STA, 5 March 2020 - Several Slovenian travel agencies have seen a significant drop in business because of the new coronavirus. The agencies organising tourist trips in Slovenia are particularly affected, while those offering trips abroad are noticing a change of tourism flows.

The Ljubljana-based Atur Travel, which targets mainly tourists from Asia with its trips to south, eastern and central Europe, has recorded a major drop in the number of guests.

Almost all trips in March have been cancelled, as have 80% of those scheduled for April and May, CEO Anja Poženel Belec said, adding that most trips were being cancelled by their clients from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea.

"At the moment, bookings are being pushed to September and October, so we are expecting a big increase in autumn if the situation calms down until then. But the shortfall in the first six months will nevertheless show at the annual level."

Gorazd Skrt of Lovely Trips, which helps companies promote Slovenian tourism in Italy, says that Italian travel agencies are seeing a significant drop in bookings.

Many people who do not have symptoms are cancelling their trips so as to avoid transmission, while in Slovenia, people fear guests from Italy will bring the virus, he said.

The impact of the epidemic on tourism is difficult to assess at the moment, according to him. "If the situation improves in the coming weeks, we'll be able to make up for a part of cancellations and only record a drop of a few percent. But if the situation continues for months, arrivals of Italian guests could be magnitudes worse."

Plans for the Easter and 1 May holidays are also being affected. "We are recording cancellations of existing reservations. Those who have not made reservations yet, are afraid to make them," he said.

The problem is that even if the epidemic is stopped by then, there will not be enough time to organise group trips, Skrt explained.

"Tourism is an industry that is quickly affected by crises but also recovers quickly. At this point, two scenarios are possible - under the less negative one we'll be trying to offset the negative effects until the end of the year, while in the worst case scenario the season will be ruined."

Big travel agencies offering trips to other countries are not particularly affected. Palma has not seen a drop in demand or any major cancellations.

Kompas said the situation was changing on a day-to-day basis. Its tours of Italy do not make stops in the towns that are quarantined at the moment, so there have been no cancellations.

Rather than a drop in demand, they are noticing that people are opting for slightly different destinations.

GoOpti, a company providing shared and private transfers to airports and between towns, is seeing a 30-40% drop in the number of passengers, especially in Italy.

In the face of the negative effects of the virus on business, several associations, including the trade union of employees in the hospitality sector from the ZSSS trade union confederation, the Employers' Association and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), have called on the government to introduce measure to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus immediately.

They called for subsidies for shorter working time and financial aid for companies that have no financial reserves to fall back on.

The GZS said today that problems were expected to mount, so the government should follow the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The OECD said on Monday flexible forms of work should be introduced to preserve jobs, while governments should adopt temporarily tax and budget measures to mitigate the effects of the virus in the most affected industries such as tourism, the automotive sector and electronics.

All out stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 5 March 2020 - A second case of novel coronavirus infection in Slovenia was confirmed Thursday, Health Minister Aleš Šabeder said, with the person having been in contact with the first patient, who had been detected on Wednesday.

Šabeder said as the health authorities called a press conference to speak about the first case that they had just been informed about a second case, adding that the second patient had been in contact with the first one.

The authorities are rushing to identify other persons who have been in contact with the man who was confirmed as the first COVID-19 case in Slovenia yesterday.

The Ljubljana physician who attended to the patient and sent him in an ambulance vehicle to the UKC Ljubljana hospital to be quarantined in a separate ward, has already been isolated.

The first infected person, identified only as a man aged about 60, had come to Slovenia from Morocco via Italy on a commercial flight on 29 February.

The National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) called on other Slovenian citizens who were on the AT938 Royal Air Maroc flight from Casablanca to the Marco Polo airport in Venice to be careful about signs of infection.

Nina Pirnat of the NIJZ said that the first patient had already had symptoms when he had arrived in Venice, which he had attributed to a recent injury in Morocco.

The man had used a shuttle van to come from Venice to Ljubljana and all persons who travelled with him in the aircraft and the shuttle van will be instructed to see an epidemiologist and get further instructions.

The shuttle operator GoOpti told the STA that a few other persons had travelled with the man, adding that the driver had already been tested and isolated. GoOpti director Marko Guček said that the driver was feeling well and had no signs of infection.

On the evening of the arrival to Slovenia, the first patient visited the Ljubljana emergency ward over the injury, and was then sent home, Pirnat said, adding that he had been in contact with many persons since.

Health Ministry State Secretary Simona Repar Bornšek added that, feeling unwell, the man had visited the community health centre in the south-western Ljubljana borough of Vič. He came unannounced, ignoring all protocols and instructions, she added.

According to Šabeder, a list of persons in contact with the man was being compiled. High-risk persons have had swab samples taken, with the results to be announced in the afternoon.

Pirnat said that the infection was transferred by close contact and that the probability that the persons at the emergency ward and the passengers had gotten infected was small.

Nevertheless, the health authorities are trying to identify as many persons as possible who have been in contact with or in the close proximity of the first patient.

Doctors rushing to identify people who came into contact with the first coronavirus patient

STA, 5 March 2020 - Slovenian health authorities are rushing to identify persons who have been in contact with the man who was confirmed as the first COVID-19 case in Slovenia on Wednesday. The Ljubljana physician who attended to the patient has already been isolated.

Health Minister Aleš Šabeder said a list of persons in contact with the man was being compiled. High-risk persons have had swab samples taken, with the results still pending.

The infected person, identified only as a man aged about 60, had recently come to Slovenia from Morocco via Italy.

It is clear that he flew from Morocco to Italy, but his subsequent travel arrangements have not been disclosed due to protection of sensitive personal information.

It therefore remains unclear whether he travelled alone or in a group.

The patient ignored instructions issued in recent weeks. Instead of calling his doctor first, he went to a community health centre in Ljubljana, where the doctor determined he had clear signs of COVID-19 infection.

The man was then transported by ambulance to the epidemiology ward of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, where he has been quarantined in a separate ward reserved for COVID-19 cases.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia can be found here

STA, 4 March 2020 - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said on Twitter on Wednesday that the first infection with the novel coronavirus had been confirmed in Slovenia. Health Minister Aleš Šabeder addressed the press after the announcement, saying that the infected person had come to Slovenia from Morocco via Italy.

The person is currently being treated at the infection ward of the UKC Ljubljana hospital, in a room which had been set up for the admittance of the first potential patients, he added.

The National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) is identifying the persons who have been in contact with the infected individual.

The infected person visited their general practitioner today, who referred the person to the infection ward due to noticeable signs of infection.

A swab was taken there and the result was positive, with the patient being immediately hospitalised in line with the protocol that was determined in advance, Šabeder told the press.

He added that the Health Ministry had been informed about the positive test, performed by the Ljubljana institute of microbiology and immunology, around 8.45pm.

Maja Sočan of the NIJZ said that the likely source of the infection was, with first information suggesting that the case had been imported, with the person getting infected in Morocco.

The relevant authorities will ask the person about their whereabouts in recent days, examine their condition and talk with persons who are the most closest to the infected, for whom the strictest measures are envisaged.

Sočan said that there were no information about these persons, adding that identifying them was a priority. "Our job is to find them and provide them with advice so that the infection does not spread," she added.

Šabeder said that the situation would also be discussed by the government on Thursday.

All out stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 4 March 2020 - Slovenia's biggest boat show, Internautica, which was to be held in the port of Trieste in May, has been cancelled due to the spreading of the novel coronavirus in Italy, and Europe. The event will be held in 2021, the organisers announced on Wednesday.

The decision was made in cooperation with the municipality of Trieste. The event will be held when the security and health situation returns to normal, they said.

Last year, the organisers of the international boat show, which also promotes global environmental efforts, signed a multi-year cooperation contract with the Trieste municipality to bring Internautica to the North Adriatic port. The project was backed by the regional government of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The idea was for Internautica, which has become the most popular and environmentally friendly boat show on the Adriatic coast in the last 25 years, to finally exceed its local framework.

Internautica has been taking place in Marina Portorož for the last quarter of a century but at the end of 2018 the organisers parted ways with Marina Portorož, which last year hosted its own boat show in May.

The organisers of Internautica initially intended to move their event to Izola but later decided that it did not make sense to hold two boat shows on the Slovenian coast at the same time.

Home fair opens in Ljubljana despite COVID-19 fears

STA, 4 March 2020 - The Home construction fair kicked off in Ljubljana on Wednesday despite fears it could be called off due to the global spreading of COVID-19. Addressing the opening of the fair, outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec warned against economic fallout from panic.

Iztok Bricl, the director of fairgrounds operator Gospodarsko Razstavišče, noted that Home was the company's biggest and oldest event, with its 60th anniversary coming up next year.

It features more than 500 exhibitors and has attracted more than 55,000 visitors each time in the recent years.

Bricl expressed satisfaction that the company decided to go through with the fair despite the spreading of coronavirus in the region. This was also commended by Šarec.

Meanwhile, Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković said that the turnout this morning indicated that visitor numbers at the show this year will surpass last year's.

To lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission, Gospodarsko Razstavišče has placed a number of hand sanitisers across the premises and increased ventilation. No COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Slovenia so far.

All out stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 4 March - Tourism officials in the regions bordering Italy are not yet reporting a decline in visitors due to the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, a major market for Slovenian tourism. The coastal community of Piran has even seen more visitors than in the same period a year ago.

The tourism association at the seaside of Portorož recorded a slight drop in the number of overnight stays at hotels, which they say was mainly due to the fact that two major hotels are closed for renovation.

Most other hotels in the Piran municipality, which also includes Portorož, saw visitor numbers in February trumping those recorded the same month a year ago. "We've seen growth mainly due to foreign visitors, who generated a good fifth more overnight stays in February than last year," they say.

The Portorož tourism association is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation, following the advice of the National Public Health Institute and the Slovenian Tourist Board, and notifying its visitors in turn.

Slovenian Tourist Board says hotels well-prepared for coronavirus

"Our hotels are well prepared too, keeping their guests up to date on the developments, making sure the premises are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, while the staff have attended training on preventive measures," the tourism association said.

Similarly, tourism officials in the port town of Koper have not noticed any particular effect of the coronavirus outbreak. February statistics are not yet in but the local tourism info point has not yet recorded a decline in footfall.

Nor has a fall been observed at the tourism centres in the Soča Valley, although the main tourism season there is yet to begin.

Restaurants along Slovenia's western border are not reporting a drop in turnout by Italian or other foreign customers either, but they are cautious about any projections and further developments.

Shaded countries had at least one confirmed case of coronoavirus as of 3 March 2020. WHO data, map US CDC - details

Gostilna pri Lojzetu, the award-winning establishment at Zemono Mansion, has had some cancellations from Italian and some other patrons who travelled through Venice airport, "but merely as a preventive measure because they wouldn't want to 'infect' any of our guests, even though they were not infected".

However, the restaurant does not expect any difficulties in the future. "We'll always have the restaurant full, it will definitely stay that way," they say.

The Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) last week called for state aid arguing that the hospitality sector in the Nova Gorica area had been seeing a "drastic decline" in Italian customers.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 2 March 2020 - As the coronavirus outbreak is spreading in the neighbouring countries, Slovenian officials faced questions on Monday as to whether testing for the virus should be expanded considering no one has yet tested positive.

The outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec defended action taken by the authorities over the coronavirus scare in questions time when challenged by Iva Dimic, the deputy for New Slovenia (NSi), who said the government did not realise the seriousness of the threat until the virus claimed first lives in Italy.

Šarec rejected her claim, listing measures taken and assuring her that there were plans how to respond to first infections or a potential outbreak. He also noted that Slovenia had not detected any coronavirus infections yet.

However, Dimic wondered whether all the necessary tests were being taken, commenting that it was odd Slovenia had not had any positive case yet.

She offered the example of a family that wanted to have their child tested after a holiday in Italy, but was told that would be unnecessary as long as the children were not coughing.

"It's experts who are responsible for testing, with coordination running through the Health Ministry. If people want to get tested this should be available to them," Šarec said.

The question also came up as the parliamentary Health Committee continued its session about Slovenia's preparedness for a potential coronavirus outbreak.

Alenka Jeraj, a deputy for the Democratic Party (SDS), wanted to know why the country was not conducting preventive tests on those who returned from the virus-hit areas even if they were in good health.

"Isn't it better for their safety that they should learn as soon as possible whether they might be ill so they get treatment as soon as possible," wondered Jeraj.

She criticised the fact that "only about 200 tests" for the novel coronavirus had been conducted in the country.

Nina Pirnat, director of the National Institute of Public Health, said that it made no sense taking swabs from healthy people; negative smear tests could give them a false sense of security should they fall ill later.

"The important thing is to take swabs from sick people," said Pirnat.

Meanwhile, committee chair Franc Trček from the Left commented that France was capable of testing 'only' 300 people a day.

Miroslav Petrovec, the chair of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology in Ljubljana, rejected the speculations that test kits in Slovenia may be faulty or inferior.

"I strongly reject speculations about the absence of cases in Slovenia being the result of faulty tests. This is pure conjecture and disinformation," he said, adding that Slovenia was among the first European countries to get testing kits.

He said every person with clinical symptoms was being tested, but "it is an illusion to test everyone with symptoms of the common cold in wintertime."

Slovenia has not yet had the first confirmed coronavirus case. Health authorities tested 255 persons by Monday afternoon with all results negative.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 27 February - The outgoing cabinet adopted on Thursday measures to contain the new coronavirus in case it spreads to Slovenia. It released strategic commodity reserves to ensure enough protective gear but noted that borders with neighbouring countries remained open and that there was no reason for panic.

No coronavirus infection has been recorded in Slovenia as yet, but the country has been preparing for it as neighbouring Italy, Austria and Croatia all have patients with COVID-19.

According to Health Minister Aleš Šabeder, protective masks, glasses, gloves, coats and hospital shoe covers will be available in case of emergency.

Equipment in the total value of EUR 200,000 will be made available, including 48,000 protective masks, 5,000 hazmat suits, 500,000 gloves and hand sanitizers, the Economy Ministry said.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec added the strategic commodity reserves were intended for medical staff not citizens. "First we must protect public workers, so that they can help citizens efficiently," he said.

UKC Ljubljana gets masks for coronavirus

Meanwhile, the UKC Ljubljana hospital received 100,000 protective masks today, a donation from the company Labena. The hospital said the masks from state reserves would be used only if existing supplies and further orders would not be enough to cover the hospital's needs.

Based on an agreement with the neighbouring countries, borders remain open. Experience from Italy has shown that fierce measures did not stop the spreading of the disease while they could cause substantial economic damage, Šarec said.

Croatia is conducting checks at the border crossings, which is causing long tailbacks of traffic. "Such measures are not efficient. Tailbacks on the borders are causing economic damage," Šarec warned.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in response that the measure was necessary. "Croatia acts as it should, peacefully and prudently, without panic, in order to protect public health and its citizens."

Hinting at Slovenia's measures at the Schengen border causing tailbacks in the past, Plenković said that "now we have a true reason to raise preparedness on the border, which is good both for us and for Slovenia".

Croatian President Zoran Milanović, who is meeting Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor in Otočec, said that the Croatian government probably had reasons to take such measures, adding that panic was unwarranted.

Pahor said that measures should be coordinated. "It's about our people's health and we have to do everything in our power to help each other find solutions which would preserve health," he added.

Šarec also stressed that responsible action was needed otherwise the side effects of the protective measures could be more harmful than the virus itself.

The outgoing PM listed the problems that could emerge if people started withdrawing their money from banks in panic or buying supplies in abnormal quantities, which is already happening.

The civil protection will get involved in case of multiple infections, and so will the army, sanitary service and others, he asserted. "But we'e not there yet. So those who have called for closing of the borders are merely spreading panic."

Both Šarec and Šabeder rejected claims by the Medical Chamber that health institutions were not informed of the situation and measures.

Šabeder called on the chamber to "immediately stop sowing fear and panic among the people and medical staff".

Presenting the agreements reached at a meeting of health ministers of Italy and neighbouring countries in the face of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, Šarec said countries had agreed not to close the borders and to exchange information about the virus. They will hold regular videoconferences to agree on protective measures.

As yet, no major events cancelled

As regards cancellations of public events, decisions will be made on a case-to-case basis, with Šarec noting that Slovenia would also host some major events in the near future such as the Ski Jumping World Cup events in Planica.

Šabeder said that protective gear was being inventoried in all hospitals and community health centres, and that no institute was without it. This week, Slovenia will join a European public order for more protective gear.

Full protective gear is required only during swab taking, Health Ministry State Secretary Simona Repar Bornšek explained. She added that there was no need for healthy people who come from countries where infections have been recorded to be taking sick leave.

Presenting the scenario for action if case of a positive test, she said the first infected patient would be hospitalised and their family members or those living with the person would be isolated while other would not be affected.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 25 February 2020 - Public institutions in Slovenia have started taking precautionary measures to protect staff against coronavirus infections after first cases of the virus were confirmed in neighbouring Italy, Austria and Croatia.

Some schools have cancelled planned activities, including parent-teacher conferences. One secondary school in Ljubljana, Gimnazija Poljane, said it had called off international exchanges with Italy and an excursion to Rome planned in April.

The University of Ljubljana has called on all students and faculty who have been to parts of Italian affected by the coronavirus in the last ten days to remain in self-imposed quarantine for two weeks.

The Education Ministry has issued general guidance to educational institutions urging head teachers and directors to prepare contingency plans to make sure teaching and research may continue without disruption.

Schools have been given discretion to estimate risk and adjust their activities accordingly.

Half the schools in the country are closed this week anyway, as students in the eastern half of Slovenia have their week-long winter holiday.

In Primorske, the region closest to the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, cultural institutions have started cancelling events as well.

A concert in Piran dedicated to the 250th death anniversary of the composer Giuseppe Tartini has been called off, as has the opening show of a Slovenian-Italian cross-border theatre festival in Gorizia.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry State Secretary Simona Repar Bornšek told the parliamentary Health Committee that life must not come to a halt.

"In terms of expertise, there is no reason to call off public events... Institutions must make sure that health care workers and those at the borders are protected but there are no special instructions for healthy people," she said, repeating once again that there is no reason for healthy people to wear face masks.

The committee session was also attended by Italian Ambassador to Slovenia Carlo Campanile, who presented the situation in Italy and called for transparent communication to fight misinformation.

Repar Bornšek also said that patients suspected of being infected with COVID-19 will be directed to health centres that provide 24/7 services. Only severe cases will be hospitalised, therefore the existing capacities are expected to suffice.

Meanwhile, a meeting hosted by Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza resulted in the decision of health ministers from neighbouring countries, including Slovenia's Aleš Šabeder, to keep the borders open.

Keep up with all the news on coronavirus and Slovenia here

STA, 24 February 2020 - The novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has so far had no profound effect on Slovenia's economy, but problems have arisen in certain areas. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said on Monday that the government was deliberating mitigation measures, such as subsidies to compensate for shorter working time.

The minister pointed out though that any measures to protect public health must not interrupt the flow of goods because the country's exports depended on that.

After meeting several CEOs whose companies have been feeling the consequences of the outbreak, Počivalšek said that the ministry had been keeping track of the situation and its effect on the economy since the start.

He said the situation in Slovenia had been under control so far, but since the country had no influence on future global developments, it needed to be ready to deal with potential challenges.

Despite no major effects being determined so far, the ministry has decided to act in prevention and consider a future strategy in cooperation with economy representatives. Počivalšek intends to present potential measures at the government session on Thursday.

Problems have so far been detected mainly in tourism and logistics while a drop in sales and orders has been recorded in manufacturing, which could lead to a slowdown in production. The government is considering introducing subsidies for those waiting for work to help the affected companies and avoid lay-offs.

Slovenia introduced this measure a decade ago during the economic crisis and Počivalšek said he hoped it would not need to be introduced again.

Closing the borders would be the country's last resort, he stressed.

Slovenia's tourism has been worst hit by the outbreak of the coronavirus - mostly due to travel cancellations of Asian tourists. The situation could be exacerbated by the virus spreading to neighbouring countries.

Last year, 160,00 Chinese tourists visited Slovenia, while Italy is a key market, with 600,000 guests visiting Slovenia a year.

The Slovenian Tourist Board will step up its promotion efforts in nearby countries and it is also hoping to get EU funds for this purpose.

Meanwhile, the Chinese-owned household appliances maker Gorenje said that the situation was under control, but there was some disruption in supplies in China.

Port operator Luka Koper expects to feel the effects of coronavirus in the next two weeks, with its transshipment from or to China accounting for 30% of its total transshipment.

All our stories on cornonavirus and Slovenia are here

Časoris is an online newspaper aimed at children. Each week we’ll take an article and post it here as a Slovene-English dual text.

Kako Preprečevati SARS-CoV-2 Okužbo

How to Prevent SARS-COV-2 Infection

Written by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Ministrstvo za izobraževanje, znanost in šport), translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

Pri preprečevanju okužbe z virusom SARS-CoV-2 je tako kot pri drugih nalezljivih bolezni, ki povzročajo okužbe dihal, priporočljivo upoštevati vsakodnevne preventivne ukrepe:

Preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection is like with other infectious diseases that cause respiratory infections, and it is advisable to take daily preventive measures:

Izogibamo se tesnim stiskom z ljudmi, ki kažejo znake nalezljive bolezni;

We avoid close contact with people who show the signs of an infectious disease;

Ne dotikamo se oči, nosu in ust;

We do not touch the eyes, nose and mouth;

V primeru, da zbolimo, ostanemo doma;

In case we get sick, we stay at home;

Upoštevamo pravila higiene kašlja (kašljamo v robček, ki ga potem zavržemo, ali v komolec);

Follow the rules of cough hygiene (cough in a handkerchief, which is then discarded, or in the elbow);

Redno si umivamo roke z milom in vodo;

Wash our hands regularly with soap and water;

Če voda in milo nista dostopna, za razkuževanje rok uporabimo namensko razkužilo za roke. Vsebnost alkohola v razkužilu za roke naj bo najmanj 60%. Razkužilo za roke je namenjeno samo zunanji uporabi. Sredstva za čiščenje/razkuževanje površin niso namenjena čiščenju/razkuževanju kože.

If water and soap are not available, disinfect the hands using a dedicated hand sanitizer. The alcohol content of the hand sanitizer should be at least 60%. A hand sanitizer is for external use only. Surface cleaners / disinfectants are not intended for cleaning / disinfecting the skin.

Glede na trenutno epidemiološko situacijo splošna uporaba zaščitnih mask ni potrebna.

Given the current epidemiological situation, general use of protective masks is not necessary.

V času povečanega pojavljanja okužb dihal se izogibamo zaprtih prostorov, v katerih se zadržuje veliko število ljudi. Poskrbimo za redno zračenje zaprtih prostorov.

in times of increased respiratory infections we avoid enclosed spaces that hold large numbers of people. We regularly ventilate enclosed spaces.

Na spletni strani Nacionalnega inštituta za javno zdravje najdete tudi informacije o mitih in resnicah, povezanih z novim koronavirusom, pa tudi pogosta vprašanja in odgovore.

The National Institute of Public Health website also provides information on myths and truths related to the new coronavirus, as well as frequently asked questions and answers.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.