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This summary is provided by the STA:
Janša urges responsible behaviour amid Covid-19 surge
LJUBLJANA - Prim Minister Janez Janša called on the public to act responsibly and abide by precautionary measures to avoid further restrictions as the coronavirus outbreak in the country is spreading. Janša, addressing a panel debate at St. Stanislav's, a Catholic education institution, said the mild measures taken in late September have not been working because they were not being heeded seriously enough. He suggested Slovenia was but a step away from declaring epidemic again.
Slovenia's daily coronavirus count keeps high
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 227 coronavirus infections from 2,893 tests on Friday for a total of 6,330 cases, as another fatality increased the Covid-19 death toll to 155, government data show. Hospitalisations increased by eight to 94 despite seven patients being discharged home from Covid-19 departments. Fifteen remain in intensive treatment units. The share of positive tests was 7.8%, slightly higher than 7.25% recorded on Thursday when the case count was a record high of 238.
Masks no longer mandatory in class
LJUBLJANA - Face masks will no longer be required for kindergarten children, primary and secondary school pupils in their class, and for teachers up to the third grade of primary school, under a decision taken by the government on Friday. Higher education teachers will also not be required to wear masks provided they hold lectures from behind a protective screen. The government also decreed for hand sanitisers to be placed at entrances and lift doors of multi-apartment buildings.
Slovenia secures EUR 2.5m for Covid-19 vaccine development
LJUBLJANA - The government allocated just over EUR 2.5 million for the European Commission Emergency Support Instrument for advance payments to manufacturers of promising vaccines against Covid-19. The funds allocated to vaccine manufacturers with which the Commission will sign advance purchase agreements will be included in the final prices of the vaccines, the government said in a release following Friday's correspondence session.
Moody's upgrades Slovenia's credit rating
LJUBLJANA - Rating agency Moody's upgraded Slovenia's long-term issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings by one notch to A3 from Baa1, changing the outlook to stable on Friday. Announcing the news, the Finance Ministry said the upgrade showed Slovenia as one of the most reliable countries for foreign investors. The upgrade reflects the improvement of Slovenia's debt burden and debt affordability metrics relative to peers, and the significant improvement of the health of the banking system, as well as the completion of the privatization of the country's largest banks.
Opposition protest against merger of regulators
LJUBLJANA - The opposition voiced concern about the government's plan to merge eight key regulators into two agencies, arguing it would undermine public oversight and give the government complete control. The SocDems said the plan was a threat to a series of people's rights and would lead to a full privatisation of public services, while the Left and the Marjan Šarec List and Alenka Bratušek Party see the merger as an attempt to consolidate the economic power of the ruling Democrats. The coalition Pensioners' Party expects a proposal would be draw up that will comply with EU law.
Slovenia climbs in World Digital Competitiveness Ranking
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has climbed one more spot in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking to 31st among 63 countries. The US continues on top of the list ahead of Singapore, Denmark, Sweden and Hong Kong. The Institute for Economic Research, the IMD's partner in Slovenia, noted that Slovenia improved its ranking by five spots in the Digital Competitiveness survey in the 2016-2020 period.
Pro-life protest held in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - Participants in a Hike for Life in Ljubljana called for protecting human life from conception to natural death and for better future for unborn children. The event's organiser, Urša Cankar Soares, said they believed human life begun before birth and everyone had the right to life. According to the organisers, the event attracted 500 people, while the police said about 200 participants took part, as well as about ten counter-protesters.
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