Croatian Prime Minister in quarantine after wife tests positive

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has gone into quarantine after his wife tested positive for the novel coronavirus, local media reported on Saturday.

The conservative premier tested negative to the virus, the Jutarnji List newspaper reported, citing a statement from the government.

Ana Maslac-Plenkovic was suffering light symptoms of Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus, and then took a test on Saturday morning, which came back positive.

Her husband was then automatically placed in a 10-day quarantine.

Due to increasing infection numbers, stricter measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic came into force in Croatia this week.

Restaurants and cafes were closed, and the obligation to wear masks is to be controlled more closely in the future. The government is planning drastic punishments for disregarding new rules, ranging from heavy fines to prison sentences.

Croatia on Saturday reported 3,987 new cases of the virus, according to health authorities.

A total of 25,357 people have been infected in the country, which has a population of almost four million. The death toll rose by 55 on Saturday to a total of 1,655.