Slovenia has declared the covid-19 epidemic over, and the country is re-opening for business, but it will be some time before things get back to normal, and certain parts of the economy, culture and society may never return.

While the focus of many has been on tourism, the most high profile industry in the country, along with the restaurants, cafés and bars that provide venues for much of Slovenia’s social life, less attention has been paid to culture – one of the reasons why people enjoy visiting the country, and the expression of those who live here – and how this will continue to be impacted by the crisis. Although some venues, such as Kinodvor, are planning to reopen 1 June, social distancing is likely to continue to make things difficult for the foreseeable future, leading to a fall in ticket sales, loss of revenue, and thus fall in income for those who work in the sector. Not just performers, writers and artists, but all those whose work supports their endeavours.

Moreover, the continued support that’s being offered to some sectors, such as tourism, is being withheld from culture.

It’s in this context that representatives of the industry recently sent an the following open letter to Dr Vasko Simoniti, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia (somewhat freely translated, with the original here):

We invite you to make clear to the Slovenian cultural public the key things to which you are obliged to explain due to your the ministerial position.

State the arguments or reasons why at the government session on 19 May 2020, during the adoption of the "third stimulus package" for resolving the (post-) corona crisis you did not protect the sector for which you are responsible and about which we have regularly informed you of the problems and sent you in-depth appeals for help.

Please reveal your plan for how you plan to take care of the sector, which is entering a "dead season" and will be much more malnourished by the autumn than it was during the epidemic, when you allocated at least some funds to it – albeit with restrictions.

If you continue to remain silent, we will interpret this as meaning do not intend to deal with the majority of the cultural sector, especially the weakest and most endangered parts, and you will narrow the culture to a system of public institutions and heritage.  

Once again, we suggest that the Ministry take more account of the workers for which it is responsible and, in order to plan further assistance to the self-employed after the end of the epidemic, form a special working group in which they can participate.

The letter was sent out on Wednesday, 20 May, under the name of the Group for Assistance to the Self-Employed in Culture during Kovid 19 (Skupine za Pomoč samozaposlenim v kulturi v času Kovid 19), with the signatories being Miha Zadnikar, Urška Jurman, Andrej Srakar, Petja Grafenauer and Beti Žerovc.

The next day the Minister responded to inquiries by Dnevnik, once again freely translated:

They got everything they asked for. In preparing the second stimulus package the Ministry listened to all the comments of the self-employed in culture. The first package was accused of forgetting the majority of the self-employed, noting that they were not guaranteed regular pay for their work and that the criterion for proving loss of income in relation to that earned in February 2020 [was inappropriate for this group]. We found a solution to this problem, which was also adopted by the government. In the second package the loss of income could be proven based on the average monthly income last year, thus providing more support for such workers.

Moreover, cultural NGOs were able send their workers on furlough, with the state covering the payment of salaries and welfare contributions, while the Slovenian Film Center (Slovenski filmski center) and the Public Book Agency (Javna agencija za knjigo) were able to pay salaries and bills without interruption.

It would thus be extremely dishonest to say that the Ministry is unresponsive to the initiatives of the cultural sector, especially the self-employed, who got everything they asked for in the second package.

However, Dnevnik went on to ask about the future, and whether any further assistance would be provided to cultural sector in the coming months, but no response was given.

As the weather improves and people start going out again, albeit without any foreign tourists on the streets and in seats, the question of how Slovenian culture will continue to thrive at the grass roots level remains an open one, as do the long-term effects of the coronavirus crisis – round 1 – on so many parts of life that make the country such an appealing one to live in, and to visit.

The photo at the top of this story is by Igor Andjelić. You can see more of his work here

STA, 20 May 2020 - Slovenian speleologists have discovered several new passageways in the cave below the famed Predjama Castle in western Slovenia indicating that the cave, already among Slovenia's longest, is much bigger than thought.

Until last year the cave system was known to be almost 14 kilometres long, but in the last few months nearly 1.6 kilometres of new passageways have been discovered by members of speleological societies from Ajdovščina, Borovnica and Postojna.

Ljubljana Day Trips: Predjama, the World’s Largest Cave Castle

Spelunkers have spent three decades exploring possible extensions of the known cave system. The most likely direction was west of the known cave, where several small waterways were known to lead towards the Vipava river.

The exploration was stepped up towards the end of 2019 and by February two new segments with a total length of 154 metres had been discovered.

In early March, two more passageways, one 251 metres long and the other 1,189 metres, were discovered before exploration was suspended due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The 1,189-metre passageway, named after the recently deceased speleologist Marjan Vilhar, had been carved out by an underground river millions of years ago before it retreated to deeper reaches of the cave.

Multiple smaller tunnels jut out from the main passageway and they are yet to be fully explored. One of them comes to within a few dozen metres of a known smaller cave. If they are found to be connected, the confirmed length of Predjama Cave would increase by almost a kilometre.

Predjama Cave is among the top five longest caves in Slovenia. It is also the second longest show cave behind Postojna Cave.

STA, 19 May 2020 - The Trieste National Hall, which used to be the centrepiece of Slovenian cultural life in the town, will be symbolically returned to the Slovenian community there at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the building's arson, Il Piccolo reported on Tuesday.

Related: Slovenian History: Trieste National Hall Arson, the Start of Fascism in Europe (Feature)

The University of Trieste, which currently owns the building in the city's centre, will get the building of the former military hospital in Trieste in return.

According to the Trieste-based newspaper, the Italian Interior Ministry has already sent a letter of intent to all the stakeholders.

The takeover ceremony will be held on 13 July, with the presidents of Slovenia and Italy in attendance, and it will be a symbolic gesture as the official procedure to transfer the ownership will take a few years, the paper added.

As the building currently houses the university's translation department, Italian Interior Ministry representative Michele di Bari said the university had to be compensated for the building whose value was estimated at EUR 9.5 million.

"We are coordinating the efforts that the Slovenian minority is fully returned the building ... which until the tragic events in July 1920 was the seat of Slovenian culture," the ministry said.

This is a reference to the National Hall or the Slovenian Cultural Centre being burned on 13 July 2020 by Italian Fascists after a number of rallies had been held in the city.

Under the plan, the ownership of the building will first be transferred to the Italian state, while the university will get the former military hospital, where a student dormitory is housed, free of charge.

Furthermore, the Municipality of Trieste will transfer the ownership of a building in Trieste to the university, where the translation department will be relocated.

The Italian agency for state assets will then put the premises in the building at the disposal of the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Association (SKGZ) and the Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO).

Even before the translation department gets fully relocated, the Slovenian minority organisations will be able to use a few rooms on the ground floor for their activities.

The procedure is expected to take a few years and all stakeholders will have to hold their part of the bargain, including the Municipality of Trieste, whose council "poses a risk that things could fall through," Il Piccolo said.

Built in 1904, the National Hall was commissioned by a Slovenian cultural centre, and was home to a theatre, hotel, savings bank, a ballroom and a print shop and housed gatherings of most Slovenian associations in the city.

The project was a thorn in the side of those Italians in Trieste who looked down on Slovenians, and its arson marked the start of a painful period for the Slovenian community that ended up on the Italian side of the border.

The building was restored between 1988 and 1990.

STA, 20 May 2020 - In line with the motto of this year's World Bee Day, Bee Engaged, the city of Ljubljana has decided to take action to help the bee population in the city flourish. It announced on Wednesday that several greens and meadows will be mowed less frequently to provide food for solitary bees. The city has also set up nest boxes in three locations.

Nest boxes have been set up in Tivoli Park, near Vojkova Street and in the Podutik borough, Luka Šparl of the Tivoli, Rožnik and Šiška Hill Landscape Park told the press today.

"Different from beehives, which are used by the honey bees, nest boxes are used by solitary bees," which are very important for pollination, Šparl said. In Slovenia, 562 solitary bee species have been recorded, among them 35 bumblebee species.

These species are very important for areas where there are no or few honey bees, said Danilo Bevk of the National Institute of Biology.

Solitary bees face the problem of ever fewer suitable nesting places, he added. Bumblebees, for example, nest in or close to the ground and their nests are often destroyed by agricultural machinery.

"Solitary bees used to nest in thatched roofs and in wood cracks." But straw and wood are now barely used as building materials. Apart from pesticides and illness, bees face the problem of not finding enough food, Bevk said.

"Grass is mowed very early nowadays and meadows are increasingly fertilised and thus fail to provide enough food to bees and other pollinators. And the climate change has also left its mark."

Apart from deciding to mow less frequently the grass in some parts of Tivoli Park and in other locations, Ljubljana also continues to encourage its residents to set up bee hives on their roofs. Ljubljana honey is of good quality, Nataša Jazbinšek Seršen of the city's environment department said.

Boštjan Noč, the head of the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association, said the association had proposed to the Environment Ministry several times to provide subsidies for green roofs.

The association also suggested the government start gifting newborns with linden tree saplings, being that lindens are a national symbol in Slovenia and also produce a lot of honey, said Noč.

Also at the event in Tivoli Park were Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković.

STA, 19 May 2020 - The Department of Infectious Diseases at the Ljubljana University Medical Centre (UKC) will start offering self-pay testing for the novel coronavirus from Thursday at the price of EUR 93.

UKC Ljubljana said that those wishing to undergo testing should register online, while more information would be available on Wednesday.

Testing for Sars-CoV-2 has been available widely free of charge to anyone showing symptoms, which is expected to continue to be available by referral through the person's GP.

Government data show that roughly 71,000 tests have been conducted in the country so far, with 1,467 people testing positive since the first Sars-CoV-2 infection was confirmed in the country on 4 March.

The epidemic, which has claimed 104 lives, has all but died down with just one or no cases recorded daily for the past six days.

As a result of the situation, UKC Ljubljana will close down a separate Covid-19 entrance to its emergency department made up of tents and containers at the end of this week.

Under special conditions, the unit for hepatitis B and C and HIV testing will resume its work after being suspended during the Covid-19 epidemic. Those wishing to take tests will need to register online.

Am I unique in finding that coming out of lockdown is almost as stressful as going into it?

Having got accustomed to my leper like existence,  the prospect of establishing a full social life is rather daunting. Trying to plan and keep upbeat in a very uncertain new world, re-establishing a ‘normal’  circadian rhythm and hoping to maintain a semblance of normality by June.

Related: Going Through the Coronavirus Grief Cycle in Slovenia

Last night, as the rain lashed down and put paid to my dinner ‘out’ in the city, and  with no TLC within easy flying distance, I decided to indulge myself with a newly permitted massage. And I chose my favourite – Chinese massage by Megy.

Megy

I discovered Megy and the Kang TKM Centre (with TKM standing for Tradicionalne Kitajske Medicine) in the rather unassuming Rojcev Ulica 24, behind trznica Moste, parked under the high rises next to the pharmacy. It offers Chinese medicines, acupuncture and massage at very reasonable prices, and on my last back twinge in December, I decided to give it a go. And touch wood, I haven’t  had a back twinge since.

I have now been for many basic massages with Megy, and found them to be excellent – very similar to Vietnamese, and very effective in dealing with back pain . She often supplements the treatment, with your permission, with cupping and acupuncture. Both painless, and in my experience extremely effective.

In the spotlessly clean almost clinical waiting room awaits the friendly face of white coated Megy. Megy speaks a little Slovenian, and with the help of her medical knowledge, Google Translate, her Slovenian husband and mime, she can prescribe and deliver the most appropriate and efficacious treatment – unless you merely want a  straightforward head, foot or body massage whereby you simply point at the very reasonably priced ‘menu’.

Last night, she took one look at my dishevelled appearance, and stress worn visage, and took control.

She started with a brisk body massage, and then commenced cupping. From experience, I knew that the cupping helps with local pain relief and muscle relaxation, while it also improves overall mental and physical health by removing the energy blockages which prevent the flow of healthy energy or ‘qi’. It also stimulates the vital organs into releasing their toxins; and I could actually feel a faint fluttering in my belly as it did its work.

Cupping

After the very relaxing cupping, Megy performed the popular form of Chinese medicine called ‘moxibustion’ consisting of small fires. I must admit I was slightly apprehensive at first, but fear not - it was a wonderfully relaxing experience, and I fell into an alpha wave type meditation – completely calm, as small fires smoked fragrantly and painlessly on my back.

In effect, moxibustion involves the burning of small pleasantly scented ‘mox’ fires (in pots) along your back (chakra). The Ai Ye smoke released from burning the mixture of dried leaves has an anti-bacterial effect and is said to also have an inhibitory effect on various viruses including the common cold, and who knows, maybe even the dreaded Coronavirus. All in all, it has a very soothing effect – so just lie back and enjoy it.  It certainly de-stressed me, and today I have completely got rid of the sniffling beginnings of a cold, along with my lockdown lethargy.

I left two hours later, a new woman, and went straight to bed and into a long and untroubled sleep. I can highly recommend Megy and her treatments, as being an excellent antidote to all lockdown maladies including headache and backache.

If you’d like to visit Megy for a treatment, then you can book an appointment on her Facebook page, while the telephone number is 040554 940 or 040 707 440. You can find out more about Carol Jardine at her website, SpeakEasy English.

It began, as I've found in many an uncanny occurrence in my life, by chance, in 2013, on Trubarjeva Cesta in Ljubljana. We had planned to spend six months in Slovenia, our longest stretch ever, and decided to rent.

I searched rentals on the internet, and located a one-room flat, and connected with the owners, Jasmina Kozina and Urban Propotnik, who operate a Ljubljana running club "for health" (Urbani tekači) and ended up as lifelong friends.

In an email flurry prior to leaving, Jasmina said she and Urban would pick us up at the airport, and take us to Trubarjeva, where they gave us the keys. In the kitchen we found gifts — fresh-baked bread and a small jar of green spread that was labelled čemaž, from Jasmina's mother.

For me, it was the beginning of a years’ long affection for and connection to this peculiar Slovenian concoction, often at the dismay of my spouse, Kate, who bears the brunt of wafting garlic.

In my hometown of Rock Springs, Wyoming, USA, where all four Slovenian grandparents settled and preserved Slovenian culture, I grew up with kranjska klobasa and kisla repa prepared by Slovenian immigrant neighbours. But not čemaž. 

Čemaž is wild garlic, according to Wikipedia, botanically "Allium ursinum ... a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family." It grows prolifically across Slovenia and a good share of Europe.

Spring brings the lush wild garlic, and as Slovenians have done for centuries, a harvest of those luscious green leaves. And some lurking danger, if you don’t pick the correct plant. Siol.net this year wrote that "in the last twenty years, more than thirty individuals have been treated ... infected with the autumn undergrowth, and four have died." But it's also easy to identify: simply "rub the leaf of the garlic between your fingers, it releases the smell of garlic."

After Jasmina's and Urban's gift, I was hooked. In our 2013 months in Slovenia I found it at the outdoor market, sold on stands on Trubarjeva and in stores.

So I bought jar after jar, spread it on bread, accompanied with cheese. It's become my breakfast staple, tomatoes now substituted to avoid those all-too-seductive but salty cheeses, doing a favour to keep my blood pressure down and to mesh with our newfound vegetarian diet (with gentle encouragement by Jasmina and Urban).

Jasmina's mother lives on the coast, near Piran and Portoroz. "My mom's basic recipe is to meld it with olive oil and salt and leave it in a big container," Jasmina said. "She makes from 50-100 litres. Then she takes it out as we consume it, let's say 5 litres per time. And sometimes we add things ... all kinds of seeds and nuts, other veggies, avocado and tofu."

Urban eyes, collects wild garlic this (2020) spring on Castle Hill in Ljubljana. (Photo by Jasmina Kozina)

During yet another sojourn in Slovenia in 2018, but this time with my new citizenship, another chance encounter. Sonja Bezjak said she had relatives in Wyoming, by coincidence, just north of my grandparents' locale in Rock Springs. Weeks later, she kindly drove us to her Slovenian home area for a visit, at Trate in northeast Slovenia.

Yet another adventure ensued — a float on the Mura River, inspired by Kate's reading of Murisa by Feri Lainscek, where we met dedicated locals working to block hydro projects on the pristine "Amazon of Europe."

Then, an invitation to dinner at Sonja’s parents' home. Along the way, we stopped, to pick up vegetables at her aunt's house. Sonja told her about my čemaž affinity, and handed me a jar of Aunt Pavla's version. Her recipe:

• ·       600 g of čemaž
• ·       15 g to 20 g of salt
• ·       6 dl of olive oil

"First you wash the leaves, then you mix/cut them in blender (not too much), add salt and oil," Sonja related. "Keep it aside for one night. Then fill the jars, if needed add oil to cover the blended leaves.  Your čemaž pesto is ready."

But Sonja also added, "my mother and my aunt are worried that you might mix the leaves with the poisonous leaves of lily of the valley, if you plan to pick it by yourself. I believe there is no čemaž in New Mexico, however maybe it’s worth noting in your article that there’s this danger." So I noted it, as you’ll remember! (In yet another coincidence, I recalled that my mother, who loved flowers, also grew lilies-of-the-valley in the front yard in Wyoming, so I do know what they look like.)

What NOT to eat - lilly of the valley. Photo: pxfuel

On the Mura, Jan, our raft guide, told us there was once a čemaž festival nearby. I was never able to track it down, but Jasmina said čemaž is often featured at food events.

One was in early 2018 at Terme Snovik, near Kamnik, "the first festival in Slovenia intended for spring healing cabbage," the organizers said. "Garlic or wild garlic or bear garlic ... is used in both cuisine and medicine." Events included lectures on preparing cuisine, field trips and talks on the leafy plant's healing power "known to the Romans, and passed down from generation to generation and proven by modern science."

As Jasmina noted, vegetables can be added to čemaž, for use at home. But if you dine out, one restaurant I found on the internet, Gostilna Repovž in Brezovica, features "čemaž soup."

For me, stranded in the USA in between sojourns to Slovenia, I'm on my own for my čemaž supply. I've never been able to find it, even in imported food stores. 

So I've come up with my own recipe: What I find in my garden — chives, onions or leeks — supplemented with store-bought equivalents, and for a couple tall jars, two bulbs of peeled garlic cloves, or during  spring, young soft garlic. It's all pureed with pumpkin seeds and olive oil, with a few sprinkles of vegetable salt and turmeric.

In this COVID-19 time, čemaž is probably no match for the sneaky virus. But garlic does have antibiotic properties, so it helps keeps me healthy. And a handy side effect: One of the symptoms of the virus is the loss of smell, so as long as Kate grimaces when I have my daily morning fix I know she's healthy.

Of course, I'd like to have the real thing, but that will have wait until our planned return to Slovenia, set for this summer, but now COVID-scuttled. But with each taste of my "čemaž" I'm hopeful that the real deal is just around the corner.

With Kate in Ljubljana

You can read more of Paul Krza on Slovenia here

STA, 13 May 2020 - The government confirmed on Wednesday the plan to re-open kindergartens, primary schools for the first three grades and the final grade, and secondary schools for final-year students on Monday. Certain restrictions will apply, including on the number of children and students per classroom.

Under instructions recently issued by the Education Ministry, up to 10-15 children are allowed to sit in a single classroom in primary and secondary schools, and up to 8-10 children in an individual kindergarten group.

The 10-student limit will apply to the first three grades of primary school, while the 15-student limit will apply to the ninth grade of primary schools and the final grade of secondary schools.

Students of the remaining grades in primary and secondary schools are expected to continue to be schooled remotely until the end of the school year.

The recommendations also note that all school employees and nine-graders will be required to wear face masks - nine-graders only outside their classroom and employees all the time.

In kindergartens, a group in the first age category (one to three years) may count up to eight children, and up to ten children in the second category (four to six years).

Employees in kindergartens are advised to wear face masks, especially when they encounter colleagues or parents of the children.

Secondary school students will have to bring a signed statement confirming that they did not have Covid-19 symptoms in the last 14 days and that they were not in contact with an infected person.

For primary school children and kindergarten children, such statement will have to be signed by their parents.

STA, 11 May 2020 - A week before kindergartens and schools are set to open again after more than two months of the Covid-19 epidemic in Slovenia, a number of questions about logistics, the well-being of children and staff remain open.

On Friday, the Education Ministry issued guidelines encouraging parents to keep kindergarten children at home, if possible. Most students will stay home in any case as schools reopen on Monday.

The final decision is yet to be made. The government is to give the final go-ahead or stop the process in the second half of this week.

The Education Ministry and the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ) held a press conference on Monday to provide some of the answers.

State secretary Damir Orehovec said the changes will demand a lot of knowledge and organisational skills. "But I am certain that they will do everything in their power for the benefit of children and youths."

However, the Association of Kindergartens and the teachers' trade union SVIZ have reservations about whether this is the right course of action or even feasible in the first place.

Janja Bogataj, the head of the Association of Kindergartens, is worried about how kindergartens will be able to follow NIJZ instructions, which, among other things, stipulate that groups, now numbered between 16 and 20, will be limited to only 8 or 10 children depending on age.

One of the main questions - whether parents who keep their children home will still receive a kindergarten bill - was clarified today when Orehovec said that there will be no bills until the end of May for those who keep their kids home.

Bogataj told the STA over the weekend that not having to pay would encourage parents to keep children home and make it easier for kindergartens to organise.

Branimir Štrukelj of the teachers' trade union told the STA over the weekend that initial feedback from parents in Ljubljana indicated that about 60% of children would return to kindergarten.

Another issue is space, as many kindergartens in Slovenia are overcrowded as it is. In many cases, nearby schools will help by providing room in empty classrooms, even though this is not seen as an optimal solution.

One more key problem is that kindergarten head teachers do not yet know how many members of their staff will be able to return to work, as teachers and other staff with chronic illness are advised against coming to work.

It will be up to occupational medicine experts to deem staff able or unable to work. Štrukelj doubts it is feasible for all the at-risk staff to be examined in a week's time.

Moreover, he says that work in kindergartens, as set out by NIJZ and the government, is not feasible "with the existing staff".

Bogataj and Štrukelj share the view that the return to kindergarten will be very stressful for children. Not only have they not been to kindergarten for two months, they will have to say goodbye to their parents at the door, where they will be received by a member of the staff wearing a mask.

Štrukelj believes that the rule about the same teacher staying with the same group at all times will inevitably have to be broken because abiding by it would mean 11-hour work days for teachers in some kindergartens.

Bogataj echoed the position that rules are too strict on kindergarten kids. "I believe that we will not be waiting for kids in front of kindergartens at 5am and I believe that in case of stress, parents will be able to enter the building and say goodbye so as to avoid worsening the stress the kids are under."

Polonca Truden Dobrin of NIJZ said that children within an individual group and their teacher will be able to "communicate just like at home", meaning they will not have to wear a mask and observe social distancing rules, as children's need for physical comfort and the feeling of safety must not be neglected.

In schools as well the number of students in a classroom will be limited to between 10 and 15. Moreover, only a portion of students will return, others will continue with home schooling.

In primary school, only students of first, second and third grades, and students of the final grade, will return to classrooms. In secondary school, only final-year students will return.

In music schools, only individual sessions will be taught in person, while group sessions will remain online.

The fact that most teachers will be teaching in school, as well as online, and the additional workload this creates, is one of the main concerns of SVIZ, with Štrukelj expressing doubt that this is even possible. Teachers wonder whether they will be fairly compensated.

Štrukelj has said that teachers teaching individual subjects are not adequately trained to teach other subjects. Just like in kindergartens, it is unclear as yet how many teachers will return to work.

Štrukelj reiterated that the trade union was reserved about reopening of schools and kindergartens at this stage, and expects the NIJZ and the Education Ministry to take full responsibility for the process. "We will do everything that is in our power, but we are no miracle workers.

Another problem was highlighted by Srečko Šestan, the head of the Civil Protection Authority, which has been handing out masks to schools and kindergartens. Šestan said that Slovenia might run out of protective equipment unless it continues to replenish its stock.

Face masks will be mandatory for teachers and all other kindergarten and school staff. They will also be mandatory for secondary schools students at all times, while ninth-graders will have to wear them outside the classroom. The students of the first three grades will not have to wear them.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 10 May 2020 - Slovenians with real estate or boats in Croatia are able to enter the country again without having to go into quarantine for two weeks after about two months of restrictions imposed in order limit the spread of coronavirus. Upon return to Slovenia, they are, however, still required to go into quarantine for seven days.

Croatia said on Saturday that EU citizens would be allowed to enter the country for business and urgent personal matters. Some 110,000 Slovenians have property in Croatia, mostly holiday homes and boats.

To cross into Croatia freely, EU citizens must show a property deed at the border, tell the border police where they will be staying and how long, as well as provide a telephone number.

They are no longer obligated to go into 14-day quarantine but they do have to limit their contact with other to a minimum for two weeks and observe social distancing rules.

They will also have to take their temperature every day and report to the nearest epidemiologist if the temperature exceeds 37.2C or if they show Covid-19 symptoms.

However, Slovenia's rules for entry remain unchanged, even though Slovenia's and Croatia's ministers in charge tourism have agreed on reciprocal measures.

The Slovenian police told the STA on Sunday that the rules remained unchanged in Slovenia and that those entering must undergo a 7-day quarantine. It added that the Health Ministry was responsible for changing the rules.

There are exceptions to this rule, under which normal crossing of the border is allowed for daily commuters, farmers in fields on the other side of Slovenia's national borders, cargo traffic and transit traffic.