Several thousand entrepreneurs protested in the Croatian capital Zagreb against the lockdown, urging the government to allow them to work.

The Croatian authorities decided to extend restrictions imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) into February despite the falling number of new cases due to suspicions that new, more contagious strains have already reached the country.

As new cases started to grow more rapidly, the government closed bars, cafes, restaurants, gyms, sporting facilities, casinos and other facilities in November. Caps of 25 people at public events and 10 people at private gatherings and ceremonies were also set.

However, the government lifted a ban on people travelling outside their home county when central Croatia was struck by a deadly earthquake on December 29.

“Enough mismanagement of the crisis,” the Voice of Entrepreneurs union, which organised the protest, said in a statement.

The entrepreneurs claim that the economic measures implemented by the government are not adequate and discriminate against some of them.

“If entrepreneurs and workers are prohibited from working, which is a constitutional and human right, they should be adequately reimbursed. Why is Croatia not a country equal for everyone, for those in the public and those in the private sector? Why are entrepreneurs second-class citizens their government doesn't care about,” the union said in the statement.

It claims that the government is destroying micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs with 7,000 companies, contributing around HRK3bn (€400mn) to GDP, being at risk of going bankrupt.

The union also says that more than 11,000 jobs have already been lost due to the latest lockdown.

However, Croatia’s Health Minister Vili Beros said that there is no room for easing of restrictions as the number of new cases remains relatively high at 730 for the past 24 hours. The share of positive coronavirus tests is 10.4%.