation on rules of businesses that are able to operate.
Finally, on April 12th 2020, Italy recorded its lowest number of deaths in more than three weeks. In addition to this, the number of people in intensive care and rate of people being admitted to hospital have also been on the decline for nine days in a row.
Current Situation in Slovenia
As well as our experience in providing luxury travel in Croatia, we also specialize and regularly operate trips to other areas of the Balkan region, such as Slovenia. Renowned for its stunning natural beauty, thriving capital city as well as a vast amount of active travel options, Slovenia is a highly attractive destination for those seeking a beautiful adventure.
At present we are delighted to report that much like Croatia, Slovenia has responded diligently to the challenge of the COVID-19 virus, recording as low as 1,220 cases and 56 deaths. As a result of the successful approach, as of April 14th companies that had suspended production due to the COVID-19 virus are gradually restarting their operations
With this positive news coming from Slovenia we will continue to keep you informed of the latest travel news concerning the Balkan region with the hope that this progress can continue well into the future.
Current situation in the US
As of March 19th the U.S. Department of State has advised its citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. This guidance also extends to U.S citizens who live abroad. Adventures Croatia will do our best to keep you informed of any further federal policies and pronouncements affecting travel.
During this difficult period for all of us our CEO Pamela Robinson has shared a weekly message for both our current and future travelers.
From Our CEO
“We continue to see that a strict adherence to shelter-in-place and social distancing policies are slowing the spread of the virus. Our gratitude goes out to those who are committed to keeping all of us safe by following the most aggressive protocols. As a group who loves to travel, our entire team is uplifted by the number of clients and travelers working with us to reschedule their trips for later in the year and in 2021. It is clear from watching other areas around the world that we will emerge from this crisis in the near future and can once again spread our wings and return to exploring the world. Many new requests for information and travel packages have been coming in at a steady rate, and many clients have told us they intend to take their upcoming trips, fully expecting to visit Croatia later in the year. It is very uplifting to see that we can all remain vigilant without having to surrender dreaming about and planning our lives after COVID. You have our promise to keep you informed, keep you up to date and keep you inspired to once again travel, and to take in the splendor of Croatia. The time is coming when we can again travel the world and share our stories with other people and listen to theirs. Because we are, and truly were, all in this together. Be safe.”
As we continue to navigate uncharted territory, we want to wish all of our readers and their families from around the world the very best of health. If you have a trip planned or are looking to travel to Croatia in the future we are ready to help and advise you on your vacation and the variety of options available going forward.
Our highly knowledgeable and dedicated team has over 20 years of experience in travel to Croatia and the Balkan region and is based throughout the world from Los Angeles to London and Pula. With our extensive knowledge of the region and a team on the ground we will continue to keep you updated and informed of the latest COVID-19 travel developments in Croatia.
