Croatia mulls border restrictions for other Balkan countries

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia on Wednesday was mulling whether to partially restore border restrictions for the citizens of several other Balkan countries after a spike in cases of the coronavirus and an outbreak at an exhibition tennis tournament organized by top-ranked Novak Djokovic.

Croatia's crisis team is yet to decide whether to impose stricter control and possibly 14-day isolation for travelers coming in from Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, officials said.

The European Union country on Tuesday reported 30 new coronavirus cases, including a dozen among nuns at a convent in a central region. Croatia has had 2,366 cases of infection while 107 people died.

Dozens of new infections are being reported daily in Serbia, Bosnia and other Balkan nations that have seen a spike after relaxing anti-virus rules.

Tennis star Djokovic has tested positive for the virus, along with three more players who took part in the charity tournament in the coastal Croatian town of Zadar. Dozens more people are being tested in the town, who participated or visited the event.

They included Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who has been criticized just days before a parliamentary vote on July 5 for not self-isolating after an encounter with Djokovic. Plenkovic has tested negative and says he only briefly saw the Serb player.

“There has been no close contact. All epidemiologists explained that. That topic is finished,” he told reporters Wednesday, according to N1 television.

Croatia reopened its borders before the summer tourism season — the tourism industry is key for the nation's economy, which is among the weakest in the EU.

In Serbia, authorities on Tuesday made wearing masks on public transit obligatory while reporting 102 new cases. Lockdown...