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A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Number of coronavirus cases rises to 253
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia registered 253 confirmed coronavirus cases by 2pm, an increase of 34 over the past 24 hours. A total of 6,712 tests had been taken. Bojana Beović, a senior expert affiliated with the government coronavirus crisis unit, said that 29 of the coronavirus patients were hospitalised, three of them in intensive care. The condition of two of those was deteriorating rapidly. The fresh statistics came as public life in the country ground to a halt.
Passenger flight ban in force as of midnight
LJUBLJANA - The government issued a decree banning passenger flights in Slovenia from Tuesday because of the spread of the new coronavirus. Air traffic will be suspended throughout the EU by the end of the month, while flight connections with non-EU members are suspended until further notice. The Infrastructure Ministry said the ban did not apply to aircraft transporting cargo or mail, aircraft conducting special transport without passengers or ferry flights. Neither does it apply to foreign aircraft or helicopters on humanitarian or health missions.
Shops, banks limiting opening hours
LJUBLJANA - As the decree entered into force closing down a vast majority of retail establishments along with shops providing services, such as hair salons, beauty parlours, restaurants and gyms in order to contain the coronavirus epidemic, retailers and banks shortened their opening hours or even restricting the number of customers allowed inside a store or office at the same time. Moreover, they encouraged customers to switch to online services.
Janša discusses new coronavirus measures with Von der Leyen
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša discussed the coronavirus situation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "Finally good news from Brussels," he wrote on Twitter, announcing that the EU was closing all external borders except with Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and the UK, and imposing a ban on exports of critical medical and protective gear. It also adopted guidelines to ease cargo transport on internal borders. Joining a videoconference with their EU counterparts, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar urged the European Commission to limit prices of protective and medical gear at the EU level, while Interior Minister Aleš Hojs proposed the Commission coordinate controlled transportation of passengers and cargo.
Slovenian, Hungarian FMs discuss coronavirus
LJUBLJANA - Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto paid a visit to Slovenia to meet his new Slovenian counterpart Anže Logar. The talks revolved around measures to contain the new coronavirus and bilateral cooperation between the countries. In a statement after the meeting, Logar urged Slovenians to stay at home and limit physical contact, while Szijjarto said Hungary would close its border for passenger transport except for Hungarian citizens, and impose restrictions for goods transport.
Croatia limits entry ban to Slovenians from border region
LJUBLJANA/ZAGREB, Croatia - After a back-and-forth by Croatian authorities regarding whether Slovenia was on Croatia's list of coronavirus crisis countries, Croatia said Sunday evening that Slovenians will be turned back on the Croatian border or sent into 14-day self-isolation in Croatia only if they come from the border region of Bela Krajina. The same home quarantine rules apply to Croatians who go to work in Bela Krajina and decide to return home.
Brigadier Škerbinc reinstated as SAF force commander
VRHNIKA - Brigadier Miha Škerbinc took over as the new force commander of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF), after being reinstated following his dismissal under the previous government in April. In his address at a ceremony at the Vrhnika army barracks Brigadier Škerbinc pledged to organise the force in a way as to allow efficient and sustainable support for the country in containing the spread of coronavirus and control the situation. Defence Minister Matej Tonin said the injustice was being redressed through Škerbinc's reinstatement.
Ban on sale of protective equipment lifted
LJUBLJANA - The government lifted a ban on the sale of protective equipment that had been put in place last week to ensure a sufficient supply of face masks, sanitizer and protective suit for health and rescue personnel. Under a decree that took effect on Sunday evening, the ban was revoked with immediate effect to prevent any problems occurring. "Sales must be approved if we want to supply this protective equipment and to make sure work in this area runs smoothly," Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said.
Companies adapting to new reality, unions want govt restrictions
LJUBLJANA - Companies in Slovenia are adapting to life in the country and beyond almost grinding to a halt. Some have closed shop, among them household appliance maker BSH Hišni Aparati, sports equipment manufacturer Elan, and footwear manufacturer Alpina, others adopted safety measures but continue with operations, including large corporations such as car maker Revoz and home appliances maker Gorenje. Fearing the impact on workers' health, the ZSSS trade union called on the government to order companies making non-essential products to shut down. The trade union Solidarnost meanwhile accused certain employers of ignoring government measures imposed to contain coronavirus.
Govt to help self-employed hit by coronavirus
LJUBLJANA - Following mounting pressure to help self-employed amid the coronavirus crisis, the Economy Ministry said it was preparing measures for this group as part of a bill to subsidy pay of temporarily laid-off employees. Social security contributions payments for sole proprietors are to be deferred. The measure is to be included in the bill that had been tabled by the previous government and is to be passed at an emergency session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Govt proposes one-month suspension of prison sentences over virus
LJUBLJANA - The government tabled a bill under which a one-month suspension of a prison sentence and an early release of prisoners up to six months before the end of their sentence would be possible as a means of containing the coronavirus outbreak. The proposals are part of the bill on temporary coronavirus containment measures in judicial, administrative and other public legal matters, which is to be passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday.
SDS surges in Dnevnik poll
LJUBLJANA - The approval rating of the Democrats (SDS) surged, while the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) lost more ground after Šarec's decision to step down as prime minister, shows a Dnevnik poll conducted in the run-up to the appointment of the new government last week. The SDS polled at 23.5%, up almost four percentage points over the month before as the LMŠ was down two points to 15%. In the politicians' popularity rankings, former Health Minister Aleš Šabeder leaped to second place from tenth, right behind the perennial leader, President Borut Pahor. Prime Minister Janez Janša jumped seven spots to 12th.
Poll: Coronavirus not yet perceived as major threat last week
LJUBLJANA - Almost seven out of ten Slovenians did not feel threatened by coronavirus in the middle of last week when the Vox Populi poll was conducted. A large majority of the respondents assessed the government-imposed protective measures as adequate. Just over 68% of those quizzed by pollster Ninamedia said they did not feel threatened by coronavirus, which shows that last week a large part of the Slovenian public was not yet aware of the gravity of the situation, Dnevnik said, adding that the picture would probably be very different this week.
January pay up y/y, down from December
LJUBLJANA - Slovenians earned EUR 1,172.56 in average take-home pay in January, 3.5% down in nominal terms from December in what is a seasonal decline, but up 5.1% compared to monthly earnings in January 2019. Releasing fresh figures, the Statistics Office noted that the decrease in average earnings was mostly due to the Christmas bonus and 13th month payment included in December pay.
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