STA, 11 February 2021 - Movement will once again be allowed throughout the country from Monday, after the government decided to abolish municipal and regional restrictions which have been in place for months. However, night curfew will stay in place between 9pm and 6am, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press after the government session on Thursday.

Hojs, addressing reporters on Thursday as the government lifted a series of coronavirus restrictions, said it would be possible to cross the border with Austria, Hungary and Italy via all border crossings rather than designated checkpoints from Saturday.

Slovenia is also adding a new list of high risk countries to the red Covid country list to comprise countries in the EU and Schengen area whose epidemiological status is poorer than Slovenia's. Hojs listed as those currently including Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

Arrivals from those countries will have to produce a negative coronavirus test, however from Saturday it will also be possible to cross the border with a positive PCR test dating at least 21 days but no more than six months back, or with a doctor's note proving the person has recovered from Covid-19 that should be no older than six months.

Also valid will be negative tests issued by labs in third countries approved by the National Institute of Public Health, while only doctor's notes from EU and Schengen countries will be valid.

Those immunised against the virus who produce proof they have received a second jab will also be allowed to cross without restrictions.

Slovenia imposed systematic internal Schengen border checks first on 11 March on its border with Italy, which saw a rapid spread in coronavirus. Later checks were imposed on all internal borders.

Health checks on the external Schengen border with Croatia had been introduced in late February 2020.

With the easing of the first wave of coronavirus, Slovenia was one of the first countries to scrap mandatory quarantine for arrivals from EU and Schengen area countries on 14 May.

The border regime started to be restricted again in early autumn, depending on the coronavirus status of the country arrivals came from. Those from red-listed countries faced mandatory quarantine or a negative test. From late October to early December almost all of Europe was on Slovenia's red list.

STA, 11 February 2021 - The government has decided that all stores will be allowed to reopen in Slovenia on Monday, while consumers will no longer have to produce a negative coronavirus test, whereas now this is required for several services. However, skiing will be an exception to this, with skiers required to produce a negative test no older than 7 days.

All retail services will be allowed without restrictions from Monday, Economy Ministry state secretary Ajda Cuderman told the press after the government session in Thursday.

While consumers will no longer be required to show a negative test, those working in retail, beauty and massage services, as well as hairdressers, will still have to get tested regularly.

So will staff in manufacturing, maintenance and installation, real estate, training and animal grooming services, which are now reopening. Apart from car shops, services are limited to 400 square metres of surface area, said Cuderman. Staff training will be allowed for up to 10 people.

Retail and service staff required to get tested, will get priority treatment in testing, the government decided today. Moreover, testing will be paid for by the state.

The restriction of one customer per 30 square metres remains in place in closed spaces and one customer per 10 square metres in open air markets.

The government also decided to loosen restrictions currently in place for ski lift operators. From Monday, skiers will be able to buy fares with a negative test no older than 7 days, whereas until now the test had to be no older than 24 hours.

Ski lift staff in direct contact with clients will also need to have test no older than 7 days, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said.

Changes have also been made to the rules applying to taxi services and driving schools. Taxi drivers will have to be tested every three days, while driving school students will require a test no older than three days, whereas now it is limited to 24 hours. The rules remain unchanged for driving school instructors, who need a test no older than three days.

Moreover, the minister said changes are planned for public transport, as schools will once again reopen on Monday. "When schools open, public transport will run flawlessly."

Those who have recovered from Covid-19 will not have to get tested for six months and will be able to access services with a doctor's note. Negative tests will also not be required for those who have been vaccinated.

"This is important, considering that we have at least 200,000 people who recovered from Covid-19," said Vrtovec.

The Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS) welcomed the loosening of restrictions for services, above all the abolishment of tests for customers, noting that many beauty salons did not reopen while this requirement was in place.

However, the retail section of the OZS is less pleased and has sent a letter of protest to Prime Minister Janez Janša, objecting to regular testing imposed recently on staff in shops selling essentials, which have been open throughout the epidemic without the staff having to be tested.

Primary schools fully reopening on Monday

STA, 11 February 2021 - Primary schools throughout the country will fully reopen on Monday after almost four months of closure. Final year secondary school students will also return to school and exams will again take place at the university level along with seminars for up to 10 students, a government official said on Thursday.

Primary schools will reopen in the western half of the country for about 107,000 pupils, while 83,000 pupils from the eastern half of the country will start a one-week winter holiday, Education Ministry State Secretary Damir Orehovec told the press.

Some 6,000 teachers will thus also return to schools.

Strict safety measures will be adhered to at schools. Pupils will not be leaving their classrooms for different lessons to avoid contacts outside their class. Schools also are urged to organise school meals in a way to minimise contacts outside the bubbles.

No other activities will be organised at schools, and excursions and swimming and other additional lessons have been cancelled. However, individual music and art lessons will be allowed.

Some 11,000 high school students in the final year are also expected to return to their classrooms next week as are 655 students of vocational schools. Practical classes for secondary school students and adult education will be allowed again.

Exams will again take place at the university level along with seminars for up to 10 students. The same exceptions will apply for student dormitories.

Universities have already welcomed the changes. Ljubljana university chancellor Igor Papič sees this as an important step forward, which however is not essential, as the exam period ends this week and the summer semester begins next week. Still, the changes are welcome as universities will have to make up for the last three months, he told the STA.

Maribor university chancellor and the head of the Chancellors' Conference Zdravko Kačič said the possibility of assembly of up to ten people would enable them to organise courses to make up for any backlogs and conduct exams with up to 10 students.

There will be no changes for kindergartens and the first three grades of primary school, which are already open. According to Orehovec, kindergartens had 74% of the children there this week and the first three grades 90%.

As of Monday, non-contact sports will be allowed again for up to 10 people if the two-metre distance can be maintained at all times. Exercising will no longer be limited to families or individuals.

Schools and universities were first closed on 16 March last year when the Marjan Šarec government declared an epidemic. Pupils returned to school after two months of remote learning. On 18 May, the first three grades returned to school along with the final year secondary school students.

A week later the final year primary school pupils returned to their classroom, and than gradually all other grades. Secondary school students remained at home until the end of the school year.

The new school year started on 1 September as usually but schools were forced to switch to remote teaching soon. On 19 October, pupils from up to 6th grade could no longer go to school, and after the autumn break all other pupils staid home as well.

As the epidemiological situation in the country finally improved somewhat, the first three grades of primary school reopened in the regions faring the best on 26 January and also in other regions this Tuesday.

Slovenia scrapping Schengen checkpoints

STA, 11 February 2021 - Slovenia is scrapping checkpoints on internal Schengen borders starting from Saturday and those who have recovered from Covid-19 or have been vaccinated against it will be able to enter the country without having to quarantine or provide a negative coronavirus test, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs has announced.

Hojs, addressing reporters on Thursday as the government lifted a series of coronavirus restrictions, said it would be possible to cross the border with Austria, Hungary and Italy via all border crossings rather than just designated checkpoints from Saturday.

STA, 11 February 2021 - After seven years of offering charging of electric vehicles for free, energy company Petrol will start charging for the service on Monday. This is an important step for development and expansion of plug-in car charging infrastructure in the region, it said, adding it would like to set up more than 1,300 charging stations in the region by 2025.

Drivers charging their vehicles with up to 22 kilowatt plugs will pay 25 cents for a kilowatt hour, Petrol said in a press release on Thursday.

Users will pay for the service via Petrol's OneCharge system based on the amount of energy used and not the duration of the charging.

Petrol said its goal was constant development, which entailed high investment. "Many of our charging stations are already powered by clean energy from renewable sources, and we are also constantly expanding the network of host charging stations abroad ..." said Tadej Smogavec, who is in charge of development of sustainable mobility at Petrol.

Petrol operates the largest network of charging stations in the country and along the border in Austria. It has charging stations at more than 100 locations, according to its web site.

The company has so far been charging only for the use of quick charge stations.

The first to make the service of charging e-vehicles payable was Elektro Ljubljana in May 2019. It has been charging users based on the output and duration of the charging.

STA, 11 February 2021 - In its winter economic forecast, the European Commission has downgraded Slovenia's gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for this year from 5.1% to 4.7%, while a rebound of 5.2% is expected in 2022, an upgrade from the 3.8% in its previous outlook.

The Commission has also estimated Slovenia's GDP to have contracted by 6.2% last year, which is an upgrade of 0.9 of a percentage point compared to the autumn forecast.

The winter forecast report, released on Thursday, says that the "recovery in the third quarter of last year, however, was followed by a strong resurgence in COVID-19 infections and the introduction of new restrictions in the fourth quarter."

This dampened economic sentiment and reduced private consumption significantly, but the impact was softened by extensive measures to support employment and limit insolvencies. Still, the unemployment rate increased slightly.

The European Commission expects that the economic situation in Slovenia will gradually improve as more people are vaccinated and restrictions are relaxed, leading to stronger growth in the second half of the year.

Overall, GDP is forecast to grow by 4.7% this year supported by both strong domestic demand and positive net exports. The economy is expected to grow by 5.2% in 2022, driven by the same factors as in 2021.

"GDP is expected to exceed its end-2019 level by the end of 2022," the report for Slovenia adds.

The Commission assessed that, once support measures end, the recent increase in the minimum wage could place additional strain on struggling companies in the services sector, which constitutes a downside risk to the forecast.

When it comes to inflation, it noted that the sharp decline in energy prices in March 2020 had led to deflationary pressures that were still being felt at the end of 2020 despite the partial recovery in energy prices.

Inflation is expected to remain very low in the beginning of 2021 and to increase somewhat in the second half of the year.

"Overall, prices are expected to increase by 0.8% in 2021, and in 2022 inflation is expected to reach 1.7%," the report concludes.

STA, 10 February 2020 - The opposition National Party (Slovenska Nacionalna Stranka- SNS) is worried about foreigners registering fictitious residence to claim a permanent residence permit, social transfers, tax relief and other benefits. It thus urges a review of the revenue service's decisions granting foreigners the status of tax residents and a better control of residence registration.

SNS is the same party proposing changes to Slovenia’s residence registration law to require individuals to state ethnicity, religion, native language

The SNS would like the Finance Ministry to review all the decisions with which the Slovenian Financial Administration (FURS) treated some 25,000 foreigners who were registered as residents in Slovenia but then referred to work abroad in the last five years.

SNS leader, Zmago Jelinčić, discussing the proposal on Facebook

It says that many did not meet a single condition for the tax residence status, while the unlawful decisions issued by FURS enabled them to claim tax relief for dependent family members, which significantly reduced or even offsets the taxes they had to pay in Slovenia completely.

The Interior Ministry should meanwhile task administrative units around the country to introduce oversight of the number of persons registered at a single address while the police should check the actual situation on the ground, the party said in a press release on Wednesday.

The issue of fictitious registrations of residence came to the spotlight last year when a series of reports showed there were flats and sometimes even commercial premises where dozens and sometimes over a hundred persons, mostly foreigners, were registered.

In the Maribor Administrative Unit alone, an internal oversight in the autumn found potentially fictitious cases of residence registration involving over a thousand residents at 81 addresses, identifying 27 addresses as potentially problematic.

To address the issue, the government adopted changes to the residence registration act in December, which have already been endorsed by the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee and are now waiting to be passed by parliament.

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Curve of infections keeps falling amid massive testing

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 1,439 new coronavirus cases among a record of more than 44,500 tests performed on Tuesday amid increased requirements for mass rapid testing among several occupations. With the daily count down almost 8% from a week ago, the 7-day average of new cases dropped to 827. With hospitalisations dropping to 864, the government is expected to opt for further easing of measures as it meets to review the situation today. With 13 more fatalities, Slovenia's Covid-19 death toll rose to 3,667.

Centre-left opposition retables motion of no confidence in govt

LJUBLJANA - The five left-leaning opposition parties submitted again a motion for a vote of no confidence in the government of Janez Janša, with Karl Erjavec, the head of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), as candidate for prime-minister designate. In line with the parliamentary rules of procedure, the National Assembly could discuss and take a vote on the motion as early as Friday, and not later than 17 February. The most probable date is Monday.

Parliamentary inquiry act ruled unconstitutional

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court announced that the parliamentary inquiry act and rules of procedure on parliamentary inquiry are in violation of the constitution. The National Assembly has been instructed to remedy the situation in a year. An inquiry into prosecution of former Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler has been annulled in relation to judges. The court ruled the act ordering that inquiry in violation of judicial independence in relation to judges' decisions and liabilities in concrete cases.

No majority in parliament for remote secret ballot

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Rules of Procedure Commission voted down on Tuesday the opposition-sponsored legislative changes to the parliamentary rules of procedure that would allow MPs to take part in secret ballots when they cannot be present at the National Assembly in person. Voting against were the four MPs of the coalition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi). The proposal, tabled by the centre-left Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), required a two-thirds majority.

Finance Committee amends bill on Demographic Fund

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee adopted a series of amendments to the National Demographic Fund bill, mostly based on remarks from the parliamentary legal service. Among other things, the STA would become a part of the fund. The centre-left opposition walked out after its amendments, which would change the basic concept of the fund, were voted down. They proposed a public debate on the bill arguing it was being passed without debate on the Economic and Social Council, and that criticism by the anti-graft commission and an association of supervisors had been overheard. The opposition is also considering a referendum.

Počivalšek apologetic after holding meeting in a restaurant

LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek offered an apology after raising controversy for meeting local officials and business executives in a restaurant in Ormož. He said the "meeting was lawful, justified and very useful, but it was also an inconsiderate move in these difficult times". In the apology, published on his Facebook profile, the minister said the last thing on his mind was "rubbing salt into the wounds of those who have been hit hard by the coronavirus epidemic".

NIJZ official expects Slovenia to have 5% of population vaccinated by month's end

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia currently has 2% of its population vaccinated against coronavirus and if the supply of vaccines continues at current pace, 5% of the population could be vaccinated by the end of the month, said Marta Grgič Vitek, the coordinator of the vaccination programme at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). The vaccination of people older than 80 continues throughout the country today, including in Ljubljana and Ajdovščina. In some towns, like Kranj and Nova Gorica, new batches of the vaccine have not arrived yet and are expected on Thursday.

Issue raised with provision asking individuals to state ethnicity and religion

LJUBLJANA - The Information Commissioner took issue with the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee including in changes to the residence registration act a provision requiring individuals to provide information about their ethnicity and religious affiliation when reporting their residence. An amendment to that effect had been proposed by the opposition National Party (SNS). Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik called it a severe encroachment upon privacy of individuals and a risk of discrimination.

Pahor welcomes Mattarella's statement on Foibe Day

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor welcomed the statement by his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella on Italy's National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe, saying it was in the spirit of last year's reconciliation ceremony in Basovizza and Trieste. Mattarella said every community preserves the memory of its most difficult tests and its own historical convictions, adding that dialogue and friendship between people and cultures originates from mutual understanding.

Police strike suspended

LJUBLJANA - A month-long strike by one of the two trade unions representing police officers was suspended for the duration of negotiations after the government agreed to continue paying a bonus for the protection of the Schengen border. The news was announced by the Police Trade Union of Slovenia (PSS), which said the extension of the special bonus through the end of March created "good conditions for peaceful negotiations".

Drago Jančar nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature

LJUBLJANA - Drago Jančar, arguably Slovenia's leading contemporary writer, has been nominated for this year's Nobel Prize in Literature. He was nominated by the Slovenian Writers' Association (DSP), the Slovenian PEN centre and the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU). In recent years, Jančar has been alternating with Boris Pahor as Slovenian candidate for the prize. "But now we estimate that Jančar is our representative and author best known in the world," DSP head Dušan Merc said.

Absent negative test, Minister Hojs denied entry to Croatia

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, accompanied by his mother, was denied entry to Croatia on Monday. Neither he nor his mother had a negative coronavirus test and given the choice between mandatory quarantine or turning around, he decided to return, news portal 24ur has reported. Hojs says he did not break any rules. He told 24ur that his mother has real estate in Croatia so they wanted to go there to pay the bills. He said he also wanted to check how consistently Croatia is vetting passengers.

Adria Airways brand sold abroad for EUR 33,000

BRNIK - The brand of the bankrupt Slovenian air carrier Adria Airways has been sold to a bidder from abroad for just over EUR 33,000 net in the third attempt to sell the brand. Announcing the news, the official receiver Janez Pustatičnik would not name the bidder. Nine bidders responded to the public invitation for binding bids, including four from abroad, Pustatičnik said. The Adria Airways brand includes several registered trade marks, logos and online domains.

Industry contracted in 2020 after six years of growth

LJUBLJANA - Industrial output in Slovenia contracted by 6.2% in 2020 after six successive years of growth. Turnover in industry was down by 7.8%, the Statistics Office reported. In electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply industrial output was down by 9.6%, in manufacturing by 6.0% and in mining and quarrying by 3%. In December, industrial output was 0.7% lower than in November and fell by 0.9% year-on-year.

Biathlon World Championships start on Pokljuka

POKLJUKA - The 2021 Biathlon World Championships started on the Alpine plateau of Pokljuka in earnest with competitions in what is the biggest winter sports event in Slovenia yet. Running until 21 February, the event will feature 337 competitors from 38 countries. The championships opened with a virtual opening ceremony in the lakeside resort of Bled on Tuesday. A total of 12 events are scheduled with the home team expecting at least one of the medals, according to Janez Ožbolt of the Slovenian Ski Association.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

STA, 10 February 2021 - The five left-leaning opposition parties have filed again a motion for a constructive vote of no confidence in the government of Janez Janša, with Karl Erjavec, the president of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), as candidate for prime-minister designate.

The proposal from the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left, Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and DeSUS is supported by ten MP signatures, with each of the initiating parties contributing two signatures.

Erjavec told the press as he presented the motion that the main reproaches to the government related to undermining constitutional principles.

He said that the government was going in the direction opposite to the principles of division of power, freedom of the press, respect of human rights and the rule of law, and other principles that make Slovenia a constitutional democracy.

On the contrary, the government, and in particular Prime Minister Janez Janša, is investing a lot of effort in undermining the fundamental constitutional principles, weakening regulatory institutions and establishing a so-called "second republic".

According to Erjavec, this is the main objective of the platform of the Democratic Party (SDS). This means Slovenia being on the way towards "authoritarian democracy" in which the "great leader" has the main role and the "party uncompromisingly follows him".

The president of DeSUS also said the government had no effective solutions in fighting the Covid-19 epidemic, and that its measures limited human rights and freedoms, causing severe social consequences.

"There is a great deal of discontent in the public, the mood among the people is bad, with fear and uncertainty prevailing," he added.

It is thus high time for National Assembly deputies to decide whether they support the politics pursued by Janša, or they want new, open and democratic politics that "considers the opinion of experts and does not instil fear and uncertainty."

LMŠ president Marjan Šarec said that even if the vote failed, this could not be a defeat for the opposition, which was obliged to do everything in their power to improve the situation in the country and change the direction drastically.

Tanja Fajon, the president of the SocDems, said that the motion was about boosting people's trust in politics and in normality, which the parties wanted to regain "through dialogue and through pacifying and credible politics."

Left coordinator Luka Mesec added that the "situation in Slovenia has never been worse in the last 30 years than now, under the government of Janez Janša.".

Mesec, who expects a narrow vote, said that the epidemic was not to blame for the situation, but the way the government was handling it and how it was "using it for the interests of parties".

SAB president and MP Alenka Bratušek called on all MPs to think about and remember why the citizens had elected them in the first place.

In line with the parliamentary rules of procedure, the National Assembly could discuss and take a vote on the motion as early as on Friday, and not later than 17 February. The most probable date is Monday.

The motion comes after the five parties, gathered in the informal Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), had filed a proposal for a constructive vote of no confidence in the government less than a month ago, which was supported by 42 MP signatures.

The vote never took place as Erjavec withdrew the proposal as it was not certain whether all of the 90 MPs could participate in the secret ballot due to the epidemiological concerns at the time.

He said today he would not withdraw his candidacy this time even if it was not possible for all MPs to vote, as he finds it appropriate that at least a debate is conducted in parliament about where the government is taking Slovenia.

The LMŠ, SD, Left and SAB have a combined 39 votes, or seven short of the required absolute majority. Erjavec said that in addition to the two DeSUS signatures supporting the new motion, he counted on at least one more vote from his party.

He added that he was not going to resign as DeSUS president if the constructive vote of no confidence failed, as he had returned to politics first and foremost to consolidate the party.

STA, 10 February 2021 - Slovenia currently has 2% of its population vaccinated against coronavirus and if the supply of vaccines continues at current pace, 5% of the population could be vaccinated by the end of the month, said Marta Grgič Vitek, the coordinator of the vaccination programme at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

The vaccination of people older than 80 continues throughout the country today, including in Ljubljana and Ajdovščina. In some towns, like Kranj and Nova Gorica, new batches of the vaccine have not arrived yet and are expected on Thursday.

In Ljubljana, where vaccination is being carried out in the morning and rapid testing in the afternoon at the main fairgrounds, 4,000 shots by three different producers are available this week, Uroš Zafošnik, the local coordinator, said yesterday.

Until 7 February, almost 55,000 people received the first shot of vaccine, which is 2.6% of the population, and almost 43,000 the second, which is 2% of the citizens.

So far, a total of 108,000 vaccine doses have been distributed and another 136,100 doses are to be supplied this month.

Apart from the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the AstraZeneca vaccine is also being distributed today.

Currently, the recommendation is that mRNK vaccines, meaning the former two vaccines, are used for those older than 80, while others can also receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. The latter is recommended for inoculation of bedridden persons at their homes, as unlike the mRNK vaccines it is more stable and thus easier to transport.

When all those over 80 who have expressed interest in the vaccination will be inoculated, those over 75 years old will follow and then those over 70 and the particularly vulnerable patients with chronic diseases regardless of their age.

According to Grgič Vitek, the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca is recommended for people aged between 18 and 64, as there is not enough data on its efficiency in older people.

The second shot is to be administered after nine to 12 weeks, which is longer than with mRNK vaccines.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is to be used for health workers who have not been inoculated yet, for institutionalised persons who have not been vaccinated yet, for special schools staff and children, and for particularly vulnerable chronic patients under 65.

These will be followed by other chronic patients and then those working in key infrastructure.

Grgič Vitek could not say when healthy adults could expect to get vaccinated. "We don't know what the demand and supply will be," she said.

She expects those over 80 to be vaccinated by the end of the month, while vulnerable chronic patients could be inoculated in April.

The priority groups among employees in key infrastructure will be adjusted to the type and quantity of the vaccines supplied. "We believe teachers and employees in education should be a priority, while we will ask the government and other bodies to decide who else they consider to be the most important for the functioning of the country," said the NIJZ official.

Meanwhile, it is not clear yet whether the vaccines also prevent transmission of infection. "An expert recommendation is that once a person is inoculated, meaning a week after the second shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, two weeks after the second shot of the Moderna vaccine and three weeks after the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, no testing is required for the next three months."

For now, this applies only to medical staff but the rules should also be set for others, Grgič Vitek said.

Until the end of this week, more than a thousand cases of side effects following vaccination have been entered into the NIJZ registry. Most, 1,064 cases referred to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine of which some 96,000 shots have been administered.

Five cases referred to the Moderna vaccine of which just over 8,000 shots have been distributed.

In most cases, mild side effects are being reported such as pain in the vaccination spot, headaches and dizziness.

Seven cases of serious side effects have been recorded since the end of January. "They were two deaths and five such side effects that required hospital treatment," Grgič Vitek said, adding the share of serious side effects was lower than with other vaccines.

Meanwhile, the head of the National Institute of Biology, Maja Ravnikar, presented the institute's research of the virus's presence in excrement. The institute has been testing samples from several sewage treatment plants across the country covering 600,000 people for months as part of a pilot project.

The results so far show that the amount of the new coronavirus in waste waters matches the number of active cases detected in tests. The last increase in the amount of virus was detected in January and now it has been decreasing for a while, Ravnikar told the press today.

"By analysing waste waters we are monitoring the entire population, meaning also those who have not been tested. This process is very fast, so sometimes we detect a rise in a number of infected people a few days ahead," she said.

The mutations of the virus can also be detected. Until mid-January the presence of South African or Brazilian strains have not been detected. Some samples have been association with the British variant but in very small quantities.

The latest data on coronavirus and Slovenia

STA, 10 February 2021 - The Office of the Information Commissioner has taken issue with the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee including in changes to the residence registration act a provision requiring individuals to provide information about their ethnicity and religious affiliation when reporting their residence.

The changes were debated by the committee last week and the amendment proposed by the opposition National Party (Slovenska Nacionalna Stranka- SNS) was confirmed.

It stipulates that when registering a permanent residence in Slovenia, a permanent address abroad or a change of a permanent address abroad, an individual must state their ethnicity, religious affiliation and native language.

So far, such information has not been collected when one's residence was being registered in Slovenia.

Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik has taken issue with this, saying that this was a severe encroachment upon privacy of individuals and constituted a risk of discrimination of "foreigners, minorities and vulnerable groups".

Prelesnik said in Wednesday's press release that the provision went in the "direction of police state", and added that she had also informed the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman and the Advocate of the Principle of Equality about it.

Calling on the National Assembly not to endorse the provision, Prelesnik said that such changes could have serious and unpredictable consequences on the rights of individuals.

The information commissioner noted that the Slovenian constitution defined the right to the freedom of consciousness and stipulated that no one was obligated to state their religious or other beliefs.

The constitution also prohibits the use of personal information in contravention of the purpose of its collection, which must be defined by law and must always be in line with the constitutional principle of proportionality, she added.

Dr Noah Charney, an American best-selling author and Pulitzer finalist, has been described as “Slovenia’s biggest cheerleader in foreign media.” He writes about Slovenia regularly for major publications, as the Slovenia Travel correspondent for The Guardian, for the Washington Post, National Geographic and many more venues. He’s also author of more than a dozen books, including the internationally best-selling novel, The Art Thief, and the Slovenian best-seller, Slovenology: Living and Traveling in the World’s Best Country. But he also has a sideline in helping authors, primarily Slovenes, find anglophone publishers abroad.

For many years he’s taught a short course at University of Ljubljana called Writing for Publication, in which he teaches what is rarely taught even in creative writing programs: the mechanics of how to become a paid writer. Do you need an agent? How do you pitch to a newspaper editor? How do you negotiate a publishing contract? How do you write a book proposal and find a publisher for a non-fiction book? There are numerous tricks of the trade and his past students have become published authors and regular contributors to international magazines and newspapers. For the past two years, he’s even taught a private course run by University of Ljubljana exclusively for his fellow professors, teaching them how to write in a more engaging way, to help them get prestigious ERC grants (the most advanced EU grant available for research, worth 1.5-2.5 million Euros each). He has also worked as an informal “agent,” helping dozens of Slovene writers to find literary agents or publishers abroad. He’s worked with everyone from Joze Pirjevec to Miha Mazzini, from Ales Steger to Goran Vojnovic, from Vlado Kreslin to Luka Novak to Bostjan Videmsek and many others—more than twenty, by his count.

Now, due to the pandemic, he’s offering a pair of writing workshops via Zoom. “The key is that anyone, Slovenes especially, can get published in English and even earn money writing, from wherever they are,” he said. “My past students have published books and numerous articles for major venues, all in English and all from Slovenia. There are all sorts of tricks of the trade that I wish someone had taught me, that I’m happy to pass on to students.” His course includes a 70-page document that he gives to all students, full of tips and sample book and article proposals—even sample cover letters to agents and editors, which students can adapt and use. “My goal is to make life easier for my students,” he said.

There are two workshops on offer now, but one of them you’ll need to register for quickly, by February 11 at the latest. It’s WRITING FOR PUBLICATION and will be held via Zoom this Friday, February 12 from 17:30-20:30. The other sessions are February 16 and 19, the same times. “That’s the workshop in which I teach all the logistics of how to get published,” he said. This one is run by University of Ljubljana’s Filozofska Fakulteta and you can register here.

The second will run during the same time slots on March 12, 17 and 19 and will be co-taught by Slovenia’s best-selling author abroad, Miha Mazzini. Miha and Noah will teach this second workshop on writing itself: character development, plot, pace and the mechanics of writing, touching on fiction, non-fiction and popular articles. Both workshops will be held in English, but with the option to switch to Slovene anytime.

“The best combination is to take both, as the two workshops compliment each other ideally with no overlap,” Noah said. The second workshop will likewise be via Zoom and those interested should contact Noah or Mazzini directly, via their websites or social media, if they are interested.

“I’m always happy to help anyone get published,” Noah said. “It is a great feeling, it can bring in extra money and it offers added value, because you can then promote others through your writing. It’s the ideal addition during lockdown, because you can write and get published from anywhere, anytime.

To learn more, you can contact Noah via Facebook or through his website, www.noahcharney.com.