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24 Apr 2020, 20:26 PM
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 Igor Andjelić. You can see more of his work here.
Seven new coronavirus cases recorded, death toll up by one to 80
Tourism, retail severely affected by coronavirus
Gradual opening of borders for tourists might start in May
Getting married made possible again from Tuesday
More than 32,000 self-employed get monthly allowance
Seven new coronavirus cases recorded, death toll up by one to 80
STA, 24 April 2020 - Slovenia recorded seven new coronavirus cases on Thursday to bring the total number of infections to 1,373, as one more person died for a total death toll of 80, according to government data released on Friday.
The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 declined by two to 78, of whom 24 were in intensive care, up by one.
Slovenia has so far performed just over 47,000 coronavirus tests, with 1,315 performed on Thursday.
Tourism, retail severely affected by coronavirus
STA, 24 April 2020 - The Covid-19 crisis has severely affected March figures for tourism and retail business. Accommodation facilities recorded a 75% drop in arrivals and 67% fewer night stays over March 2019, while retail revenue fell by 15.1% year on year, the latest Statistics Office figures released on Friday show.
The country switched to a lockdown mode on 16 March, when a temporary government ban on selling goods and services entered into force.
As a result, the number of domestic tourists decreased by 69% and the number of nights fell by 62%. The drop for tourists from abroad was even sharper, at 78% and 71%, respectively.
The number of tourists from Italy, one of Europe's major coronavirus hotspots, plummeted by as much as 85%.
Although the lockdown in March was in place only slightly more than the last two weeks, it affected tourism figures for the entire first quarter.
The January-to-March period recorded a 28% drop in tourist arrivals over the same period in 2019 and a 23% decrease in nights.
While 2019 was the sixth consecutive record year for Slovenia's tourism industry, the Slovenian Tourist Board expects a 60-70% slump this year in the best-case scenario, that is if restriction easing begins as early as June, and several years needed for full recovery.
With most of the shops except for groceries closing on 16 March, retail revenue was down 13.5% in real terms in March over February and 15.1% over March last year.
Contributing the most to the annual drop was a 22.5% drop in the revenue of non-food shops and a 25.65% drop in specialised shops selling fuels, that is petrol stations. Groceries meanwhile posted a rise of 4.8% in real terms.
Retail revenue was by 7% lower in the first three months than in the same period last year, with service stations seeing the biggest drop of 14.4%.
The service stations were affected the most in all three comparisons: revenue dropped by 35.5% over February, by 37.4% over March 2019 and by 14.3% in the first three months compared to the same period last year.
Gradual opening of borders for tourists might start in May
STA, 24 April 2020 - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, who is in charge of tourism, expects that the restrictions affecting tourism, chiefly closed borders, could gradually be relaxed in May. The government is thus working on "a corona standard" to provide for the safety of tourists and tourism workers.
He said the government was trying to define protocols for individual sectors of tourism in collaboration with businesses and the National Institute of Public Health.
"We'll set a corona standard so that both guests and staff feel safe," he said at the government's coronavirus briefing in Ljubljana on Friday.
With over 70% of tourists coming to Slovenia from abroad, the focus is on convincing them that tourist services are provided in a safe manner.
"This is a prerequisite for thinking about opening the borders. I gather the first steps in this respect would be taken in May."
EU ministers in charge of tourism will discuss the matter on Monday, to be followed by a meeting of ministers of Central European countries which can be reached by car.
On Wednesday or Thursday, Počivalšek will meet his counterpart from neighbouring Croatia and a meeting with the Austrian side is also planned.
The Covid-19 crisis severely affected March figures for tourism, with accommodation facilities recording a 75% drop in arrivals and 67% fewer night stays over March 2019, the latest Statistics Office figures show.
The number of tourists from Italy, one of Europe's major coronavirus hotspots, plummeted by 85%, followed by Austrians (-71%) and Croatians (-64%).
Getting married made possible again from Tuesday
STA, 24 April - Couples in Slovenia will be able to get married again from Tuesday under special terms after civil ceremonies were suspended in mid-March due to the coronavirus epidemic. But weddings are still off.
Marriage ceremonies will be possible "in a somewhat scaled-down setup, with due consideration of the circumstances", Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik announced at a briefing on Friday.
If the newly wed couple and the honour attendants need to cross municipal borders, they will be issued a special license by the administrative unit.
The Public Administration Ministry ordered all administrative units in mid-March to suspend all but the most urgent business and services, including issuing marriage licences.
As the number of new coronavirus cases has been reduced to a trickle, the authorities have been easing some of the restrictions.
From Tuesday, couples will be able to get married in official offices or outdoors. Apart from the newly-weds, the official clerk can be present. If the ceremony is outdoors, the best man and maid of honour can be present too, the minister said.
A decision on whether to allow the best man and maid of honour to be present at an indoor ceremony will be taken by the leadership of the administrative unit in charge.
However, in such a case the room or hall needs to be large enough to allow sufficient distance between everyone attending.
More than 32,000 self-employed get monthly allowance
STA, 24 April 2020 - Just over 32,000 self-employed, farmers and religious workers who lost their income as a result of the coronavirus pandemic got their monthly basic income on Friday, a total of EUR 11.2 million for March.
The EUR 350 allowance was transferred to claimants who submitted a statement via the Financial Administration's e-tax system by 18 April that the epidemic prevented them from doing business or severely affected its scope.
Based on the applications, the Financial Administration today transferred a total of EUR 11.2 million to 32,015 beneficiaries, publishing their names on its web site.
Apart from the basic monthly income, the first stimulus package, in effect since 11 April, also exempts the self-employed, farmers and religious workers of social contribution payments.
They are eligible for aid from 13 March when Slovenia declared the epidemic to the end of May. For April and May they will get monthly allowances of EUR 700.
Those who filed their applications by 18 April were transferred money today, while the rest can do so by 31 May, with the money to be added to one of the next transfers planned for 10 May and 10 June.
Eligible for the allowance are those who suffered a loss of income of at least 25% in March compared to February, or a 50% drop in April or May compared to February. The claimants need to have all their tax liabilities settled when due.
Under amendments to be discussed by the parliament next week, the government proposes extending eligibility to the self-employed whose revenue this year will be down more than 10% on 2019. If they did not do business throughout 2019 or 2020, monthly income will be taken into account.
23 Apr 2020, 22:07 PM
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Xenia Guzej. You can see more of her work here.
Confirmed Covid-19 cases up by 13, no new deaths reported
Slovenia again extends passenger flight ban
Majority of students hurry to apply for solidarity allowance
Ex-president says govt efficient in Covid-19 efforts, worried about democracy
Ambassadors thanking key workers in Slovenia amid epidemic
Confirmed Covid-19 cases up by 13, no new deaths reported
STA, 23 April 2020 - Slovenia had 1,366 confirmed Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, up by 13 on the day before, with the number of fatalities unchanged at 79, shows the latest government data released on Thursday.
The figures indicate the coronavirus epidemic is tailing off, which is also evident from the number of people in hospital.
A total of 80 persons were in hospital for Covid-19, two fewer than the day before and significantly below the end-March peak of 119. Of these, 23 were in intensive care, down from 24.
Health authorities performed 1,268 coronavirus tests, for a total of 45,703 since the start of the crisis.
Slovenia again extends passenger flight ban
STA, 23 April 2020 - Slovenian air traffic is to remain severely restricted as the government yet again extended on Thursday a ban on passenger flights that was already prolonged twice, first in late March and then early April. The previous ban suspending flights within the EU until 27 April has been extended for two weeks.
The ban was first introduced on 17 March to help contain the Covid-19 spread. In line with the EU law, the government then extended it on 30 March for a period of two weeks. On 10 April, the restriction was again prolonged, with flights within the EU suspended until 27 April and the rest banned until further notice.
The latest decree will remain valid for two more weeks, said the Government Communication Office on Thursday.
The reason why a two-week suspension applies to EU destinations is because EU rules require member states to apply such bans only for 14 days due to unforeseeable and inevitable circumstances, and then extend them if necessary.
The ban does not apply to aircraft transporting cargo or mail, aircraft conducting special transport without passengers or ferry flights, or to foreign planes or helicopters on humanitarian or health missions.
Majority of students hurry to apply for solidarity allowance
STA, 23 April 2020 - Over 46,000 students have already applied for a one-off 150 euro allowance the government will pay them to help cover their costs of living amid the coronavirus epidemic. This is around 70% of a total of some 65,000 students studying this academic year in Slovenia.
Under the first stimulus package designed to mitigate the consequences of the crisis, all regular students with permanent residence in Slovenia are eligible for the allowance.
However, under the second stimulus package, which is to be passed in parliament next week, the eligibility will be expanded to non-regular students. The condition is that they are not employed, self-employed or farmers, Education Minister Simona Kustec told the press on Thursday.
The allowance, which does not cover secondary school students, will be paid out by 1 June, she announced.
Another Covid-19 measure concerning students is that their student status will be extended into the new academic year even if they fail to satisfy all criteria to advance.
Schools and kindergartens meanwhile remain closed, with a decision on whether they might reopen to be taken after in early May on the basis of an assessment by the medical profession.
Kustec reiterated this would be done only if safety could be guaranteed, or else the school year will be completed through distance learning.
"It's vital for the teaching process to be completed before the scheduled summer break. It can be completed by returning to classrooms or by continuing distance learning."
The idea is that kindergartens and schools should open parallel to the relaunch of the economy to resolve the issue of day care.
Should this not be feasible, Kustec will propose day care for certain groups of children and giving parents the option of staying at home in agreement with their employer.
Ex-president says govt efficient in Covid-19 efforts, worried about democracy
STA, 23 April 2020 - Thirty years after its first election, Slovenia still lacks a strategic orientation, former Slovenian President Milan Kučan said in an interview for the weekly Nedeljski Dnevnik. He deems the government's measures to fight the epidemic adequate, but is worried some of them could affect democracy.
Slovenia was in a way lucky not to hold an election after the Marjan Šarec government collapsed at the end of January, "but to get a new coalition, whatever it may be", Kučan said.
He believes the Janez Janša government is "relatively efficient" in dealing with the epidemic, deeming its work responsible and measures adequate.
However, he expects it to provide accurate information, speak calmly and most of all, give solid arguments to justify the harsh measures.
"I'm worried whether democracy, human rights and freedom of the press will be sacrificed in the name of the fight against the virus."
Kučan told the weekly that he fears "we are becoming a different society under the guise of the fight against coronavirus".
He is also critical of President Borut Pahor for failing to express his view on some issues, most notably the government's controversial letter to the Council of Europe about the state of the media in Slovenia.
Speaking for the weekly upon the 30th anniversary of the 1990 elections, when he was elected Slovenia's president, he also said the country had missed a lot since gaining independence in 1991. "We haven't tried hard enough to establish the country's strategic orientation."
He believes that Slovenia has not managed to preserve, let alone strengthen, the reputation it gained with the manner in which it gained independence, nor has it preserved the production potential of some companies which used to be appreciated abroad.
Our message to front-line workers in Slovenia ??... A huge thank you for your dedication and care ??????????? pic.twitter.com/aXkfWvt1Fw
— Sophie Honey (@HMASophieHoney) April 23, 2020
Ambassadors thanking key workers in Slovenia amid epidemic
STA, 23 April 2020 - Ambassadors to Slovenia have expressed gratitude to Slovenian healthcare workers and others fighting the Covid-19 epidemic on the front lines as well as the public for their efforts during these challenging times in a video message released online on Thursday.
"Thank you for looking after our nationals who live here. For looking after us and our staff when we need you. For looking after the people of Slovenia so well," said a total of 16 ambassadors in the clip.
"In each of our countries, Slovenian citizens play an active role. They're a great part of the community. We want to take the best care we can of them, too."
The video has been filmed by ambassadors themselves in their residences and without the usual technical support, said the British Embassy, which coordinated the project and edited the content.
The participating embassies included those representing Austria, Brazil, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the US, the UK and the EU Commission.
23 Apr 2020, 15:46 PM
STA, 23 April 2020 - Mayors of 23 border municipalities have called on the National Assembly to back the activation of an emergency clause that grants soldiers limited police powers to patrol the border, citing a likely mass spread of Covid-19 among migrants as the main reason.
While the government has been unable to secure the two-thirds majority in parliament to activate Article 37.a of the defence act, the mayors argue the army "is the only institution left with a sufficient number of equipped and trained staff to protect the southern border".
The mayors, whose petition is dated 20 April but was published by Defence Minister Matej Tonin on Wednesday, are surprised by the reservations concerning an expanded use of the army on the border in a time when Slovenia is trying to contain the coronavirus epidemic.
They fear a larger number of infected persons could enter Slovenia, since the virus is already present among migrants and a major spread among them will be impossible to prevent given their accommodation situation in Europe and Turkey.
The mayors are aware of proposals to activate backup police and retired officers and "do not oppose them, but it has been shown in the past that such measures do not enable the activation of several thousand additional people",
While soldiers are already assisting the police on the border, the mayors believe that not being able to restrict the movement of persons and take part in crowd control along the border - the powers granted by Article 37.a - renders the soldiers meaningless.
The mayors moreover argue that the likelihood of a certain number of police officers falling ill also needed to be taken into account in a situation where there are not enough officers on the border to protect it effectively as it is.
It was Emil Rojc, the mayor Ilirska Bistrica which borders on Croatia, that handed the petition to Tonin. According to the minister, the mayors "claim the people are not afraid of the Slovenian army and want greater security".
The coalition has failed to the get the opposition on board for the temporary activation of the additional army powers. The parties mostly claim there has been no significant uptick in migrant numbers that would warrant this, while some have unsuccessfully proposed restrictions to the extra powers.
The government has however remained determined to push ahead with the plan, also getting the backing of President Borut Pahor, the commander-in-chief of the Slovenian Armed Forces, who visited the southern border area along the Kolpa river in the company of the interior and defence minister last Wednesday.
Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press last Thursday that the government plans to nevertheless deploy soldiers if needed, using a different legislative provision that allows a more limited form of deployment.
Article 37.a was adopted at the peak of the migration crisis, in October 2015, and invoked in February 2016 to help police patrol the border. Over 442,000 migrants had entered the country between 16 October 2015 and 1 February 2016.
Police recorded 1,835 illegal crossings of the border in the first three months of 2020, which is 6.5% more than in the same period last year.
However, according to Monday's report by TV Slovenija, the number of illegal crossing recorded halved after the coronavirus epidemic was declared in Slovenia. The total figures for 1 January to 20 April were 2,396 in 2019 and 2,038 in 2020.
23 Apr 2020, 14:03 PM
STA, 23 April 2020 - The opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) plans to initiate a vote of no-confidence in Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek over his role in the purchases of protective personal equipment.
"We were constructive at the beginning of this government's term, but we were played. After the latest events it is clear that we will file a motion of no-confidence," LMŠ leader Marjan Šarec announced on Twitter on Thursday.
He said a letter by the now former head of the Agency for Commodity Reserves, Anton Zakrajšek, had been "the final straw".
Počivalšek responded on Twitter saying he saw the motion as "an opportunity to debate the epidemic comprehensively and lay out all the evidence", including "the (lack of) responsiveness" by the previous, Marjan Šarec government.
Počivalšek, was economy minister also in the previous government, also said it was interesting that the motion came from Šarec, who "invited me to a coalition two months ago".
The announcement comes after Zakrajšek was replaced as director amid mounting criticism over faulty supplies of personal protective equipment.
The Government Communication Office said Zakrajšek had asked to be relieved of his duties on Monday, citing health reasons and the wish that the agency got an operational head in these critical times.
Počivalšek said that despite contracting Covid-19, Zakrajšek had still been working from home a lot and participated in all of the agency's deals, having been "warned by the ministry that due diligence had not been exercised in some of them".
In a letter following the move, Zakrajšek protested against the reasons cited for his replacement and said him and the agency refused to serve as scapegoats.
Zakrajšek said that he had worked from home but was "definitely not the one picking the suppliers". He said the person who controlled the procurement was Mitja Terče, who served for a while as the head of an advisory group for protective personal equipment procurement appointed by Počivalšek.
23 Apr 2020, 12:08 PM
STA, 22 April 2020 - The Chinese-owned group Hisense Europe is planning to close 2,200 jobs by the end of the year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including as many as 1,000 in Slovenia, TV Slovenija reported, citing a trade unionist.
According to the report, the management of household appliances maker Hisense Gorenje set its plans at a meeting featuring Chao Liu, one of the executive directors, production manager Tomaž Korošec, staffing officials and representatives of the works council, trade union and the employees' representative on the board Drago Bahun.
The management presented data on the situation resulting from the pandemic. Production in Velenje has not yet returned to full capacity after being completely suspended for three weeks.
The head of the in-house trade union Žan Zeba told the public broadcaster that Hisense was to make 1,000 people redundant in Slovenia, including 700 at the production facility in Velenje and 300 in the Ljubljana-headquartered company Hisense Europe.
Zeba said the staff were shocked by the extent of planned layoffs, noting that the company had received state aid "probably also in order not to make redundancies".
The first meeting with employees on layoffs are to be held after May day holidays.
Gorenje is to set out detailed plans about job cutbacks on Thursday.
23 Apr 2020, 11:06 AM
STA, 22 April 2020 - Slovenia's leading insurance group, Triglav, expects the coronavirus pandemic to slash its profit by at least 10% and premiums by 5% this year. It says though its business is sound enough to cope with the situation successfully.
Triglav Group had initially projected a pre-tax profit of between EUR 95 million and EUR 105 million for this year, however, new calculations show the figure could be 10-25% lower.
The insurance premiums collected, initially projected at around EUR 1.2 billion, were to be 3-5% lower as a result of the pandemic and its impact on the economy and international financial markets.
The company made the impact assessment based on the projected contraction in GDP and various scenarios of how long the stall in economic activity may last and how quick recovery once pandemic measures are relaxed. It expects gradual easing of the situation by the end of 2020.
The projected deterioration of the economic situation and the suspended activity in the manufacturing and service sectors in Slovenia and the region will impact the group's underwriting activities.
In its release with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange on Wednesday, the company estimates that primarily the written premium and claims result of the non-life insurance segment will be affected.
Motor vehicle insurance premiums are also expected to be affected by lower sales of new vehicles, deregistration of existing vehicles and lower coverage.
Slowed economic activity is to suppress life insurance premium and premium written in real property insurance, credit insurance and general liability insurance; lower demand is expected for travel insurance.
Lower net claims incurred are anticipated for some insurance classes due to reduced economic activity and movement restrictions.
Financial market shocks, particularly changes in credit spreads on government and corporate bonds, will affect not only the return on investment but also the market value of Triglav assets and liabilities and thus the capital adequacy ratio.
The decrease in the market value and thus the amount of financial assets under management will also be reflected in lower income from the management of clients' assets.
However, the insurer assesses that its insurance and investment portfolios are sufficiently resilient and that its capital position appropriate to effectively cope with increased risks arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company expects it will be able to assess the impact on this year's operations with a higher degree of certainty at the end of the second quarter, on which basis it will revise the annual business plan for 2020.
22 Apr 2020, 14:37 PM
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 Maruša Štibelj. You can see more of her work here.
Nine new coronavirus infections, two new deaths bring death toll to 79
Large companies largely opting for Covid-19 crisis bonus
State to guarantee up to 80% for loans to SMEs, 70% for large companies
Protective equipment apparently stolen from Ljubljana hospital
Covid-19 pushes consumer sentiment lowest on record
Nine new coronavirus infections, two new deaths bring death toll to 79
STA, 22 April - Nine new coronavirus infections were recorded in Slovenia on Tuesday, the same as on Monday, with the number of tests the highest so far, at 1,459, government data show. So far 1,353 infections have been confirmed. Both the number of hospitalised patients and patients in intensive care continues to drop.
The number of deaths rose by two to 79 on Tuesday.
The number of hospitalised patients has been decreasing for a week and now stands at 82, while 24 patients are in intensive care. Eight were released home on Tuesday.
A total of 44,435 tests have been conducted in Slovenia so far.
Among the infected, 159 are medical staff, and 291 residents of care homes, fresh data from the government show.
So far, 326 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospital and 210 released home.
The UKC Ljubljana hospital has 34 Covid-19 patients today, UKC Maribor 28, the Celje general hospital 13 and the Golnik hospital seven.
Back to the contents
Large companies largely opting for Covid-19 crisis bonus
STA, 22 April 2020 - Some large companies have already paid their employees a bonus for working during the coronavirus crisis, with others yet to do so. Some will pay the bonus as set down by the government emergency law, others their own one, while some companies have opted for both, they have told the STA.
Pharmaceutical companies Krka and Novartis have not suspended their operations during the epidemic so they plan no pay or staff cuts and will not ask for state aid for idle workers.
All Krka employees who have been working during the crisis and will work until the end of April will receive a 10% performance bonus on top of their monthly pay, or at least EUR 326 gross for a full working month.
Krka supervisors will meanwhile donate 30% of their fees to those in need in their local community.
Tool maker Unior will pay all of its employees a crisis bonus as set down by the Covid-19 emergency law, while its management will not receive performance bonuses for the 2019 business year.
Similarly, home appliance maker Gorenje, which owned by China's Hisense, will pay out a crisis bonus under the emergency legislation.
The bonus will be calculated on the basis of hourly rates for work in April and May, or EUR 200 for a full working month.
Pay at Gorenje has not been cut, not even for managers, which the company however mentioned as an option for the future.
At the NLB bank, members of the management and supervisory boards will have their pay cut by 15% until the end of the year and will not get performance bonuses. Other high-profile professionals at the bank will see their pay cut by 10% during the epidemic.
Part of the money saved there will be redistributed among the NLB employees who have for various reasons been sent home during the crisis. These idle workers will receive a wage compensation in the amount of 85% of their average pay from the last three months.
Although banks and insurance companies are not obliged to pay out a crisis bonus under the emergency legislation, NLB employees working during the crisis will receive one.
Retailer Mercator workers have already received a 30% crisis bonus for March. The crisis bonus under the emergency law will however be paid with the April salary, meaning in May, for both March and April.
Despite a 50% drop in its sales, energy company and fuel trader Petrol has paid out its own crisis bonus to the workers most at risk during the epidemic.
The Petrol management meanwhile cut its salary by 20%, heads of departments saw their salaries reduced by 10% and other employees by around 5%. The measure will stay in place until the end of May, but could be extended.
National telco Telekom Slovenije has not cut pay, saying its employees were extremely busy providing uninterrupted services during the epidemic.
Some 70-80% of its employees have been working from home, and those under the most stress received a special bonus for difficult working conditions.
Port operator Luka Koper will pay a crisis bonus for March and April in May, with a decision to cut executive pay expected in the coming days.
HSE, the group bringing together several electricity producers, will pay out the crisis bonus in line with the emergency legislation.
Its management has not cut its pay, saying it is already some 15% lower than it could be under the law on management pay in state-owned companies.
State to guarantee up to 80% for loans to SMEs, 70% for large companies
STA, 22 April 2020 - As part of the second stimulus package to help the Slovenian economy cope with the coronavirus epidemic, the state will provide quick liquidity aid to companies to the tune of EUR 2 billion. Loans to micro companies and SMEs will be guaranteed for up to 80% of the principal, and up to 70% for large companies.
Parts of the corrections to the first package and of the second package were presented on Wednesday by the head of the advisory task force Matej Lahovnik, who said that in the second package, the government "aims for quick liquidity aid to the economy."
Pointing to the loan guarantees, he said that the amount was limited to 10% of annual revenue or labour costs, with an additional condition being that the company must participate in the settlement of claims.
"By doing so, they assume a large part of the risk. We count that commercial banks will provide fast and effective liquidity aid," Lahovnik said, adding that the government would create a guarantee scheme modelled after Germany.
As for the adjustments of the first package, he said that subsidies for wages and social security contributions for workers on temporary lay-off would apply for companies whose annual turnover was down by 10% compared to the pre-crisis period.
Lahovnik noted that potential beneficiaries should be aware that the fiscal space was not unlimited and that this was state aid to the economy financed by taxpayers, which would have to be refunded at some point in the future.
"The aid is intended for companies who have found themselves in trouble due to the crisis, and is not aid intended for those who had been in trouble earlier," he stressed.
The advisory task force also recommends that production and services should be relaunched as soon as possible while sticking to the health protection protocols.
Lahovnik notes that Germany, for instance, was putting an emphasis on work from home, time corridors, same workers working in same shifts, safety distance and use of protective equipment. "Slovenia will have to implement these measures."
He also proposed subsidies for shortened working time under the German and Austrian model, noting that funds at the EU level were also available for such a measure.
Protective equipment apparently stolen from Ljubljana hospital
STA, 22 April 2020 - The police are investigating a suspected theft of protective equipment in the UKC Ljubljana hospital. Two persons have been detained, the police told the STA on Wednesday, revealing no further details. UKC Ljubljana general manager Janez Poklukar has condemned the incident.
Slovenia's largest hospital reported the alleged robbery in mid-April, said the Ljubljana Police Department, adding that it has since conducted two house searches at properties of the detained persons. Since the investigation is ongoing, the police cannot divulge any additional information.
Prior to the police statement, UKC Ljubljana published a press release saying that the hospital "has detected deviations from safety equipment" quota and immediately notified the police of the situation. It has also ordered an emergency inventory of personal protective equipment.
The 24ur.com web portal has reported that the suspects had been stealing UKC supplies and then selling them online.
The hospital, which is currently treating 34 Covid-19 patients, finds it regrettable that the epidemic has been exploited for profiteering, however it hopes that would not leave a mark on its efforts during the crisis, the press release reads.
Poklukar deplored the incident, pledging that UKC Ljubljana "would do anything to protect its employees, reputation and patients". He did not want to comment on whether the staff was among the suspects.
Meanwhile, Slovenia continues to see a number of donations coming in - pharmaceutical company Bayer has donated EUR 40,000 to the country for mitigating the ramifications of the epidemic as well as 1,200 protective masks and several hundred gloves to three healthcare organisations in Slovenia. Moreover, the Addiko bank has given 13,000 face masks to 13 care homes.
Covid-19 pushes consumer sentiment lowest on record
STA, 22 April 2020 - Slovenia recorded the biggest drop in consumer sentiment in April since March 1996, when the statisticians started keeping record, the Statistics Office said on Wednesday. The index dropped by 30 percentage points in monthly comparison and by 41 points year on year, which statisticians attribute to the coronavirus epidemic.
All four components of the index deteriorated in April compared to March. Consumers' expectations about the financial situation in their households were down by 30 percentage points and the expectations about the economic situation in the country by 41 points.
Consumers were also pessimistic about the number of unemployed (down 39 points) and about the prospects for savings (down by 13 points).
In annual comparison, consumer sentiment deteriorated mainly because of less optimistic expectations about the number of the unemployed and about the economic situation in the country (down by 59 points each).
People's expectations about the financial situation in their households and prospects for savings were also down, by 34 and 11 points, respectively.
Expectations about the ability to buy a car, build or purchase a flat, and the ability to renovate it, which are measured only every three months, were also down in April, by 12, 6 and 15 points, respectively.
22 Apr 2020, 10:49 AM
Coronavirus & Slovenia: Telecom Providers Reopening; University of Ljubljana Lowers Credit Threshold
STA, 21 April 2020 - Slovenia's leading telecommunication providers are all opening shop again this week to join a number of retailers and other services providers that reopened on Monday after five weeks of coronavirus lockdown.
Telemach already started reopening its shops on Monday, AI Slovenija opened all of them today, T-2 plans a gradual reopening starting Wednesday, while Telekom Slovenije is to start welcoming customers at its major centres on Thursday after it has already opened some of its smaller branch offices.
All the providers stressed they would implement protective measures, including by reserving the first and final business hours for vulnerable groups.
In a major sign of the easing of the coronavirus epidemic and the lockdown restrictions associated with it, DIY stores, car showrooms, stores selling bicycles, technical goods and furniture, dry cleaners and some repair shops, including tyre replacement shops, are resuming their operations this week.
As a growing number of businesses reopen, passenger transport organised by business subjects or local communities to bring employees to work and back has been allowed too.
However, protective measures remain in force for all stores, including the obligatory wearing of masks or some other face coverings, hand sanitising, airing of premises and allowing 20 square metres per customer.
The government imposed a temporary ban on most retail establishments in mid March to contain the coronavirus epidemic.
Only grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, post offices, petrol stations, news stands and stores selling agricultural products remained open until pet food shops were added to the exemptions from 21 March and florist shops and nurseries from 3 April, along with construction works not involving contacts with customers.
Yet more services will be available from 4 May, with the reopening of hair salons, beauty parlours, dog and cat grooming salons and shops of up to 400 m2 sales space, except for those in shopping centres.
Ljubljana University planning exit strategy, lowering credit points threshold
STA, 21 April 2020 - The senate of the University of Ljubljana has called on its members to adjust the conditions required for students to advance to their next year of studies given that the teaching process has been disrupted despite a successful switch to remote learning. While the plan is to continue with remote classes, an exit strategy is in the making.
University of Ljubljana Chancellor Igor Papič told the STA on Tuesday that along with enabling students to advance normally by lowering the credit points threshold, it was equally important that students do not lose the chance to enrol again in the same year, as the loss of student status would affect their social situation.
He explained that the plan was to continue with remote classes also after 3 May where only possible, so that students are not exposed to risk unnecessarily.
Laboratory classes present an issue that will be hard to solve until restrictions are lifted, while another pending problem are the approaching summer exams that are taken by over 100 students simultaneously.
The faculties that are part of Slovenia's largest and oldest university have however been urged to prepare for a gradual lifting of restrictions, and Papič announced an exit strategy would be drawn up.
He meanwhile assessed the remote learning system that has been set up as successful, allowing around 85% of the programme to be covered. Also running successfully are oral defences of dissertations, with over 130 conducted remotely so far.
21 Apr 2020, 20:30 PM
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 his work here.
Coronavirus case count up by nine, no new fatalities
Two new checkpoints open on border with Italy
Committee hears care homes understaffed, residents very stressed
PPE supplies a major headache for authorities
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Coronavirus case count up by nine, no new fatalities
STA, 21 April - Slovenia's official tally of coronavirus cases rose by nine on Monday, bringing the total number of cases so far confirmed to 1,344. No new fatalities have been reported, leaving the death toll unchanged at 77.
Fresh data from the government show that 87 Covid-19 patients were in hospital on Monday, the lowest number since 24 March. Of those, 25 were treated in intensive care, the lowest figure since 29 March.
Four more people have been discharged from hospital, which means 197 Covid-19 patients have so far returned home from hospital.
A total of 1,174 tests were performed on Monday, more than twice as many as the day before. Hence the increase in the number of new cases compared to five on Sunday.
So far a total of 42,976 tests have been conducted in the country.
Two new checkpoints open on border with Italy
STA, 21 April - While the majority of roads on the border between Slovenia and Italy remain blocked to contain the spread of coronavirus, a new entry point, Predel, opened on Tuesday. Citizens can cross the border using a special certificate. Another border check point will be set up at Rateče on Wednesday.
Both points, facilitating daily migrations between Italy and Slovenia, will be open on all days except Sundays and holidays, from 6am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm. Outside those time slots, the roads will be blocked.
The authorities have thus responded to the calls for a partial reopening of the border to enable daily cross-border migrations in the north-west of Slovenia, which had been issued by local communities and mayors of both Bovec and Kranjska Gora.
So far, the closest check point between Italy and Slovenia has been Robič, situated more than 30 kilometres from Bovec.
Apart from daily migrants, other citizens in need of taking care of urgent business activities can also cross the border provided they have ID and the relevant permit, which is issued by a local authority.
Committee hears care homes understaffed, residents very stressed
STA, 21 April - The parliamentary Health Committee started debating the situation in nursing homes, which has become very complex in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic. The session, requested by the opposition Left, heard demands for more staff from trade unions and care home organisations before being suspended until tomorrow.
The hours-long discussion heard that care homes are understaffed, while most residents are completely dependent on others' help. The debate also heard that the average age of employees is high and that many residents suffer severe stress because they had been cut off from their families for more than a month.
The understaffing issues became more severe after schools were shut down because the care homes lost students and interns, and volunteers also had to leave due to the shortage of protective equipment. Family members were also of great help, said Biserka Marolt Meden, head of Srebrna Nit, an association promoting dignified old age.
Marolt Meden said that it was up to the Health Ministry to change things. Health Minister Tomaž Gantar admitted that the situation was critical after years of understaffing and lack of funds, but said the ministry was doing everything it could.
He denied allegations that residents do not get appropriate care. "Entire homes cannot be moved to hospitals. Patients who need hospital care are moved," he said in response to the Left's demand that all retirement home residents with Covid-19 be hospitalised.
He was also critical of Tomislav Nemec, the director of the Ljutomer retirement home, which has been hit the worst of all. Gantar said the home did not ban visitors in time, while the nearby Murska Sobota hospital had complained that Nemec was impossible to work with.
Alenka Trop Skaza of the Celje office of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) said that apart from work overload issues for staff, many residents suffer severe stress because they had not seen their families in weeks.
"The elderly cannot understand why their families do not come and visit," she said, describing a case in which the staff could only just prevent a suicide. Moreover, dementia patients in retirement are in great stress when they need to be swabbed for Covid-19 testing.
The committee will convene again tomorrow afternoon to vote on several resolutions proposed by the Left. Apart from hospitalisation of all Covid-19 patients in retirement homes, the party also wants an increased volume of testing for residents and more funds for retirement homes in general.
Taiwan donates 150,000 masks
STA, 21 April - Taiwan has donated 150,000 surgical masks to Slovenia. The donation was handed over to Slovenia's Civil Protection in Austria's Vienna on Tuesday by Taiwan's representation in Austria. The Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief thanked Taiwan in a tweet.
At the beginning of the month, Taiwan donated ten million protective masks to the countries hit hardest by the global coronavirus pandemic. Soon after, it said it would donate another six million masks to countries in northern, central and southern Europe.
Taiwan's representative in Vienna Vanessa Shih said that the pandemic is affecting all countries in the world and that her country wants to help its friends.
PPE supplies a major headache for authorities
STA, 21 April - The government coronavirus spokesman Jelko Kacin has announced measures to deal with the problem of faulty supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) as criticism is mounting among opposition parties and the public.
The issue was discussed at the coronavirus press briefing on Tuesday following news reports questioning the cost and suitability of supplies, and alleged ties between suppliers and government officials.
Kacin said that the government would provide explanations about concrete measures to prevent errors in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Srečko Šestan, Slovenia's Civil Protection commander, said the equipment that the recipients were unhappy with was being replaced and their complaints were being addressed.
Representatives of the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration and the UKC Ljubljana hospital are involved in the examination of the bids made by PPE suppliers.
They check the goods offered, supply terms and whether the equipment has all the required certificates. If the offered goods are suitable on paper, the bids are referred to the Agency for Commodity Reserves.
The agency is responsible for closing the contracts, price negotiations and for examining the quality and quantity of the supplies. The Civil Protection does not check the goods again but only accepts the supplies and distributes them.
"Once the equipment has been supplied and if the mask offered was FFP2, but what actually arrives is a surgical mask, this is a matter of receipt and complaint," said Šestan.
Most of the problems so far have involved the supplied equipment not complying with what has been ordered or offered.
Such a problem appears to have been in the case of the supply by Public Digital Infrastructure, a company owned by the gaming machines businessman Joc Pečečnik.
The Agency for Commodity Reserves had ordered FFP2-type masks from him, but the newspaper Dnevnik and commercial broadcaster POP TV reported the company actually supplied mislabelled ordinary surgical masks.
Šestan also noted complaints over unsuitable protective gowns supplied to the Šmarje pri Jelšah care home and Izola hospital, and ordinary paper napkin masks turned back by some local communities.
"Today we're being returned a shipment of 2,500 masks from the Begunje psychiatric hospital which we're going to replace," said the official.
If the returned equipment is found to be faulty, it will "probably be destroyed", if it proves suitable, it will be sent back.
A meeting over the issue of complaints was planned today with the Agency for Commodity Reserves, and extra experts are being sought to help them examine hundreds of bids for new supplies.
Police paid a visit to the agency today over suspicion of irregularities regarding PPE deals, explaining they were "checking various pieces of information".
It is not clear however whether the government dismissed the agency's director Anton Zakrajšek, but Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek is to speak about it after the government's session later today.
PPE supplies have been causing problems from the start as a major planned supply failed to arrive, with new incidents reported almost on a daily basis. The opposition has demanded a parliamentary inquiry to look into the matter.
Dnevnik today reported that the contract with Pečečnik's company also included 400,000 protective goggles, thirteen times the number of all health care staff in the country, and at three times the supply price too.
The newspaper Finance raised issue over a EUR 1.8 million contract on the supply for surgical masks with SLA Marketing from the town of Destrnik "which has generated little revenue in recent years, does not even have a publicly available telephone number and whose ownership can be traced via Slovakia to Wyoming, US".
The news portal 24ur reports that while the state has paid Pečečnik 50 cents for a certified surgical mask, it has paid more than 20 cents for a "paper" mask, a reference to the EUR 860,000 paid to two companies for just over a million masks made of a special type of cellulose called air-laid.
The portal reports that the person in charge of sales at one of those, Korez Sorting, is the boss's wife who is a tax debtor and one of the persons accused for a hacking attack on port operator Luka Koper and two other companies two years ago. Two of the defendants pleaded guilty in the case a month ago.
21 Apr 2020, 19:52 PM
I finished my last article about three weeks ago with a relatively upbeat message, ‘We’re all in this together’, meaning we are all in the same boat. However, as the weeks progress into an increasingly unknown future, I realise that we are in very, very different boats indeed.
I started by reassuring myself with this Churchillian mantra, but now that the initial fog has cleared, I am observing first hand that we are all in very different boats on a scale ranging from a blissful, relaxed euphoria through to a lonely pinnacle of rising fear and angst, and the curve is the inverse of the traditional Gaussian Distribution curve.
Here in Slovenia, many people are employed and from what I hear, rather enjoying working from home, or they are bumbling along on their pension, living above or below their extended families, and whiling away quality time in the garden, or allotment with family. As my landlady said when it all started, ‘It’s not going to affect us.’ - and it hasn’t.
However, I know several families living the dream life – the successful, but workaholic husbands now garrisoned at home; the wives, gleefully swapping their crowded waiting rooms or tedious working days for woodland walks with the dog, finally having the time to show off innate cooking skills to an appreciative family; children, home from university are studying in domestic and gastronomic comfort, and working out in the garden to counteract the excesses of the kitchen. Bliss.
So in this most glorious Corona spring, when the sun always shines, the more fortunate can relax in their flower- filled gardens with the added comfort of knowing that there is a regular salary coming in.
Another fortunate Slovenian friend lives in a similar abode complete with all the external accoutrements of above, in the congenial company of her two twenty-something children and her buck-toothed, boss-eyed, but exceedingly friendly Jack Russell. All three humans are working from home, with ample space to carouse in the garden or work peacefully in the spacious confines of their five-bedroom home.
Fast-forward to the other end of the curve, where many are most definitely not living in such familial bliss. They inhabit cramped flats with no balconies, and worse still, some have no option but to co-habit with an obnoxious other half, vying for TV channels, and generally messing things up - or worse! This situation can also be exacerbated by having hyperactive children around to monitor . The attention seeking child doesn’t take kindly to being educated by a face on a screen with no audience other than the family cat. Whether working from home or with no work, in small confines the tensions are building. The only saving grace, in Slovenia, is the relative proximity of the parks, the river and the abundance of glorious greenery. Compare all this lush nature to the average Londoner’s concrete jungle, living in similar flat, with the added worry of a zero-hour contract.
They struggle miles on foot to get some rays on Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath, before being brusquely moved on by overzealous police wearing masks. Gardens are a rarity in Inner London and parks and woodland scarce. The main reason I chose my London flat was for its long ample garden, and the unimpeded view of nearby Highgate Woods.
In fact, this article was prompted by an email from a semi-retired journalist friend, who wrote unabashedly ‘life has never been better’. She can scribble her weekly column in her gazebo in their vast flower-strewn garden, while her retired husband refines his already excellent culinary skills. She didn’t mention her newly-wed daughter and her husband who are in the ranks of the self-employed, a yoga instructor and a chef respectively, both now living with future dreams on fragile hold for the very uncertain future. Very different boats indeed.
Having lived overseas for the last 13 years, I am still in touch with friends in Asia and Central America, and they are in even less comfortable boats. In an ironical twist, as Europe and the UK once stigmatised innocent Asians in the run-up to the crisis, Viet friends, encouraged by their government propaganda, wholeheartedly blame the virus on the travelling Westerners, and in China, my very petite blonde Australian friend currently working as a School Principal tells me that despite her ’COVID free badge’, mask, gloves and her 21-day quarantine pass, she is treated like a white devil. Chinese mothers pick up their children and literally flee when they see her blonde locks, restaurants refuse her entry – and people in shops, look at her over their compulsory issue masks with cold, untrusting eyes and give her a very wide berth.
Masks are compulsory at all times – and in Vietnam, as in many other Asian countries, they have a natural affinity for masks. Reports from Vietnamese friends say they that although they are working from home, masks are worn at all times – I didn’t ask about bedtime. There are no motorbike taxis or car taxis, and large hotels and markets are shut. Many have lost their jobs.
Meanwhile in Spain, my old schoolfriend is entrapped in her mountain village and is currently dogless, therefore her exercise is limited to the 200-metre walk from her home in the centre to the nearest food and wine shops – a 600 Euro fine awaits anyone who is found exploiting the rule. Her 85-year-old Scottish mother died two weeks ago, alone in a hospital in Scotland of an unrelated infection, possibly exacerbated by fear. For the last four days of her life, she relied on an iPad and daily 15 minute visits from her other daughter,clad from head to foot in a hazard suit, forbidden to touch. My friend in Spain at least has the small solace of a garden, where she is grieving alone, without any sense of closure, and trying to plan a memorial service in the unforeseen future.
Meanwhile, in Istanbul, a hyperactive party- going Australian couple, aged 63 and 65 respectively, working as teachers and energetically living a second, but childfree youth, are forbidden to leave their homes,full stop. Despite a small balcony and a 40-year marriage, they are becoming increasingly unamused and after two weeks, are already showing severe symptoms of Cabin Fever manifesting in 3 kg weight increases and an unhealthy addiction to Quiz Planet, as the lady of the house tries to elevate her starting score of zero to 21,000 before the lockdown is over. Turkey is in flux, and the once crowded streets are spookily empty, Erdogan from his 1000 roomed palace in Ankara, has sent one of his national emergency texts ( to everyone) asking the population to contribute 10 TL ( 3 Euros) to a Corona fund.
Looking further afield to Nicaragua, the situation is even more grim – with practically no direction from their government, other than some ‘Peace and Love ‘ rally in the capital, and the divine message that along with Americans, Nicaraguans will not get affected.
My Yorkshire Oxford-educated friend, the founder of a language school and a charity that provides hands-on work for 80% of the impoverished village where she lives, located in the shadow of the virulent Massaya volcano. She tells me that news is being passed from door to door by groups of five or six police together with a handful of civil servants, all standing in perilous clusters. They are distributing COVID pamphlets on the importance of washing your hands thoroughly and often. The same pamphlet also explains the need to reduce their weekly water ration from 2 barrels of water to one and a half barrels. This ration is per household, and that usually equates to at least six people. The water is used to wash, cook, wash their clothes and to drink. Toilets are usually outdoor latrines, so flushing is not a problem for most. Very few people are on the streets, and most pulperia (small shops) have had to close. And to date, there has been no word of government assistance or even guidance, as the village limps to a gloom laden standstill.
Then there is another boat where you sail these uncharted waters alone, and for many elderly without the ‘company’ of social media, and the physical security of a family this is very scary – alone and listening to the spurious daily statistics spewed willy nilly all over the global media; meaningless to those who understand statistics and positively terrifying for those who don’t – and with no one close by to share their fears.
Even for the less elderly, this enforced social distancing is difficult – mentally and emotionally, and I, for one have wearied of the endless ‘jokes’ on WhatsApp and unsubstantiated rants by the uninitiated on social media.I yearn for the close physical comfort of old friends, even a distanced bike ride or a glass of wine would be good, but then again, I fear my self, all my suppressed fears and emotions may come belching out in an unstoppable tirade......
Daily, I have to remind myself that I am not living in fear of snipers, bombs or starvation, I have a roof over my head and at present, I am healthy – plus, I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world close to the river and nature. I am very lucky.
In response to the copiously asked daily question from well-meaning friends of ‘How are you?’ I answer robotically ‘Up and down, how are you?’ Maybe I should answer truthfully. ‘I don’t know!’
