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STA, 2 May 2020 - Following a series of accusations about alleged dodgy procedures in the procurement of personal protective equipment and ventilators, company Geneplanet, Slovenia's key provider of ventilators during the coronavirus epidemic, proposed to the government on Saturday to mutually agree to terminate the relevant contracts.
Related: New Details in Slovenia’s Coronavirus Equipment Scandal
The company wants to protect its reputation, according to its director Marko Bitenc, who suggested the termination of the cooperation in a letter addressed to Toni Rumpf, the acting director of the Agency for Commodity Reserves.
Bitenc explained that the company's "appearance in this negative context without any reasonable grounds is harmful to its international reputation and good repute", adding that the company had been operating in line with law and regulations.
Geneplanet proposes terminating a part of the contract that pertains to ventilators and protective masks which have not yet been delivered, as well as repurchasing ventilators that have already been supplied at the delivery price.
The company has so far delivered 110 of the 220 ordered ventilators from a Chinese supplier and must deliver the remainder by 15 May according to the contract signed with the agency.
The Tarča current affairs show, which broke the story of alleged political pressure in the procurement procedures more than a week ago, said on Thursday the contract had been botched since the ventilators were unsuitable for Covid-19 patients.
One of the three members of an informal medical group that had evaluated offers for ventilators, internal medicine specialist Rihard Knafelj, told Tarča that his group had assessed 90 offers and the one offered by Geneplanet had been assessed as the least appropriate of the 13 that were deemed acceptable. The government was acquainted with the assessment.
Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, who was recorded prodding the agency into signing the contract with Geneplanet as soon as possible, denied accusations, adding that the government received another expert opinion and stressing that the ventilators supplied by Geneplanet were one of the few available at the time.
Bitenc also told Tarča that the ventilators were adequate for treating Covid-19 patients and denied that the company was in any way prioritised in the procedures of selecting providers.
The deputy head of the agency Ivan Gale claims that Počivalšek has personally intervened in favour of the ventilator contract with Geneplanet worth EUR 8 million.
The company was one of only two providers to receive 100% advance payment. It was also the only ventilator provider with a bank guarantee covering only 50% of the transaction, said Tarča reporters, adding that Geneplanet ventilators were also the most expensive.
On Monday, Geneplanet will present all the paper trail regarding its contracts with the agency and clarify any open issues relating to the quality and suitability of its ventilators, added the company today.
Responding to the company's proposal, Počivalšek said that the Health Ministry had been urged to issue an opinion on whether Slovenia needs the ventilators. He also described the accusations as public lynching.
Even though the minister's response implies that the government will deliberate over the option of terminating the contract, the agency told public broadcaster TV Slovenija that Geneplanet's argument for the termination did not warrant such a step. The agency thus still expects the remainder of the ventilators to be delivered by 15 May.
STA, 2 May 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša said on Saturday that Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek was still enjoying his trust in the wake of accusations of political pressure in the purchasing of personal protective equipment and ventilators. Janša added that a government report on the procurement would be sent to parliament next week.
"Everything that could be received as soon as possible and that met at least basic standards was purchased. I'm not aware of a single EU country which would act differently. Many are still doing that. The delivery time and supply security are No. 1 factor. With every delivery, a huge weight has been lifted off of our chests," wrote the prime minister on Twitter today.
Related: New Details in Slovenia’s Coronavirus Equipment Scandal
The report on the PPE purchasing was requested by Janša after a wave of accusations was levelled at the government about dodgy procedures and faulty equipment as well as about attempts to influence the Agency for Commodity Reserves to choose certain suppliers.
More than a week ago, Ivan Gale, the deputy head of the agency, came forward with accusations of strong political pressure and other potential irregularities in the procurement. The whistleblower also told the Tarča current affairs show that Počivalšek had personally intervened in favour of a ventilator contract with the company Geneplanet worth EUR 8 million.
Pointing out that the report will be presented in parliament next week, Janša said that Počivalšek and Defence Minister Matej Tonin had wanted to present the report's key findings already during the latest Tarča show on Thursday, but "a yapping presenter did not allow them to do that".
The prime minister also highlighted that the previous government paid EUR 49,154 for the only ordered ventilator prior to 13 March, while the average price for ventilators stood at EUR 33,880 after the current government took over.
"The difference between these two price tags explains the motive of first-class suppliers and their media as well as PR branches for attacks on Počivalšek," said Janša.
Meanwhile, the opposition plans to file a no-confidence motion against Počivalšek as well as request a parliamentary inquiry. The coalition New Slovenia (NSi), led by Tonin, has said that it would back the investigation.
Počivalšek denies any wrongdoing, having said that the story was an orchestrated "hunt on my head".
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One Covid-19 death, only five new infections on Friday
Comprehensive random sampling for SARS-CoV-2 completed
Slovenia receives Chinese donation of PPE
One Covid-19 death, only five new infections on Friday
STA, 2 May 2020 - Slovenia's official tally of coronavirus cases rose by five on Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,439. The number of fatalities rose by one to 94, shows the latest government data released on Saturday.
There were a total of 60 persons in hospital yesterday, up by two compared to the day before, with 21 in intensive care, same as on Friday. One person was released from hospital.
A total of 720 tests were performed on Friday, bringing the total number of tests conducted so far to 55,020.
Among 1,439 infected with the virus, 637 are men and 802 women. A total of 298 are healthcare workers, show the National institute of Public Health (NIJZ) data. The number of Covid-19 cases in care homes currently stands at 448, including 315 elderly residents.
The highest number of the cases confirmed so far is in Slovenia's central region (412), followed by the Savinjska region (302), Pomurje (181) and the south-east (149). The least cases have been confirmed in the Goriško and Posavje regions, 22 and 13, respectively.
Twelve persons infected with coronavirus in Slovenia are foreign citizens.
The majority of Covid-19 patients are currently treated at the two largest hospitals in the country, UKC Maribor (26, nine in intensive care) and UKC Ljubljana (19, seven in intensive care).
On Saturday morning, six Covid-19 patients were hospitalised at the Celje hospital, two out of them were in intensive care, and nine at the Golnik hospital.
Meanwhile, the nationwide random testing campaign, launched on 20 April, is nearly completed - almost all of the required samples have been taken. According to the Ljubljana Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, a total of 1,368 people have been tested out of 1,371 invited to take part in the campaign.
No new infections were recorded as part of the random sampling yesterday, meaning the result so far remains one new case along with one more that was already diagnosed a month ago.
Comprehensive random sampling for SARS-CoV-2 completed
STA, 2 May 2020 - A comprehensive random population testing for coronavirus was completed on Saturday. The samples of 1,368 people, who had been picked in a representative sample and were willing to take part in the campaign, have been taken and one new case confirmed in total. The preliminary results are expected to be presented after the May Day holidays.
The data released so far show that only one new infection was recorded as part of the random sampling along with one more that was already diagnosed a month ago.
"Some are amazed, thinking this is either too few or too many. The figure shows what is realistic, what can be detected in such a population," said Miroslav Petrovec, the head of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine.
The preliminary results will be key for giving the authorities a reliable estimate of the extent of the coronavirus epidemic in Slovenia and help them plan the way out of the lockdown.
The sample of survey participants was prepared by the Statistics Office (SURS) in cooperation with the Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences.
A total of 3,000 Slovenian residents were randomly picked. The sample included people of all ages and is representative by age, gender and territorial breakdown of Slovenia.
Similar campaigns have been announced abroad as well. Austria has already conducted a random testing for SARS-CoV-2, however Petrovec has said that the country's survey could not compare to Slovenia's campaign since the latter would be the first such comprehensive test in Europe.
Austria's study was looking at the proportion of the acutely infected population, while Slovenia's will also show how many people have recovered from the infection based on antibodies in their blood.
Those involved in the survey have been invited to be tested again after six months.
As of Friday, Slovenia's official tally of coronavirus confirmed cases totalled 1,439, with the death toll hitting 94.
Slovenia receives Chinese donation of PPE
STA, 1 May 2020 - Slovenia has received 12 tonnes of protective personal equipment, an official donation from China, the Foreign Ministry said after the airplane touched down at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport on Friday.
The airplane carried 899 boxes with 30,000 N95 masks, 700,000 surgical masks, 20,000 protective overalls, 10,000 goggles and 30,000 gloves.
STA, 1 May 2020 - Several thousand cyclists took to the streets of Ljubljana on Friday evening accusing the government of curtailing civil liberties in what was the latest in a series of protests targeting the government's anti-coronavirus policies.
Cyclists rode past Parliament House and adjacent streets, a form of protest that they see as in compliance with quarantine measures mandating a safe distance between individuals and allowing sports activities such as cycling while banning the gathering of people.
Related: New Details in Slovenia’s Coronavirus Equipment Scandal
Police said an estimated 3,500 people protested, adding that they had not taken any measures but would take action in the event any violations of the law is detected. Aleksandra Golec, spokeswoman for the Ljubljana police, told the STA several streets had been closed for traffic to ensure safety.
Trg republike v Ljubljani je poln in se še polni s sodelujočimi na protestni akciji #zbalkonovnakolesa pic.twitter.com/VZfBA1pzhV
— Večer (@vecer) May 1, 2020
Živel 1. maj! Dovolj ustrahovanja, sovraštva, laži in KRAJE! ✊ pic.twitter.com/4ifDktz3Qa
— Brez strahu (@BrezStrahu) May 1, 2020
The rally was organised by twenty-odd self-organised groups and civil society organisations on Facebook as the latest incarnation of a protest series that started with protests at home and on balconies. They dubbed the protest "from balconies to bicycles" [#zbalkonovnakolesa].
"This year's Labour Day marks the start of a new wave of economic and social crisis that is the consequence of the fight against the global coronavirus pandemic.
"The response of this government, as well as all previous and future governments, consists of predictable budget cuts, belt-tightening, plundering of people so that banks may survive, destruction of the environment for the benefit of the few, repression, populism," their Facebook post reads.
Similar although smaller protests were held in several other cities. In Maribor, the second largest city in the country, there were up to 200 cyclists, according the Maribor-based daily Večer.
A much smaller rally was organised earlier in the day by a Facebook group that promotes 5G and coronavirus conspiracy theories. The protest was not permitted and the organiser, Ladislav Troha, was apprehended and several participants will be fined.
STA, 1 May 2020 - A week after a whistleblower at the Commodities Reserves Agency came out with accusations of political pressure in the purchasing of personal protective equipment, new questions have been raised about the procurement, most notably of the suitability of purchased ventilators.
The Tarča current affairs show, which broke the story with the deputy head of the Commodities Reserves Agency Ivan Gale last week, said on Thursday a major contract involving ventilators had been botched since the ventilators are unsuitable for Covid-19 patients.
The company that supplied the ventilators, Geneplanet, had been in the spotlight before as one of only two providers to receive 100% advance payment. It offered the most expensive ventilators and only had a bank guarantee covering 50% of the transaction, while several other providers had 100% bank guarantees, Tarča reporters said.
Geneplanet has so far delivered 110 of the 220 ordered ventilators from a Chinese supplier and must deliver the remainder by 15 May according to the contract signed with the Commodities Reserves Agency.
One of the three members of an informal medical group that had evaluated offers for ventilators, internal medicine specialist Rihard Knafelj, told Tarča his group had assessed 90 offers and the one offered by Geneplanet had been assessed as the least appropriate of the 13 that were deemed acceptable. The government was acquainted with the assessment.
Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, who was recorded prodding the agency into signing the contract with Geneplanet as soon as possible, said the ventilators had previously been bought by UKC Ljubljana and had also been used by the Celje hospital. UKC Ljubljana denied having bought the exactly same type of ventilator.
Acknowledging that the ordered ventilators might be "Golfs, not Mercedeses," Počivalšek also showed a second medical opinion showing the ventilators are suitable, noting that "a single doctor does not constitute the medical profession".
Počivalšek also noted that Knafelj had been an advisor to the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) prior to the 2018 election. Knafelj denied any political motives to him speaking up.
Geneplanet director Marko Bitenc likewise argued the ventilators were suitable for Covid-19 patients and said they had been supplied to other countries. In response to Knafelj's argument that they needed additional components to be suitable for Covid-19 patients, Bitenc said this could be arranged, though it would raise the price slightly.
The report also claimed the ventilators ordered by Geneplanet had been the most expensive devices of the ventilators on offer, but Počivalšek repeatedly stressed that some others were not available and some had longer delivery times.
He also reiterated that the situation at the time was chaotic and changing by the hour, while the government was faced with the urgent task of securing emergency equipment so as to save doctors from having to ration ventilator treatment.
Once again denying having preferred particular suppliers, he said it was necessary to accelerate things at the agency, which is used to working in a "peacetime pace" that if not sped up would mean ventilators would not be delivered before Christmas.
Jelka Godec, a state secretary at the prime minister's office who was involved in helping the Commodities Reserves Agency secure the equipment, defended the government's decision to get the equipment through intermediaries.
She said China had centralised procurement on 16 March and no single official had been able to directly arrange the purchase of protective masks.
Tarča further reported being contacted with multiple suppliers of protective masks who sent offers at lower prices than those offered by selected providers. Some never even heard back.
Defence Minister Matej Tonin said the government task force that reviewed these offers had gone through 80 offers per day, anything more than that was not physically possible. Quizzed about the assessment criteria, he said bids with the shortest delivery times were prioritised.
Tonin also challenged Gale the whistleblower to say whether he or his mother had intervened in any way for the selection of Acron, a company in which Tonin mother works and which won several contracts for the supply of masks. Gale said there had been no pressure from them.
Gale has become a tentpole of anti-government sentiment since he came out with his accusations last week and he told Tarča yesterday he stood by his decision to go public and with his claim that certain providers had been favoured.
Počivalšek however wondered by Gale, standing in for director Anton Zakrajšek, had signed all those contracts if he thought they were not alright. Gale retorted that all contracts had been equipped with the ministry's approval and most had anyway been signed by Zakrajšek.
Overall, Gale said his motivation to go public was not to put anyone in jail, it was to "put an end to this kind of politics".
STA, 30 April 2020 - For the first time after World War II, Labour Day in Slovenia will pass without traditional bonfires, gatherings and reveille. Trade unions have called on people to hang out red flags, shirts and flowers from their balconies instead, declaring they will not let workers shoulder the burden of the coronavirus crisis alone.
Noting the 130th anniversary of the first Labour Day celebration, the ZSSS, Slovenia's largest association of trade unions, said that "everyone deserves workers' rights, decent pay and decent work", no matter what their job, where or in what form they perform it.
The union said that the current crisis laid bare further the problem of precarious forms of employment that did not afford a decent life, and it demonstrated how important quality public services such as healthcare, self-sufficiency, protection of privacy, personal data and human rights are.
The ZSSS also notes new issues raised by the Covid-19 emergency, such as reconciling work from home with family life and the "right to disconnect", while wondering whether it will act as a catalyst for a breakthrough in automation, digitalisation and robotisation.
"We cannot prevent change, but we can shape and direct it. The key role here is informing and educating about the new circumstances, about rights and potential solutions," ZSSS head Lidija Jerkič said.
In a separate message ahead of Labour Day, her counterpart from the Pergam association Jakob Počivavšek said that the coronavirus crisis shed light on the many systemic shortcomings that the unions had so far been warning of in vain.
As one such he cited neglect of social dialogue, "which should be absolutely necessary in these times when key decisions and measures are being taken that will affect the future as well".
He said that history had shown that social dialogue had been decisive for progress, development and preservation of the welfare state. "Despite the criticism of trade unionism, which is often unjustified and based on prejudice and ideology, fact is that without trade unions' efforts workers would be much worse off now and our society poorer and more stratified."
After the crisis caused by the pandemic, Počivavšek expects solidarity put to test. "We learnt a lot about that during the financial crisis. This time we will demand the solidarity of capital, of employers with workers, with the society they operate in and benefit from."
He said that businesses were getting a lot from the stimulus package, so they should take their share of the burden of fiscal consolidation once the epidemic is over.
"This time around it cannot be done on the shoulders of workers, social transfers, social insurance rights and the wages of public and private sector employees. The experience of the financial crisis has taught us this is a wrong path that impoverishes people and stifles economic growth."
Meanwhile, the KS 90 trade union organisation from the coastal region called for an epidemic of change "as a result of which work will have its honour and power restored, while the system that is based on exploitation, deepening of social differences, corruption and systemic creation of the poor will be banished to the past".
Indicating that he is well aware of the concerns amid the uncertainty about jobs that accompanies this year's Labour Day, Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj told employees they were not alone in this crisis, promising the government is doing all in its power to protect jobs.
"Many are working from home, may be furloughed, while there is a great deal of uncertainty at any rate. Thus it is the more important for you to know that you are not alone in crisis," the minister said in his message, thanking all workers and volunteers.
"The anti-crisis measures that we have prepared and will still are aimed at preserving as many jobs as possible. It is owning to all those measures taken in particular that the labour market has not been hit as hard as it would have been had the state not intervened."
Apart from the need for suitable pay and proper balance between rights and obligations, the minister also noted the importance of safety for dignified work. "During the epidemic in particular, it has been shown how important it is to ensure safety and health at work and monitor and manage the many psychosocial risks."
He appealed on companies to remember the situation before the pandemic and bear in mind how hard it is to find and keep good workers. He also hailed work from home as an efficient solution to prevent the spread of the virus and reconcile professional and family life.
On the eve of Labour Day, representatives of trade unions from Slovenia and Italy gathered for their traditional get-together at the Škofije border crossing, albeit in a much scaled-down format due to the coronavirus emergency.
The unions called on the authorities in both countries to enter into talks to regulate the status of an estimated 15,000 workers who migrate daily to work in the other country, and give them the same level of rights as the workers in their home countries enjoy.
STA, 1 May 2020 - LGBT+ rights NGOs have had to adapt their services to the current extreme circumstances to help contain the Covid-19 spread. Activists are aware that preventive measures are key but also warn that lockdown restrictions have resulted in the loss of safe spaces and aggravated the community's situation.
"The closure of physical social spaces is definitely restricting safe spaces available to LGBTI persons. Most notably that affects those who have had to return to homophobic, biphobic and transphobic environments; unfortunately a lot of parents or guardians are still not accepting of LGBTI persons, even when those persons are their family members," Lana Gobec, the head of the Legebitra NGO, has told the STA.
Quite a few youths have turned to the organisation for support after university dorms were shut down, for they were unable to return to their primary environments either because they had strained relations with their parents or guardians or because they were not allowed to return due to their sexual orientation and/or identity.
"Following the intervention by student organisations, university dorms were then reopened for those who have no other accommodation options," added Gobec, highlighting that this was not the case for persons residing in secondary school dormitories, who are hence often left with only an option of going back to discriminatory and potentially violent environments.
Legebitra can assist in such cases by helping the person seek shelter in a safe house.
The results of the 2019 Eurobarometer on the social acceptance of LGBT+ people in the EU show that 32% of Slovenians would feel totally uncomfortable if one of their potential children was in a romantic relationship with a person of the same sex as the offspring.
In the case of them being in a relationship with a transgender person or intersex person that figure dominates at 39% or 37%, respectively.
Crisis amplifies social inequalities and mental health problems
Institute TransAkcija, the first Slovenian trans-specific NGO, has warned that the Covid-19 crisis has been highlighting and deepening the gap between the privileged centre and marginalised minorities.
"First and foremost, I believe that the anti-crisis measures have been drawn up in such a way that most of them require a certain privilege from the get-go, so that a conscientious citizen could heed them.
"#StayHome, for example, sure, naturally, but what if one does not have a home? Or one does have a bed, but in an extremely toxic environment? The measures are primarily drawn up for persons whose circumstances stem from a number of normative groups, while minorities are, as always, faced with situations that require self-organisation," Linn Julian Koletnik, the founder and head of TransAkcija, has told the STA.
They have also pointed out that only a handful of spaces in Ljubljana are available to the LGBT+ community and almost zero elsewhere. The current circumstances have only aggravated the situation.
"Community spaces mean safer spaces where people can relax and express themselves the way they are; so many are struggling now because those spaces are missing. But there are online efforts aiming to maintain the sense of community, which is great."
Various factors, including a temporary loss of physical safe spaces and rejections experienced in primary environments, have exacerbated mental health problems for some, with LGBT+ persons being more likely to struggle with mental health in general, according to numerous international studies.
Individuals who seek help via Legebitra support and counselling programmes and were residing in dormitories prior to the introduction of the measures have been reporting intensified feelings of anxiety, gender dysphoria and depressive moods.
Such reports have been coming mostly from younger members of the community who are not enjoying the support of their families, since their parents are not accepting their sexual identities, Gobec has highlighted. Legebitra believes that many more LGBT+ persons face similar difficulties.
The organisation has not detected any increase in various types of violence against LGBT+ persons so far, however it has warned that the lack of such information could be misleading, since not only risk factors are multiplied during times of crisis but also it is more difficult to access mental health services.
Moreover, the community has been facing prejudices and stigmatisation regardless of the crisis, which may also result in suffering abuse and violence. Experts have been pointing out that if reported, which is quite rarely the case, such incidents are not recorded separately as hate crimes against the LGBT+ community and are thus not reflected in statistical data.
The 2019 Universal Periodic Review report on the situation of LGBT+ persons in Slovenia, which was sent to the United Nations by several organisations, including Legebitra and TransAkcija, shows that in the five years leading up to 2019, 60% of LGBT+ survey respondents were victims of harassment.
Almost a third did not report the worst incident to the police since they believed that nothing would change because of that. More than 20% experienced physical and/or sexual violence and those were even less likely to report the crimes.
Many users of TransAkcija counselling and support services also report about amplified struggles during the epidemic in the wake of their environments rejecting them. Some trans or non-binary persons are not out in their primary environments or they are not accepted and are hence not able to safely use their actual names or pronouns and express themselves in line with their identities, explained Koletnik.
Moreover, LGBT+ persons struggle more with unemployment compared to the general population, which may lead to some doing sex work, said Koletnik. Sex workers are currently faced with even more serious troubles.
If they are forced to continue working amid the epidemic due to their socio-economic situation, "they are considerably exposing themselves to the risk of getting infected with the novel coronavirus. Also, they have zero workers' rights," added Koletnik.
Accessing support and online safe spaces
Both organisations have restricted their services to non-personal forms of communication due to the epidemic. TransAkcija continues to provide support online, using Jitsi for video-counselling, a platform that is, according to the organisation, safe and easy to use - features that are essential but not ubiquitous in helping vulnerable social groups, Koletnik said.
The institute has mainly strived for transforming its programmes in such a way so as to acknowledge the trans-specific needs.
"Transgender persons who wanted to or were in line to initiate the medical transitioning process have now had to postpone that for an indefinite time, which certainly extremely negatively affects their mental health since the process duration has been found to be the primary cause for mental health issues among trans persons, according to a study," said Koletnik.
Meanwhile, Legebitra has launched an online youth centre after closing the only such facility in the physical world, mainly intended for LGBT+ persons. Using digital technologies, the organisation carries on with all of its support and educational services, including supporting individuals living with HIV and providing legal counsel.
Gobec has pointed out that many members of the community were seeking support already prior to the crisis, with Legebitra detecting a considerable increase in counselling requests in the LGBT+ community in the past few years.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
