Croatian Chamber of Commerce has issued a statement about specific guidelines for seafarers and ports in response to COVID-19 outbreak
The ports of nautical tourism are open for traffic unless they have been put on lockdown by the prior decision of the Civil Protection Directorate of the Republic of Croatia. The seafarers who sail into the Republic of Croatia on their own boat are checked at the border control. They are given basic protective measures issued for all public places which include avoiding close contacts and maintaining strict hygiene routines.
Additional precautionary measures have been issued for people coming from high risk countries: Chinese province Hubei and the city of Wuhan which is considered coronavirus epicentre, Italy, Heinsberg district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, south Korean city of Daegu, Cheongdo county and Iran. The list is likely to expand according to the newest developments.
For people coming from the affected areas, the quarantine is mandatory, while the Croatian citizens should self-isolate.
Foreign citizens who are more vulnerable to coronavirus are put on organized quarantine at their own expense by the decision of border health authorities and have to be escorted by traffic police to the designated area. Should they refuse to be put on quarantine, they have to leave the Republic of Croatia by sea.
People who come to the Republic of Croatia on a vessel but from less affected areas should be instructed to self-isolate. The areas this refers to are defined according to the latest communication from the Civil Protection Headquarters.
That is to say that Croatian citizens who come to the Republic of Croatia by sea have to be put on mandatory home quarantine, in other words self-isolation. They are instructed to reach their homes by shortest route possible.
For foreign citizens the same rule applies provided that they have a document which proves that they already have a place to stay in Croatia. They are also instructed to reach their accommodation the shortest route possible. Unless they have a document proving that they have a place to stay, they have to leave the Republic of Croatia by sea.
If foreign citizens fulfil the above conditions and are sent to self-isolation upon their arrival to Croatia by sea, they are directed from the border crossing to the marina where they have previously booked the berth for their boat.
It is important to know that self-isolation on the boat is not possible, the accommodation on land has to be provided.
The similar protocol is is for people who are sent to quarantine, except that, in such a case, they have to leave the border on their vessel and go to the marina which is closest to the regional quarantine centre. They also have to have the berth in the port of nautical tourism.
After they have berthed in the port of nautical tourism, they have to notify by phone the authorities whose contacts they were given at the border checkpoint. Marina officials are obliged to check with the people onboard whether they have been issued a document on self-isolation or quarantine and inform the border police who conducted the border control about the arrival of the boat.
Persons directed to self-isolation or quarantine have to organize their own transport and have to be escorted by people from civil protection assistance who are in charge of the quarantine. The boats have to be at their berth and have to be disinfected. If the boat has been chartered, the disinfection is done by the charter company or the owner of the boat. The process has to be monitored by the marina personnel.
We will continue to update our pages with relevant information.
You must follow the advice of local authorities.
