Croatian lawmakers meet in hotel after earthquake damage
- Apr. 07, 2020 08:48 AM EDT
A Croatian parliament member wearing a mask with national colors attends a session at a hotel in Zagreb, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Croatian lawmakers have met at a conference hall in a Zagreb hotel after the parliament building was damaged in a recent earthquake. The members of parliament on Tuesday were sitting individually on chairs, away from each other as part of measures designed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo)
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ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian lawmakers on Tuesday held a session in the conference hall of a Zagreb hotel, sitting separate from each other as part of measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

The lawmakers were forced to find a new place to meet after the parliament building was damaged in a recent earthquake.

The state HRT television said that in previous days they had met at the headquarters of Croatia’s oil company, INA, but that the space there was not big enough to accommodate all 151 lawmakers in view of the anti-virus restrictions.

Tuesday's session was to vote on a series of draft laws.

The 5.5-magnitude earthquake last month killed a 15-year-old girl and injured nearly 30 people amid a partial lockdown against the new coronavirus. The earthquake damaged scores of buildings in the old center of Zagreb.

Croatia, a country of 4.2 million people, has confirmed 1,282 cases of COVID-19, and 18 people have died.