All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook

We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Xenia Guzej, TITLE. You can see more of her work here.

Contents

Wednesday's tests confirm 11 new Covid-19 cases, death toll up by two to 91

Ban on travel outside of home municipality lifted

Athletes returning to training, competition ban to be lifted for individual sports

Visits to elderly homes possible again

Wednesday's tests confirm 11 new Covid-19 cases, death toll up by two to 91

STA, 30 April 2020 - The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Slovenia increased to 1,429 on Wednesday, as 11 more people tested positive in what were 1,252 tests conducted. Two persons died, bringing the total death toll in the country to 91, the government said on Thursday.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals decreased by 12 more to 63, of whom 22 were in intensive care, three fewer than on Tuesday.

More than 52,000 tests have been performed in Slovenia so far. The testing also included 1,291 samples taken in the random testing campaign launched on 20 April.

No new infections were recorded as part of the campaign yesterday, meaning the result so far remains one new case along with one more that was already diagnosed a month ago.

Government spokesman Jelko Kacin announced today that the results of the random testing study would be presented after the May holidays, probably already on Monday.

Back to the contents

Ban on travel outside of home municipality lifted

STA, 30 April 2020 - Slovenian residents are free to travel to places other than their own municipality of residence as of Thursday after the government lifted a ban put in place a month ago to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The restriction confining people to their home municipality except to go to work, seek emergency services or offer assistance to relatives was introduced a month ago to stop the spread of coronavirus epidemic around the country and has been one of the most unpopular government measures.

It was relaxed once already to allow people to do seasonal and maintenance work on property outside their home municipality, and now it has been removed from the general lockdown decree issued by the government.

All other restrictions to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 remain in place. People are thus required to physically distance in public places, they have to wear masks and use hand sanitizer in closed public spaces, and gatherings of groups of people outside the same household remain prohibited.

Back to the contents

Athletes returning to training, competition ban to be lifted for individual sports

STA, 30 April 2020 - Education and Sports Minister Simona Kustec has announced Slovenian athletes will be able to start training again next week, while the government is also lifting most of the restrictions pertaining to competitions in individual sports.

"We are also lifting measures for competitive sports. This will primarily apply to individual sports and under specific security conditions also to collective sports. Competitions in individual sports will also be allowed, but without spectators," the minister told commercial broadcaster POP TV on Wednesday, adding she hoped competitions would be broadcast live.

Training sessions are expected to resume on 4 May. "We just need to check the security measures with the National Institute for Public Health. The protocol is progressing well and we expect this will be the date when sport will be reactivated," she said.

While Slovenian athletes will thus be joining their colleagues in Croatia, Austria and elsewhere in Europe in returning to training, competitions are not expected shortly, since Slovenian athletes abandoned organised practice sessions in mid-March when the coronavirus epidemic was declared.

Minister Kustec was not available for detailed explanations at Thursday's government briefing on the coronavirus state of play, but the government's chief medical adviser for the epidemic, Bojana Beović, urged caution.

Not yet able to provide any timelines and specific guidelines for team sports and contact sports, she suggested teams could resume with training but individually. Group sessions would only make sense if a team secluded itself, imposing a kind of quarantine on all players, she argued.

The first partial lifting of lockdown restrictions in sports occurred on 20 April when a limited number of outdoor sports facilities, including tennis courts, golf courses and bowls pitches, were reopened for recreational purposes.

Back to the contents

Visits to elderly homes possible again

STA, 30 April 2020 - Visits to homes for the elderly are again possible as of today, yet under very strict safety rules, Janez Cigler Kralj, the minister in charge of social affairs, announced on Thursday. Plans to relax public passenger transport on 11 May, and dental services are also in the making.

Weighing in on whether to relax the ban on visits, the government was guided by good epidemic figures and the stress the elderly are subjected to without visitors, he explained at the government's daily coronavirus briefing.

However, visitors will have to make an appointment in advance, and upon entering the retirement home, give a statement that they have been in good health over the past two weeks and that they have not been in contact with an infected person.

Only one person can visit a resident, either a relative or a volunteer, the minister of labour, the family, social affairs and equal opportunities said.

The visits are recommended to take place outdoors or in large indoor areas, if possible without any physical contact.

"Our goal is to find a balance between protecting the lives and health of the residents and their right to social contact, which is very important for their mental well-being."

Since a number of protocols needs to be observed to provide for safety, Ciglar Kralj does not expect all care homes will be able to open the doors today.

Nevertheless, they are advised to do it as quickly as possible, but definitely before 11 May, said the minister.

May 11 is also the date when public passenger transport could be relaxed, the government's coronavirus spokesperson Jelko Kacin announced.

Infectious disease specialist Bojana Beović, the head of the government's medical task force for the epidemic, said very strict rules would be drafted before the ban is lifted.

As a series of restrictions are being lifted, including the ban on inter-municipal travel today, Beović said the radical measures imposed by the state would now have to be replaced with "our responsible behaviour".

If the trend of one infected person infecting only "an average of half a person" continues, the epidemic will slowly ease off, provided no infections are brought in from abroad, she said.

However, should the trend worsen only slightly, we could witness a major rise in hospital treatment in September.

"If the epidemic gets out of control again, and one person infects one and a half persons, we'll have an unmanageable situation in September," Beović illustrated.

She believes one cannot count on the epidemic to end for a year, noting a medicine or a vaccine accessible practically to the entire community would first be needed.

Beović said another set of measures could be relaxed in two weeks time, once the impact of the measures relaxed so far on the epidemiological situation is clear.

She announced that plans to relax dental services are also in the making, and yet again urged people to act in a responsible and self-protective manner.

Back to the contents

STA, 30 April - It seems increasingly likely that the closure of stores, including groceries, on Sundays as a result of the coronavirus epidemic will become a permanent arrangement and be extended also to the period after the crisis. A legislative initiative to this effect, announced by the opposition Left, was backed on Thursday by PM Janez Janša.

In announcing the legislative proposal, the Left joined today the Trade Union of Shop Assistants, which argued ahead of Labour Day in favour of keeping stores closed on Sundays and bank holidays also after the epidemic.

Podpiramo ? https://t.co/3EJRoaO3YC

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) April 30, 2020

The Left pointed out that voters had already decided in a referendum in 2003 that stores should be closed on Sundays, but were ignored later due to pressure from retailers.

Prime Minister Janša responded to the Left's tweet by tweeting "We support". Support was also expressed at the government's coronavirus briefing by Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, who said he had been an advocate of this all along. Hojs said those working in stores should be free at least one day a week and that it did not matter if consumers spent their money in six or seven days.

The Chamber of Commerce responded to the developments by arguing that the trade union and the Left should be aware one working day less would result in redundancies.

"Such a change depends on a change of the collective bargaining agreement that needs to be agreed by social partners, meaning the trade unions and employers," the chamber's president Marija Lah told the STA.

STA, 29 April 2020 - Schools and kindergartens in Slovenia will start reopening on 18 May in what will be a gradual process, Education Minister Simona Kustec announced after a cabinet session on Wednesday. Only the youngest and oldest students will return to classrooms, all others will end the year at home.

"This will be a thought-out, gradual measure. We'll do this just for certain groups and certain grades and under the very clear precondition that we will have precise instructions and guidelines for teachers, students and parents," she told public broadcaster TV Slovenija.

Kindergartens will reopen first and classes will start in the first three grades of primary schools and for final-year students at secondary schools. Next, final-year students of primary schools will return to class "so that they may complete their primary education in the usual way," she told POP TV.

Other students will "complete the school year remotely," said Kustec. "This is the way instruction is already carried out and this is how it is going to end."

The measure appears designed to allow parents of small children who cannot be home alone to return to work as portions of the economy which had been shut down gradually restart operation.

Before students return to school, the ministry will issue detailed guidelines on protective measures that both students and teachers will have to take. The information will be circulated next week.

"It is necessary to provide the conditions and the appropriate safety equipment so that it is possible to safely re-enter these organised forms of education," said Kustec.

While Kustec did not disclose the details of protective measures, Simona Perčič of the National Institute of Public Health told TV Slovenija that classes will probably be split into two to make sure there is enough space between students.

Hand sanitizer will have to be available and use of face masks will be mandatory from age 12. Younger children will not be required to wear masks since they are not able to use them properly, she said.

Schools and kindergartens closed on 16 March as one of the first measures to fight the Covid-19 epidemic. Home schooling was launched immediately and after significant problems were reported in the initial weeks, the ministry says 99.5% of students now take part in remote learning.

The news comes after Prime Minister Janez Janša announced a gradual easing of measures starting with the lifting of a ban on inter-municipal travel on 30 April and a series of measures to follow after Labour Day weekend.

The details of the plan are to be presented at the daily government coronavirus briefing on Thursday morning.

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:

Ban on travel outside of home municipality lifted as of Thursday

LJUBLJANA - The government lifted a ban on non-essential travel outside the municipality of residence starting on Thursday as Prime Minister Janez Janša announced Slovenia had achieved a turnaround in the fight against coronavirus that allowed it to gradually ease restrictions. Delivering a video address after a cabinet session, Janša said the number of active infections had "dropped to the degree that allows us to adopt a plan of gradual lifting of restrictions in the foreseeable future". The details of the plan, adopted based on recommendations by health experts, are to be presented tomorrow.

Schools and kindergartens to start gradually reopening on 18 May

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Schools and kindergartens in Slovenia will start reopening on 18 May in what will be a gradual process, Education Minister Simona Kustec announced after a cabinet session. Kindergartens will reopen first and classes will start in the first three grades of primary schools and for final-year students at secondary schools. Next, final-year students of primary schools will return to class. Other students will complete the school year remotely. "This is the way instruction is already carried out and this is how it is going to end," she said.

Army better equipped for peacetime, no progress in wartime readiness

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces' (SAF) state of readiness for peacetime action has improved, while there has been no progress in its capacity for wartime action which thus remains unsatisfactory for the sixth straight year, President Borut Pahor said as he received the annual report for 2019. The key reasons for the negative assessment are staff and funding shortages as well as outdated equipment, suggests the report presented to Pahor by the chief of the general staff Brigadier General Robert Glavaš, and Defence Minister Matej Tonin. Pahor said he fully trusted that army will professionally and faithfully fulfil the public's expectations as regards security.

Slovenian and German foreign ministers urge joint solution to travel

LJUBLJANA/BERLIN, Germany - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his German counterpart Heiko Maas called for a common European solution to travel during the coronavirus pandemic after holding talks via video link. The opening of borders depends on how the pandemic develops in individual countries, and there is also a risk of a second wave. This is why Logar stressed that "one should be aware that opening up borders also has an impact on other countries". The two ministers highlighted the role of solidarity and cooperation, with Maas saying unity and solidarity could be increasingly noticed in the EU after initially quite different reactions to the crisis.

Prime minister does not expect life to get back to normal any time soon

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša believes that although the trend shows Slovenia has for now managed to contain the coronavirus spread, the crisis is not yet over and utmost caution will be required in the future. Speaking for the Catholic weekly Družina's monthly supplement, he said he did not expect life to normalize any time soon. "There is no guarantee that the situation will not repeat in the autumn. This is a reason why it will probably be impossible to return to normal any time soon, social distance and sanitisers at public places etc. will still be needed."

Solutions being sought to bring Slovenian tourists to Croatia

ZAGREB, Croatia - The Slovenian and Croatian ministers in charge of tourism, Zdravko Počivalšek and Gari Cappelli, met to discuss the possibilities for relaunching the sector in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. They agreed that a solution should at least be found for Slovenian owners of real estate in Croatia. Počivalšek noted that Slovenians owned around 110,000 real estate units in Croatia and that it would be appropriate if they were enabled to visit their holiday homes. Cappelli said talks were under way on the possibilities to open borders and to secure all needed measures and procedures so that Slovenians could spend their summer holidays in Croatia.

Ten new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 89

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,317 new Covid-19 tests were performed in Slovenia on Tuesday, with six new cases recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 1,418. Three persons died of Covid-19 yesterday, bringing the death toll in the country to 89, the government said on Wednesday. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals was down by five to 75, of whom 25 were in intensive care, one more than on Monday. A total of 51,607 tests have been performed in Slovenia so far, including 1,258 random samples.

PM discusses illegal migrations at Interior Ministry

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and his state secretary for national security Žan Mahnič visited the Interior Ministry to discuss illegal migrations. Minister Aleš Hojs expects migrations to rise again in the near future, so he announced that more police officers would be deployed on the souther border as soon as the Covid-19 epidemic eases. "A rise in the number of illegal migrants can be expected in the Western Balkans in the coming months. There are already between 9,000 and 10,000 migrants in Bosnia and some 9,000 in Serbia waiting to proceed towards the EU," the ministry said.

Libraries, museums remain closed despite govt permission to reopen

LJUBLJANA - Libraries, galleries and museums in Slovenia remain closed although the government last night gave them permission to reopen as of today. The institutions say they need to prepare to reopen and that this cannot be done overnight. They expect to be able to welcome the first visitors in early May. The head of the Slovenian Museums Association, Aleksandra Berberih Slana, told the STA they had received no official instructions on how to protect employees and visitors when museums reopen. The Association of Slovenian Libraries informed users on its website that general libraries remained closed for now. They might be ready to reopen next week.

President, ministers targeted for ignoring social distancing rules

LJUBLJANA/CELJE - A lawyer from Celje has initiated a criminal complaint against the president of the republic and two ministers for ignoring social distancing rules and failing to wear protective equipment during a tour of the border river Kolpa two weeks ago. The criminal complaint by Boštjan Verstovšek comes after President Borut Pahor, Defence Minister Matej Tonin and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs were photographed in mid-April walking along the river without safety equipment and seemingly closer together than social distancing rules dictate. He was prompted to press the charges after Hojs urged the police to use published photos to identify persons who flaunted social distancing rules at protests in Maribor and Ljubljana.

Mokrice hydro power plant receives green light in parliament

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed in a unanimous vote legislative changes that facilitate the completion of the planned power stations on the lower Sava river, including the last link in the chain, the Mokrice plant. Under the previous legislation, the investor would first have to buy some 4,000 plots of land before a decision is even made whether the investment could be carried out at all. In line with the changes, the procedure for issuing construction permit and an environmental assessment will be launched before all the land is purchased. However, the land will have to be purchased before the construction permit is actually issued.

Parliament transposes amended internal gas market directive

LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed changes to the energy act to transpose the amended EU directive that makes rules governing the EU's internal gas market also applicable to pipelines to and from third countries. The amendments define in more detail the tasks of the gas transmission system operator Plinovodi and the regulator, the Energy Agency, and also lay down the procedure for contract approval by the European Commission. The deadline for the implementation of the directive was 24 February.

National Assembly confirms changes in parliamentary bodies

LJUBLJANA - Since the new government coalition in now in power, the National Assembly confirmed on Tuesday changes to the composition of the parliamentary commissions and committees. For instance, the Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services will from now on be chaired by Matjaž Nemec of the opposition Social Democrats (SD). The decision on the number of members and chairs that each deputy group will have in the parliamentary bodies was made by the college of deputy group leaders last week.

Adria Airways brand up for sale

LJUBLJANA - The official receiver of the bankrupt Slovenian air carrier Adria Airways, Janez Pustatičnik, published an invitation for binding bids for the carrier brand name at the asking price of EUR 100,000. In line with the invitation, only bids with a security deposit of EUR 15,000 will be considered, and bids will be accepted until 6 July. Bidders will not be able to physically review documents related to the brand until restrictions imposed in the coronavirus epidemic are lifted. If the situation does not change until 6 July, the deadline will be extended. Adria Airways has been in receivership since October 2019.

State forest company's revenue, profit down in 2019

KOČEVJE - SIDG, the state-owned forest company, saw revenue decline by roughly 14% to EUR 66 million in 2019, with net profit down by about 4% to EUR 11.9 million. Pre-tax profit, at EUR 15.2 million, was up 3%. The company, which manages state forests, said on Wednesday the results in 2018 had been buoyed by emergency felling of windthrown timber, while the bottom line for 2019 had been severely affected by low prices of timber, in particular of spruce.

Poll shows increasing concern about job security

LJUBLJANA - People are increasingly concerned about job loss due to the coronavirus epidemic. Almost a quarter are afraid they will lose their job, while a significant share have already been made jobless, shows a poll conducted by Valicon. Valicon has conducted a running survey for over a month to gauge people's sentiment during the pandemic. On 23 March, 15% said they were concerned about their job, by 28 April that share rose to 23%. In the same period the share of those who reported being made jobless rose from 1% to 5%.

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

All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook

We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Saška Grušovnik. You can see more of her work here.

Contents

Ten new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 89

Ban on travel outside of home municipality lifted as of Thursday

Janša does not expect life to get back to normal any time soon

Poll shows increasing concern about job security

Going to hairdresser's or beauty parlour gets complicated

Ten new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 89

STA, 29 April 2020 - A total of 1,317 new Covid-19 tests were performed in Slovenia on Tuesday, with six new cases recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 1,418. Three persons died of Covid-19 yesterday, bringing the total death toll in the country to 89, the government said on Wednesday.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals was down by five to 75, of whom 25 were in intensive care, one more than on Monday.

A total of 51,607 tests have been performed in Slovenia so far, including 1,258 samples taken in the random testing campaign launched on 20 April. No new infections were recorded as part of the random testing yesterday.

Back to the contents

Ban on travel outside of home municipality lifted as of Thursday

STA, 29 April 2020 - The government has lifted a ban on non-essential travel outside the municipality of residence starting on Thursday as Prime Minister Janez Janša announced Slovenia had achieved a turnaround in the fight against coronavirus that allowed it to gradually ease restrictions.

The restriction confining people to their home municipality except to go to work, seek emergency services or offer assistance to relatives was introduced a month ago to minimise the spread of coronavirus epidemic around the country and has been one of the most unpopular government measures, in particular in small and densely populated municipalities.

It was relaxed once already to allow people to do seasonal and maintenance work on property outside their home municipality.

Delivering a video address after a cabinet session, Janša said on Wednesday that the number of active infections had "dropped to the degree that allows us to adopt a plan of gradual lifting of restrictions in the foreseeable future", which he said was an "important stage victory in the fight against the epidemic".

The plan, adopted based on recommendations by health experts, is to be presented tomorrow. Janša said some of the dates in the plan were fixed, while others are merely indicative and necessarily so.

Under previously announced plans, businesses such as hair salons and massage parlours will reopen on Monday along with stores outside shopping centres that are under 400 square metres. Bar terraces will reopen as well. All businesses will have to adhere to strict safety rules.

Janša said the reopening was thanks to people complying with the rules, making Slovenia the most successful neighbour of coronavirus hotspot Italy. Such conduct "prevented hundreds of deaths as a consequence of Covid-19 and a collapse of the health system".

He said responsible behaviour would be required going ahead. "Only by consistently adhering to instructions issued by health professionals can we retain the number of infections at a level low enough to avoid new outbreaks of the epidemic and renewed restrictions."

"Slovenia is currently among the most successful countries in the fight against the epidemic. And this is thanks to you. Due to the rapid preparation of corona legislative packages, it is economically and socially among the least affected. Let's continue down this path," he said.

Back to the contents

Janša does not expect life to get back to normal any time soon

STA, 29 April 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša believes that although the trend shows Slovenia has for now managed to contain the coronavirus spread, the crisis is not yet over and utmost caution will be required in the future. Speaking for the Catholic weekly Družina's monthly supplement, he said he did not expect life to normalize any time soon.

The government is considering which measures could be relaxed to still maintain social distancing, but is aware that utmost caution will continue to be needed.

"There is no guarantee that the situation will not repeat in the autumn. This is a reason why it will probably be impossible to return to normal any time soon, social distance and sanitisers at public places etc. will still be needed."

He believes the majority of the people appreciate what his government is doing to contain the coronavirus crisis, but he criticised the opposition for being extremely aggressive during this difficult time.

"I believe the vast majority of people appreciate the selfless work of the government, doctors and nurses, members of Civil Protection, Red Cross, Caritas and other charities which help those in need. We are all making an effort to do what needs to be done in the given situation, so that as a nation we exit this ordeal with the least amount of damage".

On the other hand, the "radical leftist, partly extremist opposition and its media extensions" are throwing a spanner in the government's work, said Janša, who also criticised opposition parties for not taking action in time while they were still in power.

By not taking urgent measures while it still could, the opposition has caused major damage, which can now be seen in "a bigger number of deaths and infected persons and in a significantly bigger economic damage than we would have, had [the former government] taken action in time at least at the end of February".

Janša said he was aware "there are people who will never manage to overcome the hatred in them" and "who will always spread negativism in their environment".

"They will accompany every government measure with loud cries and assess it as a conspiracy against freedom and an attack on democracy, they will label it authoritarian," Janša said, adding that he would not like this attitude to affect his team.

Asked what he would like to be different once the epidemic is over, Janša said "everything we also wanted before the crisis".

"The pandemic as such will not change the human nature, but at least our generation ... can learn from it to be more responsible and contribute to less selfish actions by individuals and states," he told Družina's supplement Slovenski Čas.

Back to the contents

Poll shows increasing concern about job security

STA, 29 April 2020 - People are increasingly concerned about job loss due to the coronavirus epidemic. Almost a quarter are afraid they will lose their job, while a significant share have already been made jobless, shows a poll conducted by Valicon.

Valicon has conducted a running survey for over a month to gauge people's sentiment during the pandemic. On 23 March, 15% said they were concerned about their job, by 28 April that share rose to 23%.

In the same period the share of those who reported being made jobless rose from 1% to 5%.

"Even though the share is relatively low ... the linear trend indicates it is growing, which corresponds to some data from other sources," Valicon said in a release on Wednesday.

The situation however appears to be improving for those who have been temporarily laid off. While the share of idled workers stood at 22% at the start of the period and shot up to 32% in the second week of April, it has now dropped to 25%.

What is more, the share of those who were on sick leave or took regular leave in this time declined to 5% from 15% at the start of the period, indicating that more people are back at work.

Overall, 66% of respondents currently work, up from 62% at the end of March.

Valicon conducts the survey on a representative online sample of permanent respondents. The latest poll involved 250 respondents.

Back to the contents

Going to hairdresser's or beauty parlour gets complicated

STA, 29 April 2020 - To minimize the chance of infection with the coronavirus as hairdressers, beauty parlours and massage services reopen next week, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has issued a set of quite detailed rules the businesses will have to observe apart from the standard wearing of face masks and gloves.

Clients will have to get an appointment over the phone in advance and the service will have to be provided at the agreed time so that clients do not wait together with other clients. There is an exception for those who accompany children or the disabled.

The businesses are also obliged to check with the client the eve or the morning before the scheduled appointment whether the client is in good health.

If they have signs of a respiratory infection, or live in a household with a person who has such infection, or is self-isolated or quarantined, they must be turned down.

The elderly and people with chronic health conditions are advised not to go to a hairdresser's, a beauty parlour or to have a massage during the epidemic.

Clients and staff must use hand sanitiser and face masks, with the staff also required to wear a face shield apart from the face mask.

Only as many clients are allowed to be at an establishment as can be served at one point in time.

There should be as little contact as possible between the staff and the client, and each work station should be at least two metres from the other one.

Work areas and tools used to provide the services must be disinfected constantly, and fresh air must be let in at least once a day.

Certain services are not recommended; hairdressers should not colour eyelashes, shape eyebrows or style beards.

Clients should wash their hair before coming to the hairdresser's and they will have to have it washed again there.

If they cannot provide for a safe distance, beauty parlours must place a plexiglass with holes for the arms between the staff and the client when doing the nails or removing hairs on legs and arms. The wall must be disinfected after every client.

Back to the contents

STA, 29 April 2020 - The Slovenian and Croatian ministers in charge of tourism, Zdravko Počivalšek and Gari Cappelli, met in Zagreb on Wednesday to discuss the possibilities for relaunching the sector in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. They agreed that a solution should at least be found for Slovenian owners of real estate in Croatia.

Počivalšek, the minister of economic development and technology, noted that around 110,000 real estate units in Croatia were owned by Slovenian citizens and that it would be appropriate if they were able to visit their holiday homes.

Slovenia is optimistic about the possibility that cross-border traffic with Croatia is at least partially re-established, at least by the late summer, if not earlier, under special medical protection conditions, he added.

The press release from the Croatian Ministry of Tourism also said that the Slovenian minister labelled Slovenia and Croatia as traditionally tourism-oriented and friendly countries, with both nations being good hosts.

Počivalšek later told the press that Slovenia and Croatia had a good epidemiological situation, which allowed the countries to think about gradually opening the tourism sector and borders, which would be implemented in two phases.

In the first phase, which would start by the end of May, Slovenian owners of real estate and boats in Croatia and vice-versa would be allowed to cross the border.

In the second phase, which is the most likely to start in the second half of June, travel by other tourists would also be allowed, the Slovenian minister said, adding that he and Cappelli would propose this to their respective governments.

Počivalšek said it was too early to speak about specific dates, as the opening of borders must be based on epidemiological criteria. A protocol for crossing the shared border and accommodation in tourist destinations needs to be laid down first, he added.

"The National Public Health Institute will contact next week the relevant Croatian centre so that the protocol is drafted, because it will not be possible to cross the border without it," the Slovenian minister said.

Cappelli meanwhile said as he met Počivalšek that Slovenians were among the most numerous tourists in Croatia, and the countries cooperate very well in tourism. Croatia last year recorded almost 1.6 million visits and just under 11 million overnight stays by Slovenians.

Cappelli added that the relevant bodies were already discussing the possibilities to open borders and on how to secure all needed measures and procedures so that Slovenian citizens could spend their summer holidays in Croatia.

Slovenian citizens who own real estate and movable property in Croatia are a special issue, he said, adding that a solution was being sought under which they would be able to visit their property while respecting all epidemiological measures.

Cappelli and Počivalšek assessed that such an agreement could serve as a case of good practice in the EU, with Croatia as the current EU presiding country having already launched an initiative for a similar solution to be implemented at the EU level.

The ministers also stressed the need to improve the state of tourism, especially in the light of the availability of funds for the sector in the future financial frameworks of the EU.

They also discussed the current state and options for maintaining the stability of tourism companies and jobs in the sector.

It was agreed that both national tourism organisations should prepare for the coming period together. "So that we jointly promote this party of Europe in remote markets when airline transport gets revitalised," Počivalšek said.

STA, 29 April 2020 - With the terms of eight representatives of civil society on the programme council of RTV Slovenija running out on 16 May, the National Assembly appointed on Tuesday seven new members, with the eighth one to be looked for in a repeated call for applications.

Appointed to the programme council of the public broadcaster with a 51-36 vote yesterday were Alojz Bogataj, Nastia Flegar, Alenka Gotar, Rok Hodej, Slavko Kmetič, Janez Štuhec and Andrej Prebil.

They were selected from 60 candidates vetted by the parliamentary Privileges and Credentials Commission on 21 April after two rounds of voting. There were not enough votes for the eighth candidate, which will be sought in a repeated call for applications.

The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD) and Left claimed that the coalition parties had distributed programme council members among themselves, arguing that representatives of all viewers and listeners should be sitting in it instead.

They said that RTV Slovenija was a public institute, with LMŠ deputy group head Brane Golubović saying that "the day when the coalition will try to replace the director is not far away and it will take on the Slovenian Press Agency with the same zeal."

Left coordinator Luka Mesec said that the candidates who had not been endorsed featured scientists, media critics and former journalists.

He took issue with Prime Minister Janez Janša's attitude to RTV Slovenija and journalism in general, while Marko Koprivc of the SD said that the government had declared a "bitter war to journalism".

The government recently replaced three of the four government representatives on the 11-member supervisory board of RTV Slovenija.

The ruling SDS has also proposed the replacement of two out of the five representatives of the National Assembly in the supervisory board, but the idea was criticised by the left-leaning opposition at the relevant parliamentary commission.

The Privileges and Credentials Commission will vote on the proposal at one of its future sessions, after it received an opinion from the parliamentary legal service.

STA, 28 April - The government is further relaxing restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus by reopening museums, galleries and libraries and by allowing real estate agents and chimney sweepers to resume business tomorrow. As of 4 May, bars and restaurants will also be able to reopen, yet serving guests only at outdoor facilities.

Outdoor bar and restaurant facilities reopening is the first easing of restrictions for the hospitality sector, the government noted after Tuesday's correspondence session.

Given that the recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health are taken into account, all the latest exceptions to the 16 March temporary ban on the sale of goods and services allow for a minimum contact between people, the government explained its decision on the relaxation of measures.

Small businesses such as shoe repair shops, key cutters, clothing shops, photographers, photocopy services, watchmaker shops and jeweller's will also reopen on Monday.

While the government announced that hairdressers and beauty parlours will reopen on 4 May some time ago, it now also added massage and pedicure services to the list.

Excluded are however still saunas, wellness centres, piercing and tattoo shops and other similar shops where it believes Covid-19 could be contracted more easily.

People older than 65 as well as other vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and disabled will be able to do their shopping also outside the dedicated hours, that is not only between 8am and 10am. The elderly will also no longer have to present a document to prove their age.

Nevertheless, the vulnerable groups are still recommended to do their shopping during the hours which are designated especially to them.

While even shops which have remained open during the lockdown had to close on Sundays, shops selling mostly food can be open on Sunday, 3 May, between 8am and 1pm.

This is to avoid crowds just before and after the May Day holiday weekend, when shops would otherwise be closed for three full days, from Friday to Sunday.

Union calls for permanent closure of shops on Sundays

STA, 28 April 2020 - The Trade Union of Retail has called for the permanent closure of shops on Sundays. "Over this past month we have proved as a nation that Sunday shopping is not urgently needed," it said in a message circulated ahead of Labour Day.

The union says Sunday shopping was a great burden for employees and ate into the time they could otherwise spend with their families. It also distracts the families of shoppers from spending quality time together.

Several European countries have put in place limits on Sunday shopping and "their retail systems are functioning despite such restrictions."

Slovenia closed shops Sundays as part of lockdown measures that took effect in mid-March, with exemptions only for petrol stations and small independent grocery shops.

Before the pandemic, working time was almost fully liberalised and many shops were open Sundays.

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:

Second stimulus package bill passed, bringing EUR 2bn loan guarantee scheme

LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed the second coronavirus stimulus package, which mainly consists of a EUR 2 billion guarantee scheme for loans to provide liquidity for companies. It also raises state funding for municipalities by around 6%. Opening the two-day emergency session, PM Janez Janša said the guarantees would suffice for the short-term, while nobody could tell if this should also be enough in the medium- and long-terms. He said the guarantees should keep companies from giving up on production that still has promise or from lay-offs in the short term. The bill comes after the first stimulus package which brought some emergency measure geared at preventing layoffs and protecting vulnerable groups. The EUR 3 billion package, passed in early April, was today amended to relax conditions and expand the list of benefit recipients by 190,000 to 1.2 million.

Govt further relaxing lockdown measures

LJUBLJANA - The government further relaxed restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus by reopening as of 29 April museums, galleries and libraries and by allowing real estate agents and chimney sweepers to resume business. As of 4 May, bars and restaurants will also be able to reopen, yet serving guests only at outdoor facilities, in what is the first easing of restrictions for the hospitality sector. Small businesses such as shoe repair shops, key cutters, clothing shops, photographers, photocopy services, watchmaker shops and jeweller's will also be among the services resuming on Monday. Wheather schools reopen is yet to be seen, but Education Minister Simona Kustec the effects and consequences of the return to schools in some European countries were being closely monitored. But she confirmed that talks were being held about 11 May as a possible date, which is also being floated in the public.

Six new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 86

LJUBLJANA - A total of 683 new Covid-19 tests were performed in Slovenia on Monday, resulting in six new cases to bring the total number of confirmed infections to 1,408. Three persons died of Covid-19 yesterday, brining the death toll in the country to 86. A total of 78 Covid-19 patients were in hospitals around the country yesterday, of whom 24 were in intensive care.

Logar and Pompeo discuss bilateral relations, covid-19 pandemic

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed over the phone bilateral relations and the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The pair called for strengthening the friendly relations and the alliance between the two countries, and highlighted the importance of a close transatlantic partnership in facing the pandemic. Logar welcomed the US's stepped up efforts in Central Europe, which are also reflected in the US's active support for the Three Seas initiative. He also acquainted Pompeo with Slovenia's preparations for the country's EU presidency in the second half of 2021.

New Spanish, Polish ambassadors present credentials

LJUBLJANA - New Spanish Ambassador to Slovenia Juan Arístegui Laborde and Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Jan Olendzki handed their credentials to President Borut Pahor. The new Spanish ambassador had served as deputy permanent representative to the EU since 2015. Olendzki was director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute prior to his posting, having previously served as ambassador to Tunisia in 2008-2012.

Slovenia to accept four migrant children from Greece

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia will accept four unaccompanied minors from migration centres on Greek islands, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs announced. The condition under which they will be taken in, which he expects to happen in the second half of May, is that they are younger than ten. Slovenia expressed readiness to accept the children to show solidarity with Greece, which is fighting illegal migrations in the first front lines, Hojs told Slovenian reporters in Brussels after a video conference with his EU counterparts. The process of accepting the children is being coordinated with the Ministry of Labour, the Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

Minister sees issues with coronavirus contact tracing apps

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs argues that coronavirus contact tracing apps first needs to be very well presented to people, because it would not be effective without their trust. He sees many issues in relation to such mobile applications, which is not expected to be introduced in Slovenia any time soon. Hojs spoke to Slovenian reporters in Brussels over the phone after taking part in a video-conference of EU interior ministers on Tuesday, with coronavirus contact tracing apps being one of the topics.

Green-energy transition potential strategy after crisis, minister says

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Transition to a low-carbon society could be a key part of growth strategy in the face of the corona crisis, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec told his counterparts from the other EU members in an online informal ministerial meeting. "We must not allow this crisis to slow down our transition to a low-carbon society because activities and investments in this field may be a substantial contribution to the boosting of economic activity. This could be a key part of our growth strategy," he was cited as saying by his ministry.

Slovenia's deficit to exceed 8% in 2020

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is facing a general government deficit of 8.1% of GDP instead of a 1% surplus this year, according to changes to the budget framework made by the government. The changes to the budget decree for 2020 and 2021 that the government has forwarded to the National Assembly reflect the planned increase in budget expenditure for 2020 due to the epidemic, with the government proposing that budget expenditure be allowed to increase from EUR 10.45 billion to EUR 12.525 billion.

Gorenje planning lower layoffs than initially announced

VELENJE - Hisense Europe, the group which encompases Slovenia's Gorenje group, is planning to lay off 1,250 of its 9,310 workers in Europe. As many as 828 of these will be Gorenje workers from Slovenia. This is fewer than the initially announced 2,200 and 1,000 workers, respectively. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek nevertheless expects the management of the household appliance maker to take a step back and work with the government and trade unions in finding a viable solution. Počivalšek, speaking to the press after meeting the company's management, the Velenje deputy mayor and the in-house trade unionist, said he did not want to see any unilateral moves. "The state is willing to help in its restructuring efforts but only if we work hand in hand."

Revoz relaunches production

NOVO MESTO - Revoz, the Renault-owned car assembly plant and by far Slovenia's largest exporter, relaunched production today after shutting down due to the coronavirus epidemic on 17 March. The resumption of operations will be gradual, and workers will work in two shifts starting next week, the company told the STA, adding that preventive measures had been beefed up and additional protective gear provided for employees.

Weiler Abrasives sees revenue, net profit drop last year

MARIBOR - The abrasives and technical textile maker Weiler Abrasives generated EUR 73.5 million in sales revenue last year, about 10% less than in 2018. Net profit was accordingly lower, at EUR 300,000 or only 10% of the net profit from 2018. The company attributes the contraction to the loss of major clients in Iran which accounted for almost 10% of its revenue, the global economic slow-down, fluctuation of prices of raw materials and a new wage system.

Union calls for permanent closure of shops on Sundays

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Retail called for the permanent closure of shops on Sundays. "Over this past month we have proved as a nation that Sunday shopping is not urgently needed." The union said Sunday shopping was a great burden on employees, eating into the time they could spend with their families. It also distracts the families of shoppers from spending quality time together.

Police and interior minister on opposite banks on anti-govt protests

LJUBLJANA - A day after anti-government and anti-lockdown rallies were held across the country, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs expressed expectation the police would follow his "guidelines" about tracking down the protesters through social media, indicating they breached social distancing rules. He would not accept the interior minister is but a silent observer of police actions. "It's fact that the interior minister is the one giving guidelines to the police." The police meanwhile highlighted its autonomy, noting it "does not rely upon public opinion or possible opinions of persons from the public and political arenas". Hojs's statements also upset the Information Commissioner's Office, which said they indicated Hojs perceived all protesters as potential perpetrators of criminal acts.

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

All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook

We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’sTjaša Kučič, with part of a series from Tam Tam, with the rest here.

Contents

Six new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 86

PM says govt to discuss plan for easing lockdown tomorrow

Minister sees issues with coronavirus contact tracing apps

Six new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 86

STA, 28 April 2020 - A total of 683 new Covid-19 tests were performed in Slovenia on Monday, resulting in six new cases to bring the total number of confirmed infections to 1,408. Three persons died of Covid-19 yesterday, brining the total death toll in the country to 86, the government said on Tuesday.

A total of 78 Covid-19 patients were in hospitals around the country yesterday, of whom 24 were in intensive care. Two persons were discharged from hospital while the number of persons in intensive care was up by two.

A total of 50,290 tests have been performed in Slovenia so far, with a random testing of population being introduced last Monday. No new infections have been detected as part of the random testing campaign.

Šmarje pri Jelšah in the east of the country remains the largest hot spot in the country on a per capita basis, and four out of the six cases recorded yesterday were detected there.

One new case was recorded in Ljutomer (NE), which is another hot spot with 117 confirmed infections, second only to Šmarje pri Jelšah (172) and Ljubljana (247).

The municipalities of Ljutomer and Šmarje pri Jelšah are much smaller than Ljubljana, and the bulk of their cases are related to the local nursing homes.

Back to the contents

PM says govt to discuss plan for easing lockdown tomorrow

STA, 28 April 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has announced that the government will discuss on Wednesday plans to loosen coronavirus lockdown measures for the foreseeable future. It is also expected to discuss reports by individual ministries on the procurement of personal protective equipment, which have raised some doubts.

Janša tweeted on Tuesday that current data on the course of the epidemic allow a sober reflection on lifting certain restrictions to movement and a gradual revival of activities for which "a safe distance, the disinfecting of hands and meeting points and safe use of protective equipment" can be secured.

It is not clear which restrictions could be eased and to what extent. The bulk of the criticism coming from part of the public and politics has been directed at the limiting of movement to municipal borders.

There have also been calls to restart public transport, while a big question mark are kindergartens and schools, although one date circulating is 11 May.

The government's spokesperson Jelko Kacin indicated today that the government was considering reopening schools, but that it would wait to see the results in countries that had already done it before taking a final decision.

Some restrictions have meanwhile already been lifted, with recent new exceptions to the lockdown including takeaway restaurants, DIY stores, car showrooms, car washes, stores selling bicycles, technical goods and furniture stores, dry cleaners, some repair shops, and insurance agents.

As of today, weddings in restricted format are possible. As of tomorrow, museums, libraries and galleries will reopen and partners will again be allowed to be present during childbirth.

Yet more services will be available from 4 May, with the reopening of hair salons, beauty parlours, dog and cat grooming salons and shops of up to 400 m2 sales space, except for those in shopping centres. Outdoor facilities of bars and restaurants will also reopen on Monday and so should churches.

The government is also expected to discuss tomorrow a report on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), requested by Janša after a wave of accusations about dodgy procedures and faulty equipment.

The report was compiled by the Economy Ministry on the basis of reports by the economy, defence, health and foreign ministries plus the Agency for Commodity Reserves.

Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said it featured all relevant information and data about the PPE procurement since 27 February (that is under the previous government), including between 13 March, when the new government took over, and 10 April, "when there was a terrifying shortage of protective equipment" and when everyone was under pressure from health workers to procure PPE. The report also covers the period after 10 April, when the situation eased off, he said.

The minister again rejected the allegations about pressure to close deals with certain suppliers, noting the majority of contracts had been signed by Agency for Commodity Reserves employee Ivan Gale.

Gale last week spoke to TV Slovenija revealing pressure on the agency and some potential irregularities, but Počivalšek said today Gale would have to explain at least three contracts.

The government is expected to send the report to parliament and expectedly also to the law enforcement.

Interior Minister Aleš Hojs meanwhile announced his ministry would propose for the restriction of the movement to one's municipality of residence to be lifted.

He however pointed out it would depend on the assessment of the coronavirus situation by the task force at the Health Ministry.

While he could not say when exactly this could happen, he indicated in a statement for POP TV the restriction could be lifted after May Day holidays at the latest.

Back to the contents

Minister sees issues with coronavirus contact tracing apps

STA, 28 April 2020 - Slovenian Interior Minister Aleš Hojs argues that coronavirus contact tracing apps first needs to be very well presented to people, because it would not be effective without their trust. He sees many issues in relation to such mobile applications, which is not expected to be introduced in Slovenia any time soon.

Hojs spoke to Slovenian reporters in Brussels over the phone after taking part in a video-conference of EU interior ministers on Tuesday, with coronavirus contact tracing apps being one of the topics.

Mobile applications that find persons who have been in contact with an app user who has tested positive for coronavirus, are raising issues in some EU countries over privacy and personal information protection issues.

In Slovenia, such an app is not being used at the moment, and is not available. Slovenia, being a small country, will probably join one of the apps which will be available on the market, the minister said.

Hojs noted that, at today's session, Germany and France had announced that they would very probably use such an app, and that the Czech Republic and Poland reported about such an app being already in use.

Representatives of all four countries have stressed that the use of such an app is possible exclusively on a voluntary basis, only if an individual gives their explicit consent, the minister added.

He personally sees a number of issues. Simple logic and common sense say that if someone who has recovered from Covid-19 or is still infected does not use the app, their contacts will not be traced, so the data obtained will not be complete.

"This is why the purpose of the application needs to be presented very well first," Hojs said, adding that it should be emphasised that users would remain anonymous, as this was one of the biggest fears related to the use of such an app.

Asked when such an app could be available in Slovenia, the minister said it was not likely that it would be available soon.

Back to the contents