Ljubljana related
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.
Number of coronavirus cases up by 28 in a day to 442
New Covid-19 testing rules in place
Ban on movement and gatherings largely successful
Pahor supports giving army police powers
Homeless stay in streets as they fear infection in overcrowded shelters
Number of coronavirus cases up by 28 in a day to 442
STA, 23 March 2020 - A total of 442 coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia by 2pm on Monday, an increase of 28 over the past 24 hours. The figure comes after 13,812 tests conducted, 714 more than by Sunday, fresh data posted by the National Public Health Institute show.
Currently, 32 patients are being treated at the UKC Ljubljana hospital, and eight of them are in intensive care, the government said on its Twitter profile.
Another 11 patients are at the Maribor UKC hospital, where two patients are in intensive care. Both have already been intubated, according to the hospital.
Coronavirus patients are also being treated at the Golnik Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases and yesterday the Celje general hospital admitted its first Covid-19 patient.
The number of coronavirus-related deaths in Slovenia rose to three today as a 67-year-old man with multiple underlying conditions died at UKC Ljubljana. The other two fatalities were patients in their 90s who had underlying conditions as well.
Coronavirus infections have been confirmed in 107 out of Slovenia's 212 municipalities with 57 of those recording two or more cases.
The biggest increase in cases over the past 24 hours was recorded in Ljubljana, increasing by seven to 99.
The second and third biggest outbreaks are in Šmarje pri Jelšah in the north-east and Metlika in the south-east. The former saw its case count increase by one to 46 and the latter did not register new cases in the past day so the number remains at 25.
Most patients are between 30 and 49 years old, 71 of them women and 74 men. A hundred and four patients fall in the 60+ category, the most at risk group, half of them are women and half of them men.
Ban on movement and gatherings largely successful
STA, 23 March 2020 - Slovenians have mostly complied with government directives aimed at containing the coronavirus epidemic and are abiding by a ban on gatherings and socialising, suggest reports from several municipalities. Nor have people flocked to the coast or lakeside resorts over the weekend.
While the vast majority of the people appear to have complied with the ban, in the seaside town of Izola the locals did spot a few surfers on Sunday who were trying to capitalise on strong winds. The town will thus ban any sports activities on the local beaches and fine any violators.
Izola has reported though that people were mostly staying at home over the weekend. A stiff bora wind that pushed through the western Primorska region on Sunday probably played a role in this situation as well.
Piran, otherwise the most visited Slovenian municipality, reported that people were mostly complying with the lockdown as well. The town authorities are not planning to ban the use of beaches for now.
Koper has also recorded a drop in visitors, however the city has received a few reports from locals of gatherings taking place despite the ban. Mostly, the cases transpired to be individuals or small groups of up to three people.
Meanwhile, lakeside resorts in the Slovenian Alps, another tourism hotspot in the country, were mostly empty as well, apart from the locals. Colder weather might have been a factor.
In the Bohinj area, people were generally acting in line with instructions. The number of residents has increased by up to 2,000 since the start of the crisis due to locals living and working elsewhere returning home. The area has also seen an influx of those who own holiday homes there.
The municipality authorities have pointed to the issue of those returning home from abroad, saying that they should act responsibly and self-isolate.
Generally speaking, police officers from the northern Gorenjska region have reported that people have been taking the situation increasingly more seriously by the day, having recorded only a few actual violations of the ban so far.
One of them was a gathering of people on a motocross track near Brnik on Saturday who dispersed immediately and without a protest after a police officer with a guide dog reminded them of the decree.
Since the implementation of the ban, the police have been receiving numerous reports of violations, but mostly such reports turn out to be unwarranted.
The General Police Administration has reported that most people have been complying with the ban or heeding police warnings, reminding potential violators that they would be putting at risk themselves as well as others.
Jelko Kacin, the spokesman for the government coronavirus crisis unit, said on Saturday that the government was planning to ban movement out of one's municipality of residence to step up its efforts to curb the epidemic. He also urged people not to travel to popular touristy places in Slovenia, a trend that had been detected earlier despite the epidemic.
Pahor supports giving army police powers
STA, 23 March 2020 - Responding to an initiative by the new government to activate legislation giving the army police powers, President Borut Pahor said in his capacity of commander-in-chief of the Slovenian Armed Forces that he understood the need to give the military additional powers within the bounds of law.
The response comes after Interior Minister Aleš Hojs recently said he was considering proposing the activation of article 37.a of the defence act, which allows the Slovenian Armed Forces to help the police in "broader protection of the state border".
Activated only if endorsed by a two-thirds majority vote in parliament, it allows soldiers to carry out tasks such as temporarily restricting the movement of persons and taking part in crowd control.
The president's office said on Monday that Pahor believed that such decision of the National Assembly would be sensible in the given situation, "but must be implemented strictly within the legal framework, for thee months at the most."
The president separately met with Hojs and Defence Minister Matej Tonin today over the matter, and decided that this is acceptable in circumstances when the country is facing an increase in illegal migration and the coronavirus outbreak.
Pahor noted that all relevant authorities and services, including the police, were giving their best, but that the situation required additional assistance in the protection of the Schengen border.
The president meanwhile believes that there are no reasons for the military to participate in other tasks performed by the police.
Some parties on the left have criticised the idea to give the army limited police powers, as they fear it could be abused.
Homeless stay in streets as they fear infection in overcrowded shelters
STA, 23 March 2020 - One of the population groups in Slovenia that has it hardest during the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak are the homeless. The situation is becoming paradoxical as many of them opt to stay in the street in the cold as they fear they could get infected in overcrowded shelters.
Many of the homeless have nowhere to go to self-isolate and many of them have chronic conditions which could be fatal in combination with coronavirus, the Kralji Ulice association for assistance and self-help for the homeless said on Monday.
The association has closed its daily centre, and other activities are also on hold, while the expert service is still operational.
"People come mostly individually, as their documents or money is kept in the centre, and they also need clothes and personal hygiene items," Hana Košan of Kralji Ulice told the STA.
The situation for rough sleepers is worsening, as certain public toilets and duty outpatient clinics are closed. Shelters meanwhile remain open and the programme of accommodation in apartments is also functioning.
While the operation of shelters has been adjusted to the restrictive and safety measures, both the homeless and the staff lack personal protective equipment.
Košan said that the epidemic had additionally exposed the shortage of staff in shelters. "All of us will probably continue working even if we get infected and fall ill."
The association has called on the relevant institutions not to forget people on the margins. It needs more rooms which would accommodate a lower number of persons and wants to provide the homeless with constant care so that they do not need to leave shelter.
The existing shelters are overcrowded. "People are leaving some shelters. They say that there are too many people there and that they are afraid of getting infected. They think they are better off in the streets, although the situation is not rosy out there either."
Košan said that the government decree banning public gatherings was an additional problem, but none of the homeless in Slovenia has so far reported being fined by the police.
"Where could they retreat to if they live in public areas, if they do not have a home," she said, nevertheless calling on the homeless to stay in their shelters, if possible, to be in small groups and to take care of personal hygiene.
Solitude is another problem as the public life has ground to a halt. "People say that, after the closure of daily centres and other activities, they are very lonely," Košan said, adding that this was also one of the reasons they were returning to the street.
The association is concerned about the scenario in which the homeless get seriously ill due to complications brought by coronavirus. Many of them are old and many have chronic conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes.
"In foreign countries, when they started running out of beds in hospitals, there was no room any more for the homeless, drug addicts and others from the margins of the society. We fear that these people will be left in the street."
The distribution of the association's magazine, which was a source of income for many of the homeless, has been suspended.
The association has thus called on the readers and supporters to donate money, which would be distributed among the regular sellers of the magazine, whose number is between 170 and 200. Around EUR 2,000 has so far been donated.
STA, 23 March 2020 - Virtually all Slovenian businesses have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and its ramifications with 93% of the companies surveyed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) reporting serious difficulties. The chamber estimates a stimulus package of up to 4 billion euro is needed to avert an economic and social crisis.
"The situation at businesses is getting more alarming by the day," the GZS stated on Monday as it released the results of a survey conducted last week among micro, small, medium-sized and large companies.
Four out of ten companies estimate their revenue will drop by more than 70% in March due to disruption to business caused by coronavirus, a further 18% expect to halve their revenue and as many project a fall of at least 30%.
Micro and small businesses have been particularly hard hit with half of them expecting more than a 70% fall in revenue.
Current estimates show more than half of the companies surveyed expect a slump in business over the next three to six months and one out of three expect a limited scope of operations to persist for more than six months.
A large majority (61%) have been hit hardest by a drop in domestic demand and government measures banning direct sale of goods and services to customers, suspended public transportation and school closure (59%).
Over a third (37%) report difficulties due to lockdowns and similar restrictions in other countries, and almost as many (35%) say they have been affected by a drop in foreign demand.
Other problems reported by the companies surveyed include disruption to international transport (29%) or disrupted supply chains (20%). Some are complaining about a lack of protective equipment.
"Fact is that we have already moved from a health crisis deeply into an economic crisis. Experience suggests that a health crisis takes about two and a half months. In a similar scenario in Slovenia the epidemic jeopardising people's lives could be weathered by roughly mid-May," the chamber said.
It added that the decisions that were being taken by the government these days would decide how deep and how long the economic crisis, and hence the scope and length of social turmoil.
Businesses expect the state to fully cover the cost of the temporarily laid off labour force, defer tax liabilities, take measures to secure liquidity and labour market flexibility, set up a one-stop shop offering topical info for companies, ensure smooth movement of goods across the border and measures to secure claims in some markets.
The GZS estimates that for the Slovenian economy to remain in business and preserve as many jobs as possible liquidity measures of between two and four billion euro are needed, urging the government to draw up a new emergency package.
The chamber has sent its list of proposals to the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.
The GZS has also joined a group of several other business associations, including the Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce, the British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and AmCham Slovenia, who called for fast action to help businesses.
The group offered to the government and the crisis busting taskforce headed by economist Matej Lahovnik "all the expertise that Slovenian managers, entrepreneurs and economic and management experts can offer".
The calls come as a growing number of business are suspending or scaling down their operations to the minimum. The latest to announce a temporary closure of its 18 shops across the country has been the Croatian bakery chain Mlinar.
The glassworks Steklarna Rogaška reduced its production to 7% capacity because it cannot halt the melting furnace without long-term consequences. The decision was taken in agreement with its owner, the Helsinki-based Fiskars Group, the trade union and the works council.
The Zreče-based tool maker Unior has reduced production as well, but is still meeting its obligations to buyers, and business is continuing as usual in the division catering to the automotive industry.
Second emergency package taking shape, hints at help for self-employed
STA, 23 March 2020 - The government will discuss Monday evening guidelines for a new emergency package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on the population and the economy. The guidelines, which include pay bonuses for workers in critical sectors, will be presented on Tuesday and include aid to the self-employed, PM Janez Janša announced.
Janša said the guidelines, to serve as a basis for legislation the government wants to adopt by this Friday, had been coordinated by the coalition parties last Friday and were now supplemented with proposals by ministries and the advisory task force led by economist Matej Lahovnik.
The pending new measures announced last Saturday include 10-200% pay bonuses to those working in critical sectors such as healthcare, civil protection, security and critical infrastructure, as well as a temporary 30% pay cut for all state officials.
Employers in the private sector will be advised to secure bonuses for hard-working staff, in particular in groceries.
In a tweet published today, Janša added the "guidelines will include solutions for aid to the self-employed", a measure that many argued was lacking in the first emergency package adopted by parliament last week.
According to Janša, the basic idea of the package will be freezing the state of affairs. Thus the government will secure the funds needed "to preserve jobs, social stability, economic capacity, public service, potential in science, culture...in society in general".
On Saturday Janša announced a crisis bonus for pensioners and other vulnerable groups and compensation for companies that had to close shop because of the epidemic.
The government plans to define a model for determining the damage suffered by businesses as a result of the epidemic and lay down a reimbursement framework.
In the night to Friday last week, parliament passed the first package of emergency laws. The measures included pay compensation for temporary lay-offs, loan payment and tax duty deferrals for companies, as well as trade restrictions for agriculture and food products. One act gave the government complete discretion over the allocation of budget funds.
STA, 23 March 2020 - The coronavirus crisis will have a huge impact on Slovenia's and Europe's economies and monetary policy measures will be commensurate to the gravity of the situation. Equally important will be decisive and fast fiscal policy action, Boštjan Vasle, the governor of Slovenia's central bank, told the STA.
"It is clear at this moment that the effects of coronavirus on our economic growth will be enormous," Banka Slovenije governor Vasle said, adding that estimates about the scope of the contraction will only be possible once the health situation calms down.
Vasle said monetary policy measures in the eurozone had been taken with the awareness of how serious the situation is. "Their most important message is that they are adjusted to the scope of damage that will occur. This will remain so in the future."
The European Central Bank (ECB) and national central banks in the Eurosystem have increased asset purchases in the framework of existing programmes and added a EUR 750 billion asset purchase instrument last week.
"Add together the value of these measures and we're talking about almost a thousand billion euro at the level of the eurozone. For comparison, Slovenia's GDP is around EUR 46 billion."
This is a clear signal that monetary policy is aware of the gravity of the crisis and that central banks are capable of fast and effective action. The ECB's governing council will keep a close eye on the situation and use all instruments at its disposal for additional action if necessary, he said.
If the response to this health crisis is to be successful, coordinated action of all economic policies in a country is necessary along with concerted action by domestic and EU institutions.
The ECB's governing council therefore believes that fiscal policy must respond with equal determination and perhaps even more decisively than monetary policy, according to Vasle.
"Slovenia must bear in mind the experience of the previous crisis. This experience says countries which had reacted fast were more successful and in some cases subject to fewer of the restrictions that were put in place after the initial period of action."
Slovenia's fiscal policy action is constrained by a constitutional fiscal rule. The government has repeatedly said it would take advantage of the built-in flexibility of the constraints and Vasle likewise noted that the existing rules have exemptions for extraordinary circumstances. "It would not make sense not to take advantage of that."
Turning to the state of the Slovenian banking system, Vasle said that banks were in better shape than they had been when the financial crisis erupted.
They are sufficiently capitalised and the structure of their financing is significantly different in that it is based on deposits; equity is seven times the size of non-performing loans, which improves resilience to the current shock.
Neither do banks have packages of non-performing loans on their portfolios - which had been a part of the reason why the previous crisis was so deep - while companies are financially stronger and better equipped to absorb the crisis.
Overall the liquidity of the banking system is good, with EUR 5.7 billion in primary liquidity and EUR 7.7 billion in secondary liquidity that banks may activate by selling liquid investments or by leveraging them for monetary policy measures.
"Despite the good starting point, the crisis will of course reflect on banks as well," said Vasle, adding that the impact would strongly depend on the duration of the extraordinary circumstances and the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
The fundamental objective of Banka Slovenije action within the eurozone system and in the framework of cooperation with the government is therefore to design measures that will make it possible to quickly overcome the crisis and return back to normal operations as soon as possible.
The Slovenian parliament last week passed an emergency law deferring loan payments. Banks will be obligated to grant creditors deferral, which Vasle said would eliminate uncertainty among companies and households as to how they can act in the event they are unable to meet their loan obligations.
Asked about the financial impact of this measure on banks, Vasle said it would depend on how the pandemic develops and how long it lasts. Banka Slovenije has tested even exceptionally unfavourable scenarios and determined that even in this case the measures would be financially acceptable.
But Vasle stressed that this was merely the first tier of action as coordination efforts were already under way at eurozone level to make sure such deferral of interest and principal payments do not affect bank operations.
"It is important here to assure all banks that the measures which they adopt during the crisis will affect all eurozone banks the same way. This is the only way to avoid banks in an individual country having an advantage," he said.
The third tier of action involves additional guarantees that the state could provide, for example via SID Banka, the Slovenian export and development bank, which would additionally reduce uncertainty for the people and companies.
"It is my estimate that a solution will soon be presented to the public. At this moment a legislative solution that would make this possible is already being prepared."
All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Aleksander Sandi. You can see more of their work here.
Second Covid-19 patient dies in Slovenia
PM drawing links between epidemic and independence war
Stranded Slovenians returning home from Paris
Second Covid-19 patient dies in Slovenia
STA, 22 March 2020 - A second coronavirus patient in Slovenia has died, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar announced on Sunday with unofficial information available to the STA indicating the victim was an elderly woman from the Metlika nursing home with several underlying conditions with the infection not seen as the cause of death.
Gantar told reporters that both patients who had died were in their 90s and had underlying conditions.
"It's hard to say at the moment that anyone has died only because of being infected with Covid-19. Both persons to have died in Slovenia so far were around 90 years old and had other accompanying illnesses," said Gantar.
This would be a second fatality of the Metlika outbreak, which erupted after a doctor at the community health centre there tested positive at the beginning of March. It had been reported that he had also seen patients at the nursing home. Later several residents and staff tested positive.
Prime Minister Janez Janša paid a visit to the Metlika nursing home today to get acquainted with the situation first hand and thank those responsible for their response and cooperation.
Quoted by the Government Communication Office, Janša said the government was doing everything in its power to curb the epidemic and to provide enough protective equipment to health institutions, nursing homes and other critical services.
The nursing home director Iva Lozar said that a pair of Health Ministry representatives were volunteering at the home, with more volunteers and nurses due to arrive tomorrow to alleviate the burden on the staff.
Slovenia recorded 414 confirmed coronavirus cases until 2pm today, an increase of 31 over the past 24 hours. A total of 13,098 tests had been taken with Gantar noting that Slovenia was among the countries with the highest testing rates.
Minister Gantar said that 55 Covid-19 patients were being treated at hospitals, one fewer than on Saturday. Ten of the patients are in intensive treatment units, one more than on Saturday.
He highlighted that securing enough personal protective equipment was key at the moment, with the Economy Ministry being in charge of purchasing the supplies and the Health Ministry coordinating the allocation.
Another top priority was protecting at risk groups, such as the elderly, people with chronic diseases and those with a weakened immune system.
Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj announced today that mobile medical teams would be conducting coronavirus testing at nursing homes to make it easier for the residents as well as to reduce the workload of certain emergency services.
Asked about the planned crisis bonus for pensioners and other vulnerable groups, he said that any such measure would be fair in addressing the needs of those people.
The Pensioners' Association Union called on the government today to clearly specify who would be entitled to the bonus, for how long and what would be its actual impact.
Apart from the Metlika nursing home, another coronavirus hotspot in Slovenia is a nursing home at Šmarje pri Jelšah near Celje in eastern Slovenia, the second biggest outbreak in the country, only preceded by the capital.
A total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at the nursing home there is 18 so far, four more compared to Saturday.
Overall, Šmarje pri Jelšah has 45 confirmed cases, four more than the day before. The outbreak erupted after a primary school teacher tested positive for the virus in mid March. Both she and the doctor from Metlika reportedly got infected while on holidays in northern Italy.
Janša visited Šmarje pri Jelšah yesterday.
PM drawing links between epidemic and independence war
STA, 22 March 2020 - Ten days since Slovenia declared a coronavirus epidemic, Prime Minister Janez Janša urged the country to persevere in these challenging times as well as illustrated the severity and significance of the situation by drawing parallels between the current crisis and Slovenia's independence war.
"Today Europe looks as it did in the middle ages, cities filled with fear of the plague, with defensive walls and checkpoints at every corner. Only the internet was missing. Currently, we can only depend on ourselves and what we ourselves produce, grow and collect from our own supplies," the prime minister described the current situation.
He said that the government was making efforts to tackle transport and sales hold-ups as well as repatriation of Slovenian citizens stranded abroad, including in EU countries.
"But we will manage. At the end of the day, during Yugoslavia's collapse we had a war, closed borders, lost 80% of the market. But we bounced back quickly and started picking up speed and catching up with the developed world," Janša said, attributing Slovenia's success in the independence struggle to patience, unity, knowledge and bravery.
Meanwhile, Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore also encouraged the citizens to persevere and show solidarity during the crisis, saying that the times were challenging but also showed signs of hope.
"The virus infects anybody who comes in contact with it, thus erasing differences between us and turning us into brothers and sisters," he added.
After carrying out the key measures to slow down the spread and curb the epidemic, the government is preparing the first wider legislation package to help the population and economy.
The government announced today that it would discuss on Monday a proposal on pay reimbursement for companies that had to close shop or reduce production due to the epidemic.
Stranded Slovenians returning home from Paris
STA, 22 March 2020 - A group of Slovenians stranded abroad due to air traffic cancellations and restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic is to return home on Sunday. A repatriation commercial Air France flight from Paris will then head back to France with French citizens who have found themselves in a similar predicament.
The repatriation flight is carrying 22 Slovenian citizens and two people with permanent residence in Slovenia, and is expected to land at Ljubljana airport at 5:25pm, the Foreign Ministry told the STA.
The flight is one of the few commercial flights landing at or taking off from Ljubljana airport. The flight tickets allegedly cost some 300 euro, according to the ministry.
In the coming days, the Slovenian citizens stuck abroad can count on a few other repatriation flights. Related discussions with other countries are focussing on evacuating EU citizens, most notably from Asian countries.
STA, 22 March 2020 - The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Slovenia rose to 414 by 2pm on Sunday, an increase of 31 over the past 24 hours, data from the National Public Health Institute show. The number of tests conducted rose to 13,098, up from 12,162 the day before.
Health authorities estimate that the actual number of cases is several times the confirmed number as not everyone is being tested.
Data as of 10am show the biggest outbreak remains in Ljubljana with 92 confirmed cases, seven more than the day before.
The second biggest is Šmarje pri Jelšah near Celje (NE) with 45 confirmed cases, four more than the day before, followed by Metlika in the south-east with 25 cases.
Six of the infected are foreigners.
Slovenia has recorded one Covid-19 death as an elderly resident of the Metlika nursing home died just over a week ago.
STA, 21 March 2020 - Even though public life in Slovenia all but ground to a halt on Monday in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak, the Environment Agency (ARSO) has not detected any improvement in air quality.
The biggest source of air pollution in the country is coarse particulate matter (PM10) from household solid fuel boilers, whose contribution in the given situation is not smaller, but possibly even bigger, said ARSO.
Air in Slovenia is as a rule at its best in spring or autumn and limit values of pollutants are rarely exceeded at this time of year.
"Comparing air particle pollution this week and the week before, particle levels this week are generally slightly higher than last week, which is a result of meteorological conditions," said ARSO.
Slovenia has enjoyed a spell of stable warm sunny weather, which also means temperature inversion for the greater part of the morning as a result of which morning particle values are elevated.
As for the impact of the suspension of public transportation and air flights and a reduction in commuter traffic, ARSO says this could be reflected mainly in emissions of nitrogen oxides, but this type of pollution is not problematic in Slovenia.
Moreover, monitoring also shows that it is too early to draw any conclusions on the impact of the shutdown on NOx levels.
ARSO noted that industry contributed only a small portion of air pollution recorded by its monitoring stations, so they could speak of a reduction in emissions.
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Aleksander Sandi. You can see more of their work here.
Number of covid-19 cases reaches 383
Shoppers getting anxious in face of limitations
Education Ministry happy with home schooling during covid-19 epidemic
Govt preparing measures to help households, companies cope
Number of covid-19 cases reaches 383
STA, 21 March 2020 - The number of confirmed covid-19 cases in Slovenia increased by 42 to 383 on Saturday, the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) said. A total of 12,162 tests have so far been performed.
The highest number of covid-19 cases has been recorded in Ljubljana, 85. 186 women have been infected and 193 men. There has been one fatality, an elderly man with several underlying illnesses.
By age group, the highest number of confirmed cases, 126, has been detected among those between 30 and 46. There are 85 confirmed cases in people over the age of 60.
The Health Ministry issued 180 quarantine orders by Friday. These are issued to people who have been in close contact with infected individuals.
Prime Minister Janez Janša visited the town of Šmarje pri Jelšah, one of the hotspots of the epidemic, on Saturday. 41 cases of covid-19 have been confirmed in this municipality of just over 10,000. The number of patients is second only to the 85 cases confirmed in Ljubljana.
Janša congratulated mayor Matija Čakš for closing the local primary school before the nation-wide school closure was ordered and asked his team to share their experience with other Slovenian municipalities.
Meanwhile, the Civil Protection said that it distributed 1.2 million pieces of protective equipment to medical and care institutions around the country. This included surgical masks, gloves, overalls, glasses and sanitisers.
Some 570,000 items were delivered to hospitals, 186,000 to retirement homes, 356,000 to state bodies, 69,000 to safety and rescue forces, and 18,000 to others.
Shoppers getting anxious in face of limitations
STA, 21 March 2020 - Retailer Mercator called on shoppers to show patience, keep the recommended safety distance and respect the shopper number limitations on Saturday, after several cases of people shoving and yelling at each other and employees have been reported. In some cases the situation escalated to the point that the police had to be called.
There is enough food for everybody, the retailer said in a press release, adding that vulnerable groups take priority in the time of covid-19 epidemic.
There has been cases of "inadmissible pressure, threats and even physical violence" perpetrated by some shoppers against Mercator employees.
Virtually all grocery stores have remained open after the government declared covid-19 epidemic a week ago. Shops have limited the number of people that can be in a shop at any given time and vulnerable groups are served with priority in the first hours after opening.
Education Ministry happy with home schooling during covid-19 epidemic
STA, 21 March 2020 - A week after all schools in Slovenia were closed due to the covid-19 epidemic, remote schooling is going very well, Education Minister Simona Kustec said in a statement on Saturday. 380 primary schools, out of a total of 455, are taking part, while others are encouraged do so as well.
There were some toothing problems on Monday, much of which had been addressed by the next day. Kustec said the process was going better than expected.
Some 122,500 primary school students took part this week, as well as 14,000 teachers, while figures for secondary schools, of which there are fewer, are even better: 40,000 students and 4,000 teachers.
Kustec said that some 700 students faced problems because they either do not have a computer or internet access, or there are too few computers for all the children in the household.
This is being addressed with the help of schools, which lend their computers to students, while computers are also being donated. Moreover, operators Telekom and A1 are working with the ministry to provide internet where there is no access.
Kustec also said today that the enrolment deadline will be extended, while the dates for school-leaving exams remain unchanged for now.
Govt preparing measures to help households, companies cope
STA, 21 March 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has announced that the government would send by Friday to parliament a new legislative package focusing on rapid financial assistance to the population to mitigate the effects of the novel coronavirus epidemic. The government will also cut the salaries of all state officials by 30%.
The government will propose legislative changes to compensate companies that had to close shop because of the epidemic, Janša said, among other things, in several tweets on Saturday.
For the duration of the epidemic, pensioners and other most vulnerable groups will receive a crisis bonus. The pay cuts are also to be in place until the end of the epidemic. The announcement comes after the government classified the salaries of ministers and state secretaries as top salary bracket.
The legislative changes will introduce higher payment to those working in sectors that are key to overcome the epidemic, such as health care, civil protection, security and critical infrastructure. The employees' superiors will be able to increase their basic salary by between 10% and 200%. The government will advise employers to do the same.
The measures will be coordinated with with all the key players, Janša said, with the government Communications Office adding that coalition partners have already agreed on guidelines for the package, which are to be adopted by the government on Monday.
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’sXenia Guzej, with a picture from Izola. You can see more of her work here.
Slovenia to restrict movement of people to municipal limits
Crisis response unit established to assist hauliers
Slovenians most worried about when covid-19 crisis will end
Slovenia to restrict movement of people to municipal limits
STA, 21 March 2020 - Slovenia will impose a ban on exiting one's municipality of residence in the coming days, Jelko Kacin, the spokesman for the government coronavirus crisis unit, said in a televised statement on Saturday. "We are trying to make it as friendly as possible, so as not to cause problems in the flow of people performing urgent tasks and jobs."
He also advised Slovenians against flooding tourist spots this weekend. "People are still flooding to the coast from all over. Let's be considerate to those who live there and help stop the spreading of the virus," Kacin said, before Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec made a statement and answered a few questions the government received by email.
Vrtovec said that the measures the government is taking to limit the spread of covid-19 would be lifted once the virus is limited or the country has enough protective equipment to restore public transport, which was suspended on Monday.
He assured the public that electricity supply is without disruptions and that this will remain so in the future. He said that the decision to lower the price of electricity will affect 850,000 households and 90,000 SMEs. Their electricity bills will be some 27% lower, due to reduced price of power and network charges, for the next three months.
Vrtovec also said that cargo corridors have been established and that cargo air transport is going as usual. Moreover, despite the ban of passenger air traffic, flights with Slovenians who have been stranded abroad are able to land.
Crisis response unit established to assist hauliers
STA, 21 March 2020 - The government has established a crisis response unit to deal with issues faced by hauliers as the nation fights to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Infrastructure Minister Tadej Vrtovec said on Saturday. Among other tasks, the unit will help hauliers manage paperwork and resolve complications in foreign countries.
Trucks with perishable goods cannot be held up on borders for 15 hours, he said a televised statements, a format that has replaced government press conferences as the country is mounting an effort to fight the spread of covid-19.
Vrtovec said that each country was looking after its own interests in the face of the Europe-wide covid-19 threat. He said that Slovenia will allow passage of trucks from Italy if Croatia will grant them entry.
The hauliers crisis response unit was initiated by the Chamber of Craft and Small Business (OZS). The unit features representatives of the foreign and defence ministries and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS).
OZS transport section president Peter Pišek said earlier this week that, as countries were closing their borders due to the pandemic, the unit would deal with various issues, including visas for drivers, creation of corridors and transport policy.
Pišek noted that Vrtovec had contacted Foreign Minister Anže Logar on Wednesday to talk about permits for drivers, adding that a diplomatic cable would be sent to the countries where hauliers faced the biggest problems already that day.
He added that Slovenian cargo transport companies faced many difficulties due to the restrictive measures, including quarantining of drivers. Numerous lorries with medications, meat and other "urgent cargo" headed for Slovenia remain stranded.
As drivers' body temperature is being measured in Germany and other countries, it is expected that "entire fleets will be waiting", said Pišek, who fears up to 50 lorries could end up in quarantine, with replacement drivers hard to find.
All this puts the supply of goods to the country at risk, he said, adding that the country needed to be well prepared for what would come in two or three weeks. Corridors need to be ready, all paperwork needs to be prepared and enough drivers on secured.
One of the problems is how to extend work permits to foreign drivers who work for Slovenian companies as administrative units deal only with the most urgent matters.
Pišek noted that Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic last night released cargo traffic, while the situation was worse in Serbia, as drivers needed to fill various forms and wait to be tested.
Meanwhile, there are no more complications in Croatia, and the neighbouring country is thinking about securing corridors to bring lorries through its territory.
Slovenians most worried about when covid-19 crisis will end
STA, 21 March 2020 - A poll published by the daily Delo on Saturday suggests that Slovenians' biggest worry in the face of the novel coronavirus epidemic is the duration of the crisis. This was listed as concern by 54.1% respondents. Meanwhile, more than two thirds of respondents said that they were following instructions and staying home.
The poll included 536 people and was conducted by the pollster Mediana on 17 and 18 March, before Slovenia imposed bans on public gathering and movement.
Some 58% of the respondents said they thought the measures in place were too mild, some 40% said they were appropriate and 12.5% said they were too strict. Meanwhile, 2.6% said they did not follow the instructions, finding them exaggerated.
Just over 21% said they could not stay at home because of work obligations. About a half of the respondents said they were in employment. Of them nearly 30% said they worked from home, more than 55% said they could not work from home because of the nature of their work, while more than 14% said the employer did not allow this option.
Apart from worrying when the epidemic will end, people are most worried about infections in vulnerable groups (46.4%), about becoming infected themselves (43.6%), about being powerless (33.1%), about not being able to socialise (23.3%) and about losing income (19.5%), while 6.2% fear for their jobs.
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Igor Andjelić, taking a break from the city. I recommend you follow him on Facebook for more beauty in your feed.
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
Govt shortens opening hours of grocery stores
Companies responding to coronavirus crisis differently
Power prices for households and SMEs cut by 20%
Banks say liabilities deferral act flawed and unclear
Armed Forces inviting volunteers to join
Govt shortens opening hours of grocery stores
STA, 20 March 2020 - The government adopted changes to a decree on shops on Friday shortening the opening hours of grocery stores by pushing the closing time from 8pm to 6pm, as demanded by the trade union of shop assistants. The restrictions do not apply for smaller retailers.
Under the changed decree with which the government closed all other shops bar grocery stores, shops will be open at least from 8am to 6pm.
Exempt from this rule are micro and small companies, the self-employed and cooperatives. These will be able to set their opening hours themselves based on their resources.
The government said after today's correspondence session that the purpose of the legal restrictions on opening hours was to minimise contacts among buyers.
The new rules will apply as of midnight.
In line with the government decree, grocery stores, but not pharmacies and petrol stations, are closed on Sundays and bank holidays during the coronavirus outbreak. The time slot between 8am and 10am is reserved for vulnerable groups such as the disabled, pensioners and pregnant women.
The trade union of shop assistants was critical of the original opening hours for shops yesterday, demanding the closing time be pushed to 6pm. It threatened with a strike unless its demand is met within 24 hours.
Longer opening hours mean that shop assistants are exposed to the risk of a coronavirus infection for longer, and work overtime, the union said, adding that many shops, especially the small ones, also struggle with the lack of staff.
Companies responding to coronavirus crisis differently
STA, 20 March 2020 - Slovenian companies are dealing with the ramifications of the coronavirus epidemic in various ways. Some are closing shop temporarily, while others, mostly part of global production networks, try to persevere amid supply disruption and ramped up safety measures.
The Chinese-owned household appliances maker Hisense Gorenje announced on Friday it would close all its European plants between 23 March and 5 April in the light of the coronavirus spread worsening across Europe, quoting preventive reasons.
The company said that the measure would be imposed despite sufficient amounts of protective gear as well as raw materials to help curb the spread and protect its employees' health.
The management and in-house trade union have agreed that the production would be re-launched on 6 April, unless the situation and measures escalate and limit operations in the meantime.
The step was announced only two days after Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek offered Hisense Gorenje as a good example in organising work in such a way as to protect their staff's health and remain operative despite the epidemic.
Prior to the Gorenje announcement, several other large companies decided to close shop, including household appliance maker BSH Hišni Aparati, sports equipment manufacturer Elan, footwear manufacturer Alpina, the Magna Steyr paint shop and car maker Revoz.
Meanwhile, some Slovenian companies that are part of global production networks cannot suspend production without the implementation of national or EU measures. All of them have reported they have stepped up preventive measures though to protect their staff.
"Despite the pandemic the company is obliged to meet contractual obligations to our customers," said the TPV group, adding that the company would be otherwise faced with contractual penalties and loss of future business.
The car industry supplier employs some 1,200 workers and is present in Slovenia, Serbia, the US and China.
Meanwhile, Dewesoft, a provider of data acquisition systems, testing and measuring instruments used in satellite and rocket development, continues with operations and has introduced boosted safety measures drawn up on the basis of China's experience and insight in dealing with the epidemic.
Dewesoft employs more than 200 people and has subsidiaries in 16 countries, including China.
Power prices for households and SMEs cut by 20%
STA, 20 March 2020 - To ease the impact of the coronavirus fallout, the government issued a decree reducing electricity prices for households and small businesses by about 20% for the next three months.
"We've joined forces to come up with a solution that will alleviate concerns at least a bit at these difficult times," Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said as he announced the decision on Twitter.
In a release posted on its website following a correspondence session on Friday, the government said it had issued a decree suspending payment of contributions for subsidies for high-efficiency cogeneration and renewables for small business consumers and households.
The suspension, valid between 1 March and 31 May, is estimated to reduce electricity bills for the two types of consumers by about 20%.
The decision comes after parliament passed in the wee hours on Friday the first legislative package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on the economy.
Apart from subsidised pay for temporarily laid-off workers, business will also benefit from a lifting of some administrative burdens, and a deferral of debt and tax payments.
One act gives the government complete discretion in the use of budget funds approved for purposes not deemed part of legally binding tasks, and another allows it to intervene in food markets.
Banks say liabilities deferral act flawed and unclear
STA, 20 March 2020 - Banks have responded to the emergency act that allows companies to ask for a deferral of their liabilities by 12 months by arguing the legislation, which is not yet in force, is poorly thought out.
The banks and savings banks said they had already started adjusting their arrangements with affected clients in the face of the coronavirus crisis prior to the act's adoption last night and that they welcomed efforts to reduce the pressure on companies.
The banks for instance redirected as much operations as possible to web or mobile platforms. The act would thus need to provide for bank procedures to be executed fully electronically and without the physical presence of the client, the Bank Association of Slovenia wrote.
Moreover, the act fails to provide for the deferred loans being factored out of the presently strict capital requirements for banks, which means the ability of banks to fulfil their basic task - securing fresh financing - can be compromised, since new provisions will have to be formed.
The association also believes that the manner in which the act is to be implemented is unclear and expects explanations before it enters into force.
It called on all key stakeholders to engage in dialogue and for changes to systemic provisions, noting it was worth keeping in mind that companies and individuals would also need new loans.
Armed Forces inviting volunteers to join
STA, 20 March 2020 - Following Thursday's announcement by Prime Minister Janez Janša that the Slovenian army would be expanded with volunteers, the government issued on Friday a call that says the Armed Forces are inviting all who wish to help in these difficult times to sign up as volunteers or for temporary military service.
The call, published on the government's website, says the Armed Forces are asking citizens to help reduce the heavy burden the security system is carrying in the face of coronavirus. It is urgent that the contract reserve be expanded, it reads.
Citizens aged between 18 and 50 or up to 60 are eligible. They must not have a criminal record and must consent to a security screening.
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