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:

Slovenia to restrict movement of people to municipal limits

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will impose a ban on exiting one's municipality of residence in the coming days, Jelko Kacin, the spokesman for the government coronavirus crisis unit, said. "We are trying to make it as friendly as possible, so as not to cause problems in the flow of people performing urgent tasks and jobs." He also advised Slovenians against flooding tourist spots this weekend.

Number of covid-19 cases reaches 383

LJUBLJANA - The number of confirmed covid-19 cases in Slovenia increased by 42 to 383 and a total of 12,162 tests have so far been performed. By Friday the Health Ministry issued 180 quarantine orders to people who have been in close contact with infected individuals. Prime Minister Janez Janša visited the town of Šmarje pri Jelšah, one of the hotspots of the epidemic, where 41 cases have been confirmed, second in number only to Ljubljana. Meanwhile, the Civil Protection distributed 1.2 million pieces of protective equipment to medical and care institutions around the country. This included surgical masks, gloves, overalls, glasses and sanitisers.

Crisis response unit established to assist hauliers

LJUBLJANA - The government has established a crisis response unit to deal with issues faced by hauliers as the nation fights to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Infrastructure Minister Tadej Vrtovec said. Among other tasks, the unit will help hauliers manage paperwork and resolve complications in foreign countries. Trucks with perishable goods cannot be held up on borders for 15 hours, he said, adding that Slovenia will allow passage of trucks from Italy if Croatia will grant them entry.

Shoppers getting anxious in face of limitations

LJUBLJANA - Retailer Mercator called on shoppers to show patience, keep the recommended safety distance and respect the shopper number limitations, after several cases of people shoving and yelling at each other and employees have been reported. In some cases the situation escalated to the point that the police had to be called. There is enough food for everybody, the retailer said in a press release, adding that vulnerable groups take priority in the time of covid-19 epidemic.

Condemnation as PM Janša accuses public broadcaster of lie

LJUBLJANA - Public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, the Journalists' Association (DNS) and the Journalists' Trade Union condemned a Twitter post by Prime Minister Janez Janša in which he accused TV Slovenija of lying. The tweet was a response to an interview with a trade unionist who expressed indignation about the cabinet's pay raise. The DNS and the trade union said that Janša's tweet amounted to a threat to RTV Slovenija employees about possible loss of employment or other repressive measures that may befall them unless they report in a way that suits the government. RTV Slovenija CEO Igor Kadunc told Radio Slovenija today "this is not a war and we do not intend to submit to censorship."

Education Ministry happy with home schooling during covid-19 epidemic

LJUBLJANA - A week after all schools in Slovenia were closed due to the covid-19 epidemic, remote schooling is going very well, Education Minister Simona Kustec said. 380 primary schools, out of a total of 455, are taking part, while others are encouraged do so as well. There were some toothing problems on Monday, much of which had been addressed by the next day. Kustec said the process was going better than expected. Problems of some 700 students without access to computer or internet are being addressed.

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 Aleksander Sandi. You can see more of their work here.

Contents

Number of covid-19 cases reaches 383

Shoppers getting anxious in face of limitations

Education Ministry happy with home schooling during covid-19 epidemic

Govt preparing measures to help households, companies cope

Number of covid-19 cases reaches 383

STA, 21 March 2020 - The number of confirmed covid-19 cases in Slovenia increased by 42 to 383 on Saturday, the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) said. A total of 12,162 tests have so far been performed.

The highest number of covid-19 cases has been recorded in Ljubljana, 85. 186 women have been infected and 193 men. There has been one fatality, an elderly man with several underlying illnesses.

By age group, the highest number of confirmed cases, 126, has been detected among those between 30 and 46. There are 85 confirmed cases in people over the age of 60.

The Health Ministry issued 180 quarantine orders by Friday. These are issued to people who have been in close contact with infected individuals.

Prime Minister Janez Janša visited the town of Šmarje pri Jelšah, one of the hotspots of the epidemic, on Saturday. 41 cases of covid-19 have been confirmed in this municipality of just over 10,000. The number of patients is second only to the 85 cases confirmed in Ljubljana.

Janša congratulated mayor Matija Čakš for closing the local primary school before the nation-wide school closure was ordered and asked his team to share their experience with other Slovenian municipalities.

Meanwhile, the Civil Protection said that it distributed 1.2 million pieces of protective equipment to medical and care institutions around the country. This included surgical masks, gloves, overalls, glasses and sanitisers.

Some 570,000 items were delivered to hospitals, 186,000 to retirement homes, 356,000 to state bodies, 69,000 to safety and rescue forces, and 18,000 to others.

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Shoppers getting anxious in face of limitations

STA, 21 March 2020 - Retailer Mercator called on shoppers to show patience, keep the recommended safety distance and respect the shopper number limitations on Saturday, after several cases of people shoving and yelling at each other and employees have been reported. In some cases the situation escalated to the point that the police had to be called.

There is enough food for everybody, the retailer said in a press release, adding that vulnerable groups take priority in the time of covid-19 epidemic.

There has been cases of "inadmissible pressure, threats and even physical violence" perpetrated by some shoppers against Mercator employees.

Virtually all grocery stores have remained open after the government declared covid-19 epidemic a week ago. Shops have limited the number of people that can be in a shop at any given time and vulnerable groups are served with priority in the first hours after opening.

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Education Ministry happy with home schooling during covid-19 epidemic

STA, 21 March 2020 - A week after all schools in Slovenia were closed due to the covid-19 epidemic, remote schooling is going very well, Education Minister Simona Kustec said in a statement on Saturday. 380 primary schools, out of a total of 455, are taking part, while others are encouraged do so as well.

There were some toothing problems on Monday, much of which had been addressed by the next day. Kustec said the process was going better than expected.

Some 122,500 primary school students took part this week, as well as 14,000 teachers, while figures for secondary schools, of which there are fewer, are even better: 40,000 students and 4,000 teachers.

Kustec said that some 700 students faced problems because they either do not have a computer or internet access, or there are too few computers for all the children in the household.

This is being addressed with the help of schools, which lend their computers to students, while computers are also being donated. Moreover, operators Telekom and A1 are working with the ministry to provide internet where there is no access.

Kustec also said today that the enrolment deadline will be extended, while the dates for school-leaving exams remain unchanged for now.

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Govt preparing measures to help households, companies cope

STA, 21 March 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has announced that the government would send by Friday to parliament a new legislative package focusing on rapid financial assistance to the population to mitigate the effects of the novel coronavirus epidemic. The government will also cut the salaries of all state officials by 30%.

The government will propose legislative changes to compensate companies that had to close shop because of the epidemic, Janša said, among other things, in several tweets on Saturday.

For the duration of the epidemic, pensioners and other most vulnerable groups will receive a crisis bonus. The pay cuts are also to be in place until the end of the epidemic. The announcement comes after the government classified the salaries of ministers and state secretaries as top salary bracket.

The legislative changes will introduce higher payment to those working in sectors that are key to overcome the epidemic, such as health care, civil protection, security and critical infrastructure. The employees' superiors will be able to increase their basic salary by between 10% and 200%. The government will advise employers to do the same.

The measures will be coordinated with with all the key players, Janša said, with the government Communications Office adding that coalition partners have already agreed on guidelines for the package, which are to be adopted by the government on Monday.

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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’sXenia Guzej, with a picture from Izola. You can see more of her work here.

Contents

Slovenia to restrict movement of people to municipal limits

Crisis response unit established to assist hauliers

Slovenians most worried about when covid-19 crisis will end

Slovenia to restrict movement of people to municipal limits

STA, 21 March 2020 - Slovenia will impose a ban on exiting one's municipality of residence in the coming days, Jelko Kacin, the spokesman for the government coronavirus crisis unit, said in a televised statement on Saturday. "We are trying to make it as friendly as possible, so as not to cause problems in the flow of people performing urgent tasks and jobs."

He also advised Slovenians against flooding tourist spots this weekend. "People are still flooding to the coast from all over. Let's be considerate to those who live there and help stop the spreading of the virus," Kacin said, before Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec made a statement and answered a few questions the government received by email.

Vrtovec said that the measures the government is taking to limit the spread of covid-19 would be lifted once the virus is limited or the country has enough protective equipment to restore public transport, which was suspended on Monday.

He assured the public that electricity supply is without disruptions and that this will remain so in the future. He said that the decision to lower the price of electricity will affect 850,000 households and 90,000 SMEs. Their electricity bills will be some 27% lower, due to reduced price of power and network charges, for the next three months.

Vrtovec also said that cargo corridors have been established and that cargo air transport is going as usual. Moreover, despite the ban of passenger air traffic, flights with Slovenians who have been stranded abroad are able to land.

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Crisis response unit established to assist hauliers

STA, 21 March 2020 - The government has established a crisis response unit to deal with issues faced by hauliers as the nation fights to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Infrastructure Minister Tadej Vrtovec said on Saturday. Among other tasks, the unit will help hauliers manage paperwork and resolve complications in foreign countries.

Trucks with perishable goods cannot be held up on borders for 15 hours, he said a televised statements, a format that has replaced government press conferences as the country is mounting an effort to fight the spread of covid-19.

Vrtovec said that each country was looking after its own interests in the face of the Europe-wide covid-19 threat. He said that Slovenia will allow passage of trucks from Italy if Croatia will grant them entry.

The hauliers crisis response unit was initiated by the Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS). The unit features representatives of the foreign and defence ministries and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS).

OZS transport section president Peter Pišek said earlier this week that, as countries were closing their borders due to the pandemic, the unit would deal with various issues, including visas for drivers, creation of corridors and transport policy.

Pišek noted that Vrtovec had contacted Foreign Minister Anže Logar on Wednesday to talk about permits for drivers, adding that a diplomatic cable would be sent to the countries where hauliers faced the biggest problems already that day.

He added that Slovenian cargo transport companies faced many difficulties due to the restrictive measures, including quarantining of drivers. Numerous lorries with medications, meat and other "urgent cargo" headed for Slovenia remain stranded.

As drivers' body temperature is being measured in Germany and other countries, it is expected that "entire fleets will be waiting", said Pišek, who fears up to 50 lorries could end up in quarantine, with replacement drivers hard to find.

All this puts the supply of goods to the country at risk, he said, adding that the country needed to be well prepared for what would come in two or three weeks. Corridors need to be ready, all paperwork needs to be prepared and enough drivers on secured.

One of the problems is how to extend work permits to foreign drivers who work for Slovenian companies as administrative units deal only with the most urgent matters.

Pišek noted that Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic last night released cargo traffic, while the situation was worse in Serbia, as drivers needed to fill various forms and wait to be tested.

Meanwhile, there are no more complications in Croatia, and the neighbouring country is thinking about securing corridors to bring lorries through its territory.

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Slovenians most worried about when covid-19 crisis will end

STA, 21 March 2020 - A poll published by the daily Delo on Saturday suggests that Slovenians' biggest worry in the face of the novel coronavirus epidemic is the duration of the crisis. This was listed as concern by 54.1% respondents. Meanwhile, more than two thirds of respondents said that they were following instructions and staying home.

The poll included 536 people and was conducted by the pollster Mediana on 17 and 18 March, before Slovenia imposed bans on public gathering and movement.

Some 58% of the respondents said they thought the measures in place were too mild, some 40% said they were appropriate and 12.5% said they were too strict. Meanwhile, 2.6% said they did not follow the instructions, finding them exaggerated.

Just over 21% said they could not stay at home because of work obligations. About a half of the respondents said they were in employment. Of them nearly 30% said they worked from home, more than 55% said they could not work from home because of the nature of their work, while more than 14% said the employer did not allow this option.

Apart from worrying when the epidemic will end, people are most worried about infections in vulnerable groups (46.4%), about becoming infected themselves (43.6%), about being powerless (33.1%), about not being able to socialise (23.3%) and about losing income (19.5%), while 6.2% fear for their jobs.

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Looking for a distraction and a fun way to give your Slovene a workout? The check out some of the trailers for movies that were playing in local cinemas in the first three months of the year. All are in the original languages, with Slovene subtitles, apart from most of the kids’ movies, which are dubbed and this still of educational value. If you want to see all our dual text posts, then they can be found here.

Non-English

Action

Horror

Comedy

Kids

Drama

Documentary

NON-ENGLISH

ACTION

HORROR

COMEDY

KIDS

DRAMA

DOCUMENTARY

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:

Slovenia enters lockdown mode

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia entered lockdown mode at midnight as the government issued decree prohibiting the movement and gathering of people in public places until further notice. There are exemptions to ensure society can function. Individuals may leave their homes for a public place mindful of keeping a safe distance and only for work-related activities, to eliminate immediate threats to health, life and property, to care for people in need of support, and to access shops that remain open. People may access public parks and other areas for walking. Local communities may make more detailed rules depending on the community's needs. Slovenia registered 341 confirmed coronavirus cases by 2pm, up by 22 in the last 24 hours.

Minister to seek police powers for army next week to secure border

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs expects he will present his proposal to invoke legislation that would give the army police powers to deputy factions next week. He says the sole purpose of the measure is to secure Slovenia's south border against increasing illegal migration. Addressing the nation, Hojs said he would formally submit the proposal to activate article 37.a of the defence act for inter-departmental adjustment today, which should be completed by Monday. He thus expects to be able to present the reasons for the activation to all deputy factions in parliament next week. The move would need to be endorsed by a two-thirds majority in parliament. Meanwhile, the government said today that the Armed Forces are inviting all who wish to help in these difficult times to sign up as volunteers or for temporary military service.

Parliament passes package of laws to mitigate fallout of coronavirus crisis

LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed a package of laws aimed at mitigating the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Measures include pay compensation for temporary lay-offs, credit payment and tax duty deferrals for companies, as well as trade restrictions for agriculture and food products. One act gives the government complete discretion in the use of budget funds approved for purposes not deemed part of legally binding tasks. Another will allow banks to defer liabilities of companies, co-operatives, self-employed and farmers by 12 months.

Minister assures public there is enough food for months

LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec assured the public that there is enough basic foodstuffs in Slovenia for a few months as she assuaged fears about possible supply disruptions. Pivec said the situation was constantly monitored, backup plans were in place in case of disruption in existing food supply channels and procedures had been launched to supply products from other countries if necessary. There may however be sporadic problems with the supply of fresh fruit, such as citrus and tropical fruit, and certain vegetables - foods that Slovenia mostly imports from Italy.

Govt shortens opening hours of grocery stores

LJUBLJANA - Facing a strike threat in protest against an emergency decree forcing grocery stores to be open from 8am to 8pm, the government adopted changes to the decree by pushing the closing time to 6pm, as demanded by the trade union of shop assistants. The restrictions do not apply for smaller retailers. While the government's reasoning was that longer opening hours mean less people in the store at the same time, the union argues longer opening hours mean that shop assistants are exposed to the risk of a coronavirus infection for longer, and work overtime.

Power prices for households and SMEs cut by 20%

LJUBLJANA - To ease the impact of the coronavirus fallout, the government issued a decree reducing electricity prices for households and small businesses by about 20% for the next three months. The government said it suspended payment of contributions for subsidies for high-efficiency cogeneration and renewables for small business consumers and households. The suspension, valid between 1 March and 31 May, is estimated to reduce electricity bills for the two types of consumers by about 20%.

Expert: Current testing regime rational, not ideal

LJUBLJANA - Alojz Ihan, a recognised expert in immunology, believes Slovenia's current regime of testing for coronavirus, which focuses on groups at greatest risk such as health staff and the elderly, is optimal and clinically rational even though many of the infected would remain undetected. Broad testing would not contribute to better clinical treatment of the disease, while it would engage many more health workers, protective equipment, entry points, tests, lab capacities. Ihan also proposes frequent mandatory testing of all health staff.

Ivan Eržen named acting director of public health institute

LJUBLJANA - The governing council of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) appointed Ivan Eržen the acting director after the government relieved Nina Pirnat of her duties and moved her to the Health Ministry's Healthcare Directorate. Eržen had already headed the NIJZ between 2014 and 2018. Explaing Pirnat relocation, made at the behest of Health Minister Tomaž Gantar, the NIJZ highlighted Pirnat's "engagement in the management of the coronavirus epidemic, broad knowledge of the healthcare system and the need to strengthen the staff at the directorate."

Government Communication Office gets new acting head

LJUBLJANA - Only days after being appointed, Miro Petek was dismissed as acting director of the Government Communication Office (UKOM) and replaced by Uroš Urbanija, a former STA home desk editor. Urbanija, who has also worked as editor at the public broadcaster's news web portal MMC RTV Slovenija and commercial broadcaster Planet TV, is appointed as of 21 March under a decision taken by the government at today's correspondence session. Miro Petek, a journalist, former MP and press officer for PM Janez Janša's Democratic Party (SDS), was named to the post at the maiden session of the Janša government following Friday's appointment.

Unions angered by pay rise for top government officials

LJUBLJANA - Several trade unions have criticised the new government's decision to raise the pay of the ministers and state secretaries to the highest possible allowed for these posts in the public sector pay system. They find the move inappropriate, especially in the crisis situation Slovenia is in now. While criticism also came from the Association of Pensioners, the government offered a more detailed explanation of its decision today, saying that no rules had been changed to allow for the pay rise. Given the current situation and a significant increase in the scope of work, the pay was raised in line with the existing legislation, it said.

Criticism as some reject repatriation flight

LJUBLJANA - Poland assisted Slovenia in evacuating citizens stranded abroad due to air traffic cancellations and restrictions by providing 19 seats on a flight from the Canary Islands to Warsaw on Thursday night, however seven Slovenians decided to "wait for a better option" and did not board the flight. Andrej Šter, the head of the Foreign Ministry's consular service, criticised the conduct and warned that the window for returning to Europe or Slovenia was closing rapidly. He deems the decision of those who had dismissed the opportunity "a catastrophic gesture including for our future cooperation with Poland".

Slovenia joins efforts to develop new coronavirus vaccine

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Centre of Excellence for Biosensors, Instrumentation and Process Control (COBIK) has started developing a coronavirus vaccine in cooperation with Slovenian and international companies, research institutes and universities. The main goal of the consortium is to develop a platform which would enable fast creation of vaccines in case of similar epidemics. According to Matjaž Peterko, the head of the COBIK, development could take between less than a year and a few years, depending on how fast testing can proceed.

Slovenia does not understand why IOC refuses to postpone Tokyo

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Olympic Committee (OKS) has expressed puzzlement over the International Olympic Committee's continuing refusal (IOC) to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which are scheduled to take place between 24 July and 9 August. "They say it is too soon to postpone, but we think the opposite. It will be not possible to organise the games in July under the Olympic principle," OKS president Bogdan Gabrovec said. He believes that athletes lack the appropriate conditions to prepare for the games as restrictive measures are being imposed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

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

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 Igor Andjelić, taking a break from the city. I recommend you follow him on Facebook for more beauty in your feed.

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

Contents

Govt shortens opening hours of grocery stores

Companies responding to coronavirus crisis differently

Power prices for households and SMEs cut by 20%

Banks say liabilities deferral act flawed and unclear

Armed Forces inviting volunteers to join

Govt shortens opening hours of grocery stores

STA, 20 March 2020 - The government adopted changes to a decree on shops on Friday shortening the opening hours of grocery stores by pushing the closing time from 8pm to 6pm, as demanded by the trade union of shop assistants. The restrictions do not apply for smaller retailers.

Under the changed decree with which the government closed all other shops bar grocery stores, shops will be open at least from 8am to 6pm.

Exempt from this rule are micro and small companies, the self-employed and cooperatives. These will be able to set their opening hours themselves based on their resources.

The government said after today's correspondence session that the purpose of the legal restrictions on opening hours was to minimise contacts among buyers.

The new rules will apply as of midnight.

In line with the government decree, grocery stores, but not pharmacies and petrol stations, are closed on Sundays and bank holidays during the coronavirus outbreak. The time slot between 8am and 10am is reserved for vulnerable groups such as the disabled, pensioners and pregnant women.

The trade union of shop assistants was critical of the original opening hours for shops yesterday, demanding the closing time be pushed to 6pm. It threatened with a strike unless its demand is met within 24 hours.

Longer opening hours mean that shop assistants are exposed to the risk of a coronavirus infection for longer, and work overtime, the union said, adding that many shops, especially the small ones, also struggle with the lack of staff.

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Companies responding to coronavirus crisis differently

STA, 20 March 2020 - Slovenian companies are dealing with the ramifications of the coronavirus epidemic in various ways. Some are closing shop temporarily, while others, mostly part of global production networks, try to persevere amid supply disruption and ramped up safety measures.

 The Chinese-owned household appliances maker Hisense Gorenje announced on Friday it would close all its European plants between 23 March and 5 April in the light of the coronavirus spread worsening across Europe, quoting preventive reasons.

The company said that the measure would be imposed despite sufficient amounts of protective gear as well as raw materials to help curb the spread and protect its employees' health.

The management and in-house trade union have agreed that the production would be re-launched on 6 April, unless the situation and measures escalate and limit operations in the meantime.

The step was announced only two days after Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek offered Hisense Gorenje as a good example in organising work in such a way as to protect their staff's health and remain operative despite the epidemic.

Prior to the Gorenje announcement, several other large companies decided to close shop, including household appliance maker BSH Hišni Aparati, sports equipment manufacturer Elan, footwear manufacturer Alpina, the Magna Steyr paint shop and car maker Revoz.

Meanwhile, some Slovenian companies that are part of global production networks cannot suspend production without the implementation of national or EU measures. All of them have reported they have stepped up preventive measures though to protect their staff.

"Despite the pandemic the company is obliged to meet contractual obligations to our customers," said the TPV group, adding that the company would be otherwise faced with contractual penalties and loss of future business.

The car industry supplier employs some 1,200 workers and is present in Slovenia, Serbia, the US and China.

Meanwhile, Dewesoft, a provider of data acquisition systems, testing and measuring instruments used in satellite and rocket development, continues with operations and has introduced boosted safety measures drawn up on the basis of China's experience and insight in dealing with the epidemic.

Dewesoft employs more than 200 people and has subsidiaries in 16 countries, including China.

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Power prices for households and SMEs cut by 20%

STA, 20 March 2020 - To ease the impact of the coronavirus fallout, the government issued a decree reducing electricity prices for households and small businesses by about 20% for the next three months.

"We've joined forces to come up with a solution that will alleviate concerns at least a bit at these difficult times," Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said as he announced the decision on Twitter.

In a release posted on its website following a correspondence session on Friday, the government said it had issued a decree suspending payment of contributions for subsidies for high-efficiency cogeneration and renewables for small business consumers and households.

The suspension, valid between 1 March and 31 May, is estimated to reduce electricity bills for the two types of consumers by about 20%.

The decision comes after parliament passed in the wee hours on Friday the first legislative package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on the economy.

Apart from subsidised pay for temporarily laid-off workers, business will also benefit from a lifting of some administrative burdens, and a deferral of debt and tax payments.

One act gives the government complete discretion in the use of budget funds approved for purposes not deemed part of legally binding tasks, and another allows it to intervene in food markets.

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Banks say liabilities deferral act flawed and unclear

STA, 20 March 2020 - Banks have responded to the emergency act that allows companies to ask for a deferral of their liabilities by 12 months by arguing the legislation, which is not yet in force, is poorly thought out.

The banks and savings banks said they had already started adjusting their arrangements with affected clients in the face of the coronavirus crisis prior to the act's adoption last night and that they welcomed efforts to reduce the pressure on companies.

The banks for instance redirected as much operations as possible to web or mobile platforms. The act would thus need to provide for bank procedures to be executed fully electronically and without the physical presence of the client, the Bank Association of Slovenia wrote.

Moreover, the act fails to provide for the deferred loans being factored out of the presently strict capital requirements for banks, which means the ability of banks to fulfil their basic task - securing fresh financing - can be compromised, since new provisions will have to be formed.

The association also believes that the manner in which the act is to be implemented is unclear and expects explanations before it enters into force.

It called on all key stakeholders to engage in dialogue and for changes to systemic provisions, noting it was worth keeping in mind that companies and individuals would also need new loans.

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Armed Forces inviting volunteers to join

STA, 20 March 2020 - Following Thursday's announcement by Prime Minister Janez Janša that the Slovenian army would be expanded with volunteers, the government issued on Friday a call that says the Armed Forces are inviting all who wish to help in these difficult times to sign up as volunteers or for temporary military service.

The call, published on the government's website, says the Armed Forces are asking citizens to help reduce the heavy burden the security system is carrying in the face of coronavirus. It is urgent that the contract reserve be expanded, it reads.

Citizens aged between 18 and 50 or up to 60 are eligible. They must not have a criminal record and must consent to a security screening.

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STA, 20 March 2020 - With tourism grinding to a halt as the country fights the coronavirus outbreak, Slovenia could learn some lessons regarding housing policy, including that the market should not be trusted just about everything, Dnevnik says in Friday's commentary.

The commentary notes that people who lease their apartments via Airbnb have quickly realised that they will have no turnover whatsoever as tourist visits to Ljubljana steeply dropped with the arrival of coronavirus.

They have started advertising one- to two-month leases, and then also for longer periods, but of course, in the time of quarantine and self-isolation, this did not help either.

Real estate agencies are closed, people are locked in at home and no one is looking for an apartment if this is not really necessary. Completely unrealistic expectations of owners are another problem.

No one knows when the situation will normalise, and when it does, much time will need to pass before tourists fill up Ljubljana again, Dnevnik adds in Airbnb Apartments Are Now Good for Locals.

As for many people renting apartments to tourists is the principal activity, and not only a side business, these individuals, as well as many others in the tourism and hospitality industry, are in a difficult situation.

It seems that a majority of people feel no empathy towards real estate owners who earned money via Airbnb, and there are even calls that they should show their social responsibility by renting out their empty apartments to medical staff for free.

"The people's reaction is understandable, but it would be wrong to succumb to anger at this moment. Reason tells us that if we learned something from this crisis, it is that not all bets should be placed on the market."

For this reason, the state needs to regulate apartment renting via Airbnb, create conditions for an orderly rental market, and build public rental apartments as a priority. This would be a precious measure during the recovery period.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

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 Marusa Stibelj. You can see more of her work here and on Instagram

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

Slovenia registered 341 confirmed coronavirus cases by 2pm on Friday, up by 22 in the last 24 hours. Almost 11,000 tests have so far been carried out, an increase of more than a thousand compared to the day before, show figures released by the National Institute of Public Health.

Contents

Slovenia enters lockdown mode

Minister assures public there is enough food for months

Parliament passes package of laws to mitigate fallout of coronavirus crisis

Slovenia enters lockdown mode

STA, 20 March 2020 - Slovenia entered lockdown mode at midnight as the government issued decree temporarily prohibiting public gatherings in public places to contain the coronavirus epidemic. The decree prohibits the movement and gathering of people in public places until further notice, but there are exemptions to ensure that society can function.

Individuals may leave their homes for a public place mindful of keeping a safe distance and only for work-related activities, to eliminate immediate threats to health, life and property, to care for people in need of support, and to access shops that remain open (grocery stores, pharmacies, petrol stations, banks, post offices, cleaning services, car repair shops and the like).

Importantly, people may access public parks and other areas for walking, again mindful of the safety distance. But they are not allowed to go for a stroll in the city. Cycling is allowed.

The lockdown has also opened some dilemmas, as a person is for example allowed to take a dog for a walk to a near-by park but not go for a walk with a partner they do not live in the same household with.

At present there also seems to be no restrictions for family trips to secluded places, even if they are on the other side of the country, but Interior Minister Aleš Hojs indicated today that in the future the government decree could be amended.

"Whatever will be changed will be changed with the sole purpose of guaranteeing additional safety," he said, announcing it may be necessary to restrict people to their municipality.

Local communities may make more detailed rules depending on the needs of the community. In that case, mayors must post public notices.

Hojs said that individual municipalities might need to introduce further restrictions to the movement of people, to for example keep people within the municipality, but that would depend on how the lockdown would be respected in its present form.

For now movement, access to and stay in a public place is also allowed for groups of persons who are close family members or share the same household, provided they keep a safe distance from other similar groups.

Groups of up to five co-workers who share the same personal vehicle to get to work or who have been called up to perform tasks within the Civil Protection Service are also exempted.

The lockdown is being policed and the fines for violations are around 400 euro.

The lockdown was also announced via an SMS sent to all phones in the country notifying the people of the prohibition of public gatherings.

Police have told the STA that they are already patrolling public spaces, warning potential violators and ordering them to abide by law such as by urging them to stand apart and keep a safe distance.

Those who do not follow the officers' instructions face a notice for violating the protection of public order act, or referral to the health inspectorate, which issues fines for lockdown violations.

The police force does not have data on measures taken against potential violators, but it says that people are mostly following officers' warnings and instructions.

"Police are implementing measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases as a priority through joint tightened checks with health inspectors or independently," said the police.

In Ljubljana and many other cities around the country, traffic wardens have been deployed to check whether residents are observing lockdown measures.

Mayor Zoran Janković urged residents to follow the instructions for the sake of their health and the health of their loved ones. He is not planning to propose any additional measures because he believes most of the 292,000 Ljubljana residents behave in a very responsible way.

Meanwhile, Kranj Mayor Matjaž Rakovec was much more critical of the situation in Slovenia's fourth city where groups of people had been spotted in recent days acting irresponsibly.

To illustrate just one example he said that a shop assistant reported being jeered and sworn at for trying to keep shoppers apart.

"It's hard to believe my colleagues having to deal with those who don't understand or won't understand how serious the epidemic is," said Rakovec, who hopes the latest decree will improve the situation.

Many towns had locked or cordoned off playgrounds and sport grounds and facilities even before the decree stepped into force, while traffic wardens are patrolling areas that could not have been physically restricted.

Officials in Novo Mesto in the south-east and Nova Gorica on the border with Italy say that the residents were obeying the ban on gatherings.

Some towns, such as Nova Gorica and Izola have disinfected public spaces where there has been a large concentration of people, while Janković said Ljubljana would not do that because health authorities deemed the measure ineffective.

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Minister assures public there is enough food for months

STA, 20 March 2020 - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec assured the public that there is enough basic foodstuffs in Slovenia for a few months, assuaging fears that the country might run out of food as the measures are imposed world-wide to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. Food producers also said that operations ran without disruption for the time being.

 Pivec, who is also in charge of food, told the press on Friday that the situation was constantly monitored, and that backup plans were in place in case of disruption in the food supply channels.

Procedures have also been launched to supply products from other countries, if necessary, the minister said, adding that problems could first start in the supply of fresh fruit, such as citrus and tropical fruit, and certain vegetables.

Italy is a major supplier of these products to Slovenia and, if the supply of goods from there gets disrupted, Hungary could serve as a backup for the supply of fruit and vegetables.

Pivec also summarised the government measures in agriculture, including the option that a temporary manager of a farm is appointed if the owners or workers at the farm are incapacitated due to coronavirus.

The temporary manager would have the same rights and obligations as the owner, including the right to monthly pay, but will not hold the ownership right. Farm management and sales need to be conducted with the owner's consent.

No measures to prevent potential dumping have been adopted, but Pivec said that it was possible to restrict or ban the sale of a certain groups of products, individual products, foodstuffs or animals to other EU member states or third countries.

The minister added that the decree on the conditions for the entry to Slovenia from Italy did not apply to owners whose land used for agricultural work laid on both sides of the border.

Pivec noted that the good news was that the European Commission had approved an increase in de minimis aid to companies in the fisheries from EUR 15,000 to EUR 120,000 and in agriculture from EUR 20,000 to 100,000.

The ministry has also stepped up the promotion of Slovenian products and established a 24/7 call centre for questions related to the access to food.

Pivec stressed that the sale of food at produce markets and farms had not been prohibited, and that the ministry was in talks with the Economy Ministry about the possibility to re-open shops with pet food.

For the time being, there are no indications that the country may run out of pesticides, she added.

Companies in the food production and processing industry are coping with the increased demand, with production being either increased or reduced in different segments due to the changed circumstances.

The country's largest bread and pasta maker Žito said that the operations ran without disruptions, with employees regularly coming to work in production plants, bakeries and shops.

Demand for basic and durable foodstuffs, such as flour, pasta, rice, yeast, cornmeal and canned and baby food, has increased, but this is not problematic for the time being, the company added.

The dairy Mlekarna Celeia said that milk continued to be purchased from more than 900 Slovenian farms, with the daily quantity reaching 270,000 litres.

"In recent days we have noticed an increase in orders of fresh and long-life milk, cheese and yoghurt in large packages, and we have adjusted the production to the situation," director Vinko But said.

The company currently supplies around 1,000 outlets in the country, and the production and delivery of products is not disrupted despite the strict safety measures, the company added in a press release.

The Pekarna Grosuplje bakery has meanwhile reduced the workload in production for safety reasons, but said that the supply was not a problem because the raw material used was mostly of Slovenian origin.

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Parliament passes package of laws to mitigate fallout of coronavirus crisis

STA, 20 March 2020 - Parliament passed on Thursday a package of laws aimed at mitigating the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Measures include pay compensation for temporary lay-offs, credit payment and tax duty deferrals for companies, as well as trade restrictions for agriculture and food products. One act also gives the government direct control over the budget.

A major part of the package is the act providing state aid in pay compensation for temporary lay-offs at companies that will need to temporarily lay off at least 30% of their workforce due to disruptions in supply or a drop in demand.

The act, whose costs are estimated at EUR 50 million, stipulates temporarily laid-off workers will be entitled to 80% of their wage average from the past three months, with the employers having to cover 60% of this sum and the state 40%.

The maximum temporary lay-off period will be three months and employers using the aid will have to commit to having the temporarily redundant workers employed for at least six month after sending them home.

Aid will also be provided in cases of workers unable to work as a result of self-isolation, but the state will cover the full 80% for such instances.

In line with amendments adopted at the committee level, the scheme was extended to self-employed workers, however the only aid will be the possibility to defer social contribution payments for the coming three months by up to two years.

While government representatives stressed the measure was about preserving jobs and avoiding people ending up on the shoulders of the Employment Service, the left-leaning opposition parties argued too little was being done for the self-employed, actually the most vulnerable group.

"100,000 sole proprietors is a number we should not ignore," said Soniboj Knežak of the SocDems, but an amendment by the Left to write off these social contribution payments was rejected.

The pressure on business will meanwhile also be mitigated with an act that reduces the administrative and tax burdens on companies, pushing back the deadlines for tax documentation filings and allowing companies to ask for a tax deferral of up to two years or for paying tax in up to 24 instalments.

The same law notably gives the government full discretion in the use of budget funds approved for purposes not deemed part of legally binding tasks.

The government will be able to reallocate funds without a supplementary budget, or more precisely on the basis of a supplementary budget that need not be submitted to parliament until up to 90 days after the crisis ends.

"The situation will not occur in this country where funding would not be available for equipment to save lies," Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj defended the measure as a number of MPs expressed misgivings about it, including from the ranks of the coalition.

"The government is getting powers that are unmatched in Slovenia's independence era and by far exceed those the government had during the financial crisis," noted Robert Polnar of the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS).

The opposition Left's Luka Mesec expressed "fear these measure will be used for an illegitimate consolidation of power" and argued it could be unconstitutional, given that parliament's role as the guardian of the budget is being suspended even though a state of emergency had not been declared.

Šircelj responded by saying the government would report to parliament about the reallocations regularly, a provision inserted in the bill in an amendment.

Meanwhile, another emergency act adopted will allow banks to defer liabilities of companies, co-operatives, self-employed and farmers by 12 months. Banks will be compelled to do so for those whose operation has been thwarted under government measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The act will also apply for loans taken out during the epidemic.

Also passed were emergency measures that restrict trade with agricultural produce, food products and livestock and poultry to ensure sufficient food supplies in the country.

The act allows the minister, in consent with the economy minister, to impose restrictions or bans on exports or imports of individual products or groups of products to or from other countries. It also gives the minister the power to cap prices of certain foodstuffs.

Meanwhile, one of the measures also involves a one-month suspension of prison sentences in cases without safety risks as well the option of early release from prison.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 20 March 2020

Mladina: Populists will abuse COVID-19

STA, 20 March 2020 - In its latest commentary, the left-wing weekly Mladina labels as very unusual several moves made by the new government in order to contain the coronavirus outbreak, and notes that some of them are actually about populists wanting to consolidate their power by abusing the crisis situation.

In the commentary headlined Unusual, editor-in-chief Grega Repovž says that some things done in recent days have remained unexplained, including the formation of a crisis management team which does not belong under the auspices of the Health Ministry.

In all comparable countries, the coronavirus is being fought within the civilian sphere, under civilian legislation, while the military performs only support activities.

"In Slovenia, as the government is being taken over by the Democrats (SDS), the management and communication of the situation has been stripped away from public health experts," with the matters being formally transferred to the defence department.

"It is a different way of governance, of thinking. The civilian sphere, the healthcare sector in this case, has been formally subjugated to the defence sector."

What is even more unusual is that all healthcare institutions have been instructed not to communicate with the public about the epidemic without permission. "There is no good reason for this whatsoever," Repovž says.

"Basically all key people appearing in the public on behalf of the government are party members first and foremost, even the only health expert. This is very strange for a European country in 2020."

Repovž notes that the Guardian had already written about European populists trying to abuse the coronavirus, and that they can be stopped. He points to the "latest attempt to abuse the crisis situation to make social changes" not so long ago.

This was done by the Janša government in 2012, which faced protests because he tried to use people's distress because of a difficult financial situation to carry out social subversion.

"The committed behaviour and solidarity expressed by people at the time when an invisible virus is roaming the country shows us very clearly how people love this country - but only as a free, fair and open society."

Demokracija: No time for ideological, political disputes

STA, 19 March 2020 - The coronavirus epidemic is a war-like situation and this is no time to engage in ideological or political settling of scores, the right-wing weekly Demokracija comments in its editorial on Thursday.

"We must all act as if we are infected. Only responsible individuals can contain the spread of the virus. No decree can stop the virus, no government can abolish it, all it can do is take some unpopular measures that (temporarily) restrict personal and economic freedom," editor-in-chief Jože Biščak writes in the commentary Covid-19, Liberty and the Free Market.

"Believe me, it pains me (as a sworn classical liberal of the Hayek Café mould in the economic sense) to see the restrictions. But the arrival of Covid-19 is like war, where logic often fails and drastic measures must be resorted to.

"Notwithstanding the political and economic situation in Slovenia (and the world), it will therefore take a lot to get through this challenge. And the fear (or ruthless insinuations by the political opponents of the new government) that Janša may exploit this difficult time to revive old methods of operation of leftist governments at the expense of liberties is unfounded."

All our posts in this series are here