Croatia on Friday banned citizens from travelling between regions during end-of-year holidays but eased restrictions for Christmas masses as it battles one of the EU's highest coronavirus infection rates.

From Wednesday until January 8 only travel within regions will be allowed, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic told reporters.

Also, in a bid to curb the spread of the respiratory disease, indoor gatherings will capped at two households with a maximum of 10 people, he said.

-The aim... is that the numbers (of infections) do not explode after Christmas and New Year- the minister added.

At the same time the authorities in the staunchly Catholic country decided to wave a limit on public gatherings to allow the faithful to attend masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

-People have a spiritual need to go to churches... so it was decided to enable the believers to do it on these two days- said the head of the national public health institute Krunoslav Capak.

Churches will have to provide seven square metres (75 square feet) per person, he stressed.

The move sparked some angry comments on social networks with users saying that similar measures could have been applied to bars and restaurants, which have been closed since late November.

-Church is not the only place where they (believers) can pray- a man commented.

After Lithuania, Croatia has the second highest infection rate in the European Union with 1,158 cases per 100,000 inhabitants cumulatively over 14 days, according to AFP data.

The country of 4.2 million people has registered nearly 200,000 Covid-19 infections and more than 3,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.