STA, 23 October 2020 - Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anže Logar tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a routine test on Friday, the Foreign Ministry has announced, adding that he is not displaying any Covid-19 symptoms.
Following recommendations from the public health authorities, Logar and his closest aides who have been in contact with him will self-isolate for the next ten days, the ministry added.
Logar is Slovenia's highest-ranking official to have tested positive for the novel virus after the infection has so far been officially confirmed in two MPs and the Maribor mayor.
The news comes after the foreign ministers of Austria and Belgium, Alexander Schallenberg and Sophie Wilmes, both announced on Saturday to have tested positive.
Schallenberg's spokesperson said the minister might have caught the virus at the 12 October session of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, which was also attended by Logar.
The Slovenian foreign minister wrapped up a tour of the Baltic countries in Lithuania on Thursday after he had already visited Latvia and Estonia in the previous two days.
Also today, Tadeja Šuštar, an MP for the coalition party New Slovenia (NSi), announced she had tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.
In post on her Facebook profile the MP said she had taken a self-pay test as a precaution after receiving an alert from the coronavirus exposure app.
Her deputy faction said other NSi MPs were not self-isolating because they had strictly followed all precautionary measures while in contact with Šuštar, including wearing face masks and social distancing.
Despite the infection, the second after Social Democrat (SD) MP Gregor Židan tested positive while on holiday almost two weeks ago, the National Assembly continued proceedings as per usual today.
More Top Officials Caught Breaking Rules
STA, 23 October 2020 - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik and the public health chief Milan Krek are the latest officials to have been exposed by the media for apparently flouting coronavirus precautions.
According to a report by the commercial broadcaster POP TV, Koritnik visited a beauty salon while waiting for his coronavirus test result, which later turned out to be negative.
Meanwhile, Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health, was spotted filling up at a service station in Ljubljana without wearing a face mask on Thursday, TV Slovenija reported.
Krek confirmed the incident, explaining that he was tired and was not jeopardising anyone.
Koritnik told POP TV that he got himself tested on Thursday as a precaution after infections were confirmed at his ministry in the past week.
Since he did not have any direct contact with infected persons, he was not advised to self-isolate. As a rule those who get tested are advised to behave as if they were infected.
Koritnik's negative test result did not come back until Friday morning. Having a day off the day before, he visited a beauty salon, where POP TV said he also broke the government decree because five people were inside the salon at the same time.
"The premises are large, I was there with my life companion," Koritnik said in response.
The incidents follow after photos emerged of an unmasked National Council President Alojz Kovšca during a visit to the Slovenian minority in Hungary, and an unmasked Education Minister Simona Kustec attending a sports gala event.
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