STA, 30 March 2021 - From a total of 5,395 PCR tests carried out on Monday, 1,080 came back positive for a positivity rate of 20%, up from Sunday's 16.4%. The daily death toll was as high as 15, an increase of 9. The seven-day average of new coronavirus cases rose by 14 to 957, the government said on Twitter on Tuesday.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals has reached 515 (down 11), of whom 105 are in intensive care (down 7), while 61 were discharged from hospital.

As many as 4,306 persons died until Monday, the government data shows.

The epidemic is on the rise due to the spread of the new, more virulent strains of the coronavirus.

According to the Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS), the reproduction number - showing how many people one infected person will pass the virus on to - is 1.19, but is expected to drop after the 1-11 April lockdown.

Given that the English variant doubles roughly every 11 days, the situation could rapidly worsen without the lockdown, to the point of switching back to tier red in early April; roughly half of the country is now orange (one tier better than red), with the rest split between red and yellow.

First delivery of Johnson & Johnson vaccine expected in mid-April

STASTA, 29 March 2021 - Slovenia expects to get the first delivery of the coronavirus vaccine developed by drug maker Johnson & Johnson in mid-April. The shipment is expected to contain 7,050 doses of the single-shot vaccine, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) said.

Slovenia currently uses the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines. Johnson & Johnson's is the fourth vaccine to be approved for use in the EU and the first one that requires a single shot.

The latest NIJZ data shows just under 231,000, or roughly 11% of the population, have received the first shot of a coronavirus vaccine and roughly 112,000 have received both shots.

This week the focus of the vaccination campaign is on persons over 70.

STA, 30 March 2021 - Natalija Spark, an interpreter of the Slovenian sign language and a psychotherapist, has become the Slovenian Woman of the Year 2020, a title conferred by the women's magazine Jana/Zarja and its readers.

 Having a connection with the hearing world is particularly important for the deaf during the coronavirus epidemic, the organisers said in a press release last evening.

Spark was born to deaf parents, which played a major part when she was choosing her vocation - helping others, the organisers said.

She also takes part in Theatre Interpreter, a project launched a few years ago to bring theatre productions closer to the deaf.

Thanking for the title, Spark said that she saw all the 12 candidates as winners.

"For me this unforgettable gift confirms that I am doing the right thing, although it is often unpleasant," she was quoted as saying.

The list of women whom the magazine and its readers shortlisted as outstanding and inspiring features a group as diverse as an art historian, farmer, boxing champion, retired teacher, volunteer, athlete, doctor, journalist, humanitarian workers, and nurses as a group.

STA, 29 March 2021 - MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew/D66), chair of the European Parliament's democracy monitoring group, has rejected allegations of censorship by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša. An impression that the Parliament is an opponent of Slovenia's is regrettable and far from the truth, she told the STA on Monday.

The MEP said that the group was willing to cooperate and would do all it could to help Slovenia avert a scenario that has been seen in Hungary and Poland.

She said that the group conducted its work in a neutral, calm and professional manner. The group's members regret that the recent developments had been made into a spectacle. "It almost seems as if the European Parliament was an opponent of Janša or Slovenia, which is very far from the truth," in 't Veld told the STA over the phone.

If Janša thinks that a wrong impression has been created, he could always contact the group, she added.

Janša fell out with in 't Veld last Friday at the group's public debate at the Parliament on the situation in Slovenia.

The prime minister had a video about attacks on media and journalists which he insisted should be screened as part of the debate before questions time, whereas in 't Veld refused to allow that. She did say, however, the video could be shown at the end of the debate.

Janša responded by accusing her of censorship. Over the weekend he then wrote on Twitter that Slovenia owed nothing to Brussels. Some Slovenians have been paying the price of freedom and democracy for 35 years and "overpaid bureaucrats who were born into prosperity will not preach to us about freedom and democracy", he said.

He went on to say that Slovenians will never agree " to be censored by self-proclaimed ombudsmen. We did not allow [Slobodan] Milosevic to do that, nor will we allow @SophieintVeld or @CiolosDacian to do so."

Today, in 't Veld dismissed the censorship allegations again, noting that the Parliament was not obliged to show any content. She explained that Janša's video was part of a vast volume of material that had been sent to the group, including statements by individuals, journalists, NGOs and other stakeholders.

The group is also gathering information by itself and is the one to decide when and how the collected items will be used.

The MEP said that the group had conducted talks with EU prime ministers before Friday's incident and until then she had never experienced anything like it. She would not say whether she expected such a turn of events.

So far, she has watched only a part of the video and before commenting on it she would like to watch everything Janša sent to the group and discuss the response with her colleagues in the group.

Asked whether the group will attempt to talk with Janša for a third time, in 't Veld said that its door was always open. However, given that the prime minister cancelled once and left the debate prematurely the second time, it seems there is no will to discuss the matter, she added.

She also highlighted that the monitoring was a process and that the group was no tribunal. It will continue to monitor the situation in Slovenia. In line with standard practice, written questions are expected to be sent this week to Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti, who did not attend Friday's debate.

In a month or two the group will report its findings to the Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. It is possible the Parliament will then prepare a resolution.

The group's chair believes that there is serious cause for concern over the situation in Slovenia, but Article 7 proceedings are not close yet as Slovenia is not yet at the point where Hungary and Poland are currently.

Regarding contact with Janša, she added that the prime minister would have to face the Parliament when Slovenia takes over the EU presidency.

Janša calls on MEP in 't Veld to resign as chair of EP group

STA, 29 March 2021 - Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša has called on Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld (Renew/D66) to resign as chair of the European Parliament's democracy monitoring group. The move comes after Friday's incident during the group's public debate and censorship allegations.

Janša urged in 't Veld to step down on Monday, accusing her of damaging the reputation and credibility of the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group irreparably.

"The Slovenian government takes freedom of speech and media freedom very seriously and therefore we do not accept censorship," reads a letter that was sent to in 't Veld by Peter Šuhel, Janša's chief of staff. Memories of times when newspaper articles had to be approved by the Communist authorities are still very vivid in Slovenia, it adds.

"Your censorship is dangerously reminiscent of that time. However, I am pleased that you did this in front of the European public.

"Since I believe that you have irreparably damaged the reputation and credibility of the Group with this action, I call on you to step down as Chair of the DRFMG, in order for it to regain the trust of the Members of the European Parliament and citizens of the EU through new leadership and through its credible work," writes Šuhel.

The letter is addressed to in 't Veld, but a copy of it was also sent to Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party (EPP) in the Parliament.

The EPP, of which Janša's Democrats (SDS) are a member, has not commented on Friday's developments which saw Janša falling out with in 't Veld at the group's public debate on the situation in Slovenia.

The prime minister had a video about attacks on media and journalists which he insisted should be screened as part of the debate before questions time, whereas in 't Veld refused to allow that. She did say, however, the video could be shown at the end of the debate.

Janša responded by accusing her of censorship. Over the weekend he then wrote on Twitter that Slovenia owed nothing to Brussels. Some Slovenians have been paying the price of freedom and democracy for 35 years and "overpaid bureaucrats who were born into prosperity will not preach to us about freedom and democracy", he said.

He went on to say that Slovenians will never agree " to be censored by self-proclaimed ombudsmen. We did not allow [Slobodan] Milosevic to do that, nor will we allow @SophieintVeld or @CiolosDacian to do so."

MEP in 't Veld strongly rejected Janša's allegations of censorship earlier today, highlighting that the group's door was always open.

She finds it regrettable that an impression has been made that the Parliament is Slovenia's opponent. That is very far from the truth, she said, noting that the group would do all it could to help Slovenia avert a scenario that had been seen in Hungary and Poland.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Janša calls on MEP in 't Veld to resign as chair of EP group

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša called on Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld to resign as chair of the EU Parliament's democracy monitoring group, accusing her of damaging its reputation and credibility. "The Slovenian government takes freedom of speech and media freedom very seriously and therefore we do not accept censorship," reads a letter sent to in 't Veld. The move comes after in 't Veld refused to screen a video Janša had prepared for his appearance before the group, leading to him accusing her of censorship. She rejected the allegation today and said the impression that the Parliament is an opponent of Slovenia's was regrettable and far from the truth.

Proposal to dismiss Zorčič filed, Horvat could be new speaker

LJUBLJANA - The three coalition deputy groups filed a proposal to dismiss parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič after he and another two Modern Centre Party (SMC) MPs left the deputy group. The proposal, signed by all 38 MPs from the SDS, NSi and SMC, says that the National Assembly should meet to dismiss Zorčič tomorrow. At least 46 votes are needed to dismiss or appoint a parliamentary speaker in a secret ballot, which could prove a challenge given the current balance of power. New Slovenia (NSi) deputy group leader Jožef Horvat is expected to be nominated to replace Zorčič.

287 new coronavirus cases confirmed on Sunday, six deaths

LJUBLJANA - A total of 287 out of 1,774 tests came back positive in Slovenia on Sunday for a positivity rate of 16.2%, with the figure decreasing both on the day and on the week before. However, hospitalisations rose by 27 to 526, with 112 patients in intensive care. According to government Covid-19 spokesperson, Maja Bratuša, 49 persons were admitted to hospital on Sunday, a notable increase on the days before. Sixteen patients were discharged from hospital and six died.

Border restrictions stiffened, already causing problems

LJUBLJANA/ČRNA NA KOROŠKEM - Toughened restrictions on Slovenia's borders entered into effect in advance of an eleven-day lockdown kicking in on 1 April, while there are fewer exemptions and the testing requirement has been stepped up. Except for a narrow list of exemptions, travel to all red-listed countries - all of Slovenia's neighbours are on the list - is prohibited and the mandatory ten-day quarantine upon entry from such countries cannot be prematurely ended with a test. The closure of some border crossings is already causing problems for daily commuters, foremost making their travel much longer.

Slovenia supports digital green certificate

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia supports efforts to implement the Digital Green Certificate system for cross-border travel, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said as he took part in a virtual informal debate at the invitation of Austrian Minister for Sustainability and Tourism Elisabeth Kostinger. Slovenia supports a joint approach by the EU to launch the system as well as the Commission's efforts to come up with the implementing legislation and technical solutions, Počivalšek was quoted as saying by the ministry.

Parliamentary inquiry into political interference in police launched

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly formally established a new inquiry commission, which will investigate potential interference by holders of public office in the work of the police since March 2020, when the current government was sworn in. The request was signed by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB). Apart from determining whether the Interior Ministry has been interfering in specific pre-trial and other procedures, the inquiry will aim to disclose whether unacceptable political pressure has been exerted on police officials and staff.

POP TV poll: Support for govt down to 31%, SDS in the lead with 19%

LJUBLJANA - The Janez Janša government enjoys support of 31.1% of those polled in the latest poll Mediana carried out for private broadcaster POP TV. This is the lowest in a POP TV poll since the government took office over a year ago and down from 36% in the previous poll, the only time when its approval rating improved. The ruling Democrats (SDS) remain in the lead with 18.7% support, followed by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) with 10.9%, and the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) with 9.6%. A total of 16.5% of the respondents were undecided, whereas 11.9% would not vote for any of the parties.

French company Treves leaving Slovenia

BIČ - The Slovenian subsidiary of the French car interior components maker Treves is to be shut down in September, which means 102 people will be left jobless, with the announcement coming after the plant was hit by a massive fire in January. The parent company Treves SA told the STA that the plant in Slovenia would be shut down because of poor business prospects, while it has also decided not to renovate the factory after the fire. The employees were informed of the plant closure last Thursday, Treves said.

GZS suggests Slovenia phase out coal in 2036-2038

LJUBLJANA - The strategic council for energy transition, a body established in 2019 by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), said the Šoštanj thermal power plant should close between 2036 and 2038, which is the middle of the three scenarios in the national strategy for phasing out coal. The Infrastructure Ministry has proposed the earliest possible date for closure, 2033 when it launched a public consultation on the strategy.

Intesa Sanpaolo's net profit down 46% last year

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, formerly Banka Koper, last year generated EUR 12.8 million in net profit, which is 46% less than the year before. Revenue was down by 14.7% to EUR 64.6 million, the bank, owned by the Italian Intesa San Paolo group, said. The bank attributed the drop in net profit to a rise in provisions for loan-related losses due to the Covid-19 epidemic in the amount of EUR 4.3 million. Profit before taxes was down 46.3% to EUR 15.5 million. The bank's capital adequacy ratio was up almost three points to 18.82%, and total assets increased up by 9.5% to EUR 2.945 billion.

Bisol ups revenue and profit in 2020

PREBOLD - The solar panel developer and maker Bisol generated over EUR 42 million in revenue last year, some EUR 6 million more than the year before. Net profit reached EUR 3 million, a significant increase over EUR 27,804 in 2019, the Prebold-based company said. Production increased by some 20% over 2019, which was already a record year. In terms of value, the growth was 10% due to a small drop in the price of modules. Employing some 200 people, the company expects growth to continue this year. "Hoping for a stabilisation of the health situation, we expect growth to be at least at last year's level."

NATO flag raised to mark 17th anniversary of accession

LJUBLJANA - A NATO flag was raised in front of the Foreign Ministry building to mark the 17th anniversary of Slovenian's membership in the alliance, in what the ministry said was a long overdue event. The flag was raised by Foreign Minister Anže Logar, who was accompanied by Ambassador Matjaž Šinkovec, Slovenia's first permanent representative at NATO. The ministry said in a press release on the occasion that, by raising the flag, Slovenia was expressing the "affiliation to the Euro-Atlantic space and the awareness that we are part of the strongest alliance".

UNESCO AI centre formally launched in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The UNESCO-sponsored International Research Centre On Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), which was established in Ljubljana in October 2020, was formally launched at a virtual event. The opening ceremony presented the centre's work so far as well as opportunities for cooperation and use of AI tools. The centre has set up programme committees dedicated to sustainable development targets, including in education, support technologies, waste management, climate change, the circular economy and assessment of UN indicators.

Slovenia resubmits Lipizzaner bid for UNESCO intangible heritage list

LJUBLJANA- Slovenia renewed its nomination of Lipizzaner horse breeding for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, which it filed last year on behalf of eight countries with this tradition. The resubmission was needed because the original nomination will not be up for review this December due to a high number of nominations submitted last year. For it to be considered in the 2022 cycle, the nomination had to be filed again.

Abundant harvest for most of crops in 2020

LJUBLJANA - Harvest of principal crops in Slovenia was abundant last year, with farmers reporting increases of 17% in cereals for grain, 35% in potatoes and 19% in dry fodder compared to 2019, data from the Statistics Office (SURS) show. Last year's harvest was slightly better for almost all cereals, with the total output of Slovenia's main bread cereals - wheat and spelt - up 13% to over 158,000 tonnes. The harvest of fruits in orchards and grapes in vineyards was also excellent.

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STA, 29 March 2021 - Toughened restrictions on Slovenia's borders entered into effect today in advance of an eleven-day lockdown kicking in on 1 April, while there are fewer exemptions and the testing requirement has been stepped up. The closure of some border crossings is already causing problems for daily commuters.

Except for a narrow list of exemptions, travel to all red-listed countries - all of Slovenia's neighbours are on the list - is prohibited and the mandatory ten-day quarantine upon entry from such countries cannot be prematurely ended with a test.

All passengers from red-listed countries will have to quarantine unless they show a PCR test made in an EU or Schengen-zone country in the last 48 hours.

A certificate of vaccination with the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine, or proof that the person has had Covid-19 in the past six months, suffice as well, provided it has been issued in an EU or Schengen-zone country.

Some passengers may enter Slovenia without quarantining or testing: international hauliers, hauliers leaving or entering the country for no more than eight hours, persons in transit, diplomats, and youths under 13 commuting to school daily and their drivers.

There are also several groups of passengers who may avoid quarantine with a rapid or PCR test that is no more than seven days old. These include daily cross-border commuters, persons over 13 crossing the border to go to school and their drivers, owners of land on both sides of the border, and persons on emergency trips.

School children cannot be exempted from the quarantine or testing requirement when schools are closed.

Several border crossings closed today, causing problems to Slovenians commuting daily to work to neighbouring countries, foremost making their travel much longer.

Mayors from Koroška, a region bordering Austria, thus urged the government to open Vič, Holmec and Radelj 24 hours a day, meaning they are classified border crossings A, and all the other border crossing in the area from 5am to 11pm (classified as B).

They stressed that no border crossing in their region is open 24/7, while Vič and Holmec are open only between 5am and 11pm.

Opposition SD MP Jani Prednik, who comes from Koroška, addressed an initiative to the government to adopt "a rational and realistic border-crossing regime" for daily commuters and those who have to cross the border due to urgent matters.

All the news on covid and Slovenia

STA, 29 March 2021 - As Slovenia is headed for a circuit-breaker lockdown as of Thursday, with kindergartens and schools shutting down as well, some headteachers are surprised with the government's decision, while others are prepared for the shutdown. All of them, however, said that remote schooling and closed kindergartens are stressful for the children.

With the British variant of the new coronavirus driving the incidence of Covid-19 in Slovenia, all non-essential services, baring several exceptions, will have to close between 1 and 11 April, while the industry has been asked to allow as much work from home as possible.

While schools for special needs children will remain open, this will not be the case for kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.

Several headteachers have told the STA on Monday that this had taken them by surprise, because the government advisory group as well as the government had said in the past that schools and kindergartens would be the last to close.

Mojca Kirbiš, the head of Maribor schools headmasters' club, told the STA that the decision taken by the government and experts needs to be respected, adding, however, that the developments are taking a toll on schools.

"All of us, teachers and students, are tired of the constant changes... We've barely returned to classrooms and established a normal rhythm but now the system is being changed again," said Kirbiš, also adding that there are no guarantees schools would reopen on 12 April under the model in place at the moment.

Several headteachers also pointed to problems regarding national competitions, some of which have been scheduled for the week slated for lockdown. Moreover, the competitors will not have an equal footing this year, they fear.

Rudolf Planinšek, the headteacher of a Kranj primary school, does not expect too many problems with the process of organising remote schooling, but is worried about grades. Remote schooling widened the gap between good and poor students, he said.

"There will definitely be some problems, but we'll overcome them somehow," he is confident. If students will be allowed to return to classrooms on 12 April, the school year will be a good one, he believes.

Irena Sivka Horvat, the headteacher of an Izola primary school, also believes that the lockdown, planned for only a week and a half, will not have an adverse effect on the grades.

She hopes that students will be able to make up for the lost time once the situation normalises, adding also it was yet impossible to say to what extent the knowledge of children had been effected.

Nevenka Kulovec, the headteacher of a Novo Mesto primary schools, believes the lockdown is a good decision if it will buy time for vaccination. It does however undermine the school's programme, but they will adapt, she said. Grades have gotten worse, students are poorly motivated and their ability to learn has declined, she said.

In secondary schools, remote schooling will cause the most stress to the finishing classes who are about to take the matura school-leaving exams that start in a month. "What if something like this happens during matura?" said Herman Pušnik the headteacher of a Maribor secondary school.

While secondary schools will close completely, kindergartens and schools will have to provide urgent childcare for kindergartners and pupils up to third grade.

Kindergartens are still awaiting instructions from the Education Ministry to learn whether childcare will be provided only to children of parents in critical infrastructure or to others without childcare as well.

They hope to receive this information as soon as possible, so as to be able to organise work and meals for the lockdown period, Romana Epih, the headteacher of the Medvode kindergarten told the STA.

Tea Dolinar, the headteacher of Kranj kindergartens, echoed this position. There is not enough time, she said, but her team is already used to such fast and stressful transitions and will make it work.

Dolinar also pointed to the stress the closures put on the children, with many small kids perceiving the return as if they are coming to the kindergarten the first time. A similar sentiment was expressed by several other headteachers the STA has talked to.

Silvija Komočar, the headteacher of a Brežice kindergarten, meanwhile said that the situation is nothing new and that the kindergarten already had a lot experience with urgent childcare and was well prepared. She also said that the closures were stressful for the children.

Meanwhile, the umbrella association of pedagogical workers has called on the Education Ministry to finally take action and establish a policy that would minimise the negative effects of the closures.

After a year of extraordinary circumstances, the ministry should finally establish a task force to communicate with the government advisory group so as to ensure that restrictions are truly proportionate.

STA, 29 March 2021 - The Janez Janša government enjoys support of 31.1% of those polled in the latest poll Mediana carried out for private broadcaster POP TV. This is the lowest in a POP TV poll since the government took office over a year ago and down from 36% in the previous poll, the only time when its approval rating improved.

Over 57% of those polled do not support the government, whereas 11.3% are undecided.

The ruling Democrats (SDS) remain in the lead with 18.7% support, up 0.5 percentage points, followed by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) with 10.9%, down from 11%, and the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) with 9.6%, up 1.7 points.

If elections were held last Sunday, 8.3% would vote for the opposition Left and 4.6% for the coalition New Slovenia (NSi).

All the other parliamentary parties enjoy support of less than 4%, with the opposition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) doing the worst among them, as both received less than 1.5% support.

A total of 16.5% of the respondents were undecided, whereas 11.9% would not vote for any of the parties.

The most popular politician is Health Minister Janez Poklukar, who appeared in POP TV's poll for the first time.

NSi's MEP Ljudmila Novak (EPP) placed second, overtaking President Borut Pahor, who is now third.

NSi leader and Defence Minister Matej Tonin lost his third place to end up ninth, while Prime Minister Janša slipped from 14th to 16th.

The respondents were also asked about their interest in Covid-19 vaccination, with over 45% saying they intended to get vaccinated.

A third of a total of 713 polled persons will not get vaccinated, almost 13% are still undecided, and around 9% have already been vaccinated.

A fifth assessed Slovenia's vaccination campaign as successful, whereas 38.1% believe the country is neither successful nor unsuccessful.

A total of 35.6% meanwhile believe it is unsuccessful, of whom almost 33% blame it on the government's inappropriate response, almost 21% believe the vaccines are not adequately checked, over 11% blame it on the producers' low production capacities and 8% cited low trust in vaccination.

STA, 29 March 2021 - The Slovenian subsidiary of the French car interior components maker Treves is to be shut down in September, which means a hundred people will be left jobless. The announcement comes after the plant based in the village of near Trebnje was hit by a massive fire in January.

The decision to withdraw from Slovenia after 16 years was recently made by the core company in France and Treves CEO Andrej Baškovič confirmed the news for the STA on Monday.

According to unofficial information obtained by the STA, the decision is related to the damage caused by the January fire and the Novo Mesto-based Revoz, one of Treves's main clients, securing only mid-term orders for the Renault Twingo model guaranteed, while its fate after 2024 is not known.

In line with a statement from the French company Treves SA, obtained by the STA, the plant in Slovenia will be shut down because of poor business prospects. The core company also decided not to renovate the factory after the January fire.

The company employs 102 people and will be shut down in September.

MAP

Treves pledged to take measures to reduce the negative impact on workers as much as possible. Information on the number of dismissed workers, the date of lay-offs and possible measures will be presented after talks with all stakeholders.

The employees were informed of the plant closure on Thursday, Treves said.

In January, a blaze engulfed the majority of the Treves building, damaging a part of the production lines for car carpets and sound insulation, as well as offices, with parts of the roof also caving in.

After the fire, a part of production was temporarily moved to a sister company in Spain. The supply to Treves's buyers in Slovenia, Austria, France, Italy and Slovakia was restored in three weeks.

Baškovič announced renovation of the parts of the factory affected by the fire at the time, as the company does not own the building.

A plan for renovation was said to have been in the making and the renovation was being discussed with the owner of the facility. Baškovič assessed at the time that production was to be fully restored in a few months.

The company lost half of its facilities, virtually all of its machines and almost all raw materials to the fire. Most of the tools were destroyed or damaged and had to be repaired to restore regular supply to the company's clients.

The CEO assessed the damage caused by the fire, which also led to a four-day suspension of production at Revoz, at several million euro.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Circuit breaker lockdown to be imposed from 1 April

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government endorsed the proposal of the Covid-19 advisory team to impose an 11-day circuit breaker lockdown starting on 1 April in a bid to help hospitals cope with an expected influx in Covid-19 patients following an increase in Slovenia's coronavirus transmission rates. The decision means non-essential shops and services dealing directly with customers will be shut down and schools will switch to remote classes, while public transport will run on Sunday schedule. Gatherings will be banned and movement will be restricted to region of residence expect for Easter Sunday when up to two households will be able to meet. The measures were taken after a majority supported them in a cross-party meeting hosted by President Borut Pahor which, however, the centre-left opposition failed to attend.

After 640 more coronavirus infections 7-day average at 944

LJUBLJANA - Anther 640 people tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday to push the rolling 7-day average up by a further 17 to 944, as seven Covid-19 patients died, fresh government data show. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose by two to 499 after 29 patients were discharged yesterday. Intensive care cases dropped by two to 105. A total of 229,553 people have received their first dose of a vaccine against Covid-19 and 112,087 have received two.

Border restrictions stiffened from Monday

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenia will step up restrictions on its borders on Monday in advance of an eleven-day circuit-breaker lockdown over Easter. Under the government's decision, travel to red-listed countries - all of Slovenia's neighbours are on the red list - will be prohibited except for cross-border commuters, transit, goods and certain other emergency exemptions.

Germany win team event in Planica, Geiger rounds off victory

PLANICA - Germany won the final team event of the Ski Jumping World Cup on the giant hill in Planica ahead of Japan and Austria. Karl Geiger rounded off the victory by taking the individual event ahead of Japan's Ryoyu Kobayashi and compatriot Markus Eisenbichler. Geiger and Kobayashi split the victory in the overall World Cup ski flying rankings, while the Crystal Globe went to Norway's Halvor Egner Granerud.

Nika Križnar wins Ski Jumping Globe

TCHAIKOVSKY, Russia - Nika Križnar won the overall Ski Jumping World Cup to secure the first ever Crystal Globe trophy in the discipline in the women's competition for Slovenia. The 21-year-old placed third in today's event in Tchaikovsky, Russia, to pip Japanese Sara Takanashi to the trophy by nine points after the second series was cancelled due to strong winds. The winner of today's event, Austria's Marita Kramer placed third overall, 11 points behind Križnar.

Slovenians win Zadar challenger

ZADAR, Croatia - Slovenian tennis players Blaž Kavčič and Blaž Rola won the doubles competition at the ATP challenger tournament in Zadar, their first victory at a challenger-type event. They beat the Slovak pairing of Lukaš Klein and Alex Molčan 2:6, 6:2 and 10:3. In the singles competition, Rola was eliminated on the first round while Kavčič was ejected in the quarter-final.

Bratislava-Split tourist train to cross Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - A EuroNight train taking passengers from Slovakia's Bratislava via Vienna to Croatia's coastal city of Split later this year will cross Slovenia, with stops in the Slovenian towns of Maribor, Celje, Sevnica and Dobova. The first train will leave Bratislava on 18 June before 4pm to arrive in Split next day before 10am, stopping in Slovenia late in the evening, according to the Austrian railways.

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STA, 28 March 2021 - Slovenia will step up restrictions on its borders on Monday in advance of an eleven-day circuit-breaker lockdown over Easter (details), the government has decided.

Travel to red-listed countries - all of Slovenia's neighbours are on the red list - will be prohibited except for cross-border commuters, transit, goods and certain other emergency exemptions, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press on Sunday.

Except for daily cross-border commuters, who already have to get tested every seven days with a rapid antigen test, all passengers will have to show a PCR test made in an EU or Schengen zone country to avoid mandatory quarantine.

In the interim period until school closure on 1 April, cross-border students will also be exempted.

A vaccination certificate or proof that the person has had Covid-19 in the past six months also suffice.

The reason why PCR tests now have to come from an EU or Schengen zone country is the "disproportionately high number of forged test results," in particular from Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to Interior Minister Aleš Hojs.

Hojs said a major reason why the measures on the border had to be beefed up to prevent an expected surge in travel over Easter, when many from the former Yugoslavia who work here go visit their family.

The government decree will be published in the Official Gazette today.

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