The instructions for self-protection and prevention of spreading of COVID-19 for LGBTI persons are the same as for all other individuals.

Here we provide selected, translated and adapted parts of the official information about the COVID-19 pandemic and protection measures.

Please consult the complete information and instruction, and the updates on how to contain the pandemic and self-protect from COVID-19 on the special page of the Government of the Republic of Croatia (in Croatian only).

Additional information is available on the pages of the Croatian Public Health Institute (Hrvatski zavod za javno zdravstvo, HZJZ).

At the above official Croatian channel www.koronavirus.hr you can also subscribe to receive Viber messages with daily updates from the Croatian Government with news and instructions.

More information and links to external sources in other European and world languages follow at the end of the following basic instructions.

How is it transferred?

• Direct contact with the infected person

• Via droplets (sneezing, coughing)

• By touching objects and surfaces exposed to virus

How to protect self and others?

1. Wash your hands as often as possible. Make sure you wash them before and after preparing food, before a meal, after using the toilet, after returning from the outside, after cleaning your nose, and always when your hands look dirty.

2. To wash hands you should use warm tap water and soap. If these are not available to you, you can also use alcohol-based disinfectant (minimum of 70% ethyl alcohol) - make sure you rub it thoroughly into your palms!

3. When washing hands, follow the instructions for proper hand-washing. Have a look at UNICEF video here on how to wash hands properly.

4. After washing your hands with soap and water, if possible use single-use paper towels to dry. If these are not available, use the ordinary textile towels, but replace them when they become wet.

5. When you are sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth and nose with your elbow, or use paper tissues which you should dispose of in the bin with a lid, and wash your hands immediately afterwards. When sneezing or coughing, turn your face away from the other people.

6. Avoid touching your face, mouth and eyes with your hands.

7. Do not share glasses, cups, other utensils and cutlery with other persons.

8. Aerate/ventilate your place and spend as much time as possible in open air.

9. When playing with children, use the toys with hard, smooth surfaces which can be easily cleaned.

10. Avoid contact with persons who have elevated temperature, who cough and/or have short breath.

11. Avoid hand-shaking, hugging and kisses, and maintain distance from all other persons of at least 1m when talking.

12. Avoid groups of people and public gatherings.

13. Walk and cycle as much as possible, and avoid using public transport.

14. When i public transport, cinemas, theaters, and other public spaces, in case this is not possible to avoid, sit at the greatest possible distance from the other people, and diligently follow all hygienic rules.

15. Do not smoke! Refraining from smoking reduces the risk of developing severe pulmonary illness cause by the new coronavirus.

16. At least twice a day clean all the surfaces that are touched: work surfaces, smart and other phones, POS devices, keyboards, consoles, computers and other surfaces which are used by various people.

17. Surfaces which are touched and used by many persons, such as POS devices, cover with a disposable tissue or paper towel, and touch/use the device over the tissue.

18. Every day clean your household with the usual household detergent and water. Especially frequently clean the frequently touched household surfaces such as door handles, window handles, taps in toilets and kitchens, toilet water cistern buttons, remote controllers, electrical switches, and door-bells.

What do I have to do if I have the symptoms?

If you have the respiratory illness symptoms (cough, sneezing, sore throat, elevated temperature, short breath):

• stay at home (do not go to work, school, other collectives, family gatherings or public spaces)

• phone call your GP/doctor and the local epidemiological service; avoid going to the health clinic unless your doctor has explicitly instructed you so

• in case of emergency, call 112.