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This summary is provided by the STA:

Govt decides for lockdown, in force as of midnight

LJUBLJANA - With the number of confirmed Covid-19 case continuing to rise - to 319 by 2pm on Thursday -, the government adopted a decree banning gatherings and movement of people in public areas, albeit with a number of exceptions. The measure is in force as of Monday. Despite the stepped up restrictions, people will be allowed to leave home to go to work, the pharmacy and to buy groceries at their closest shop. Oeople will also be allowed to go outdoors and to parks, but only alone or with people living in the same household. They will also be able to run errants related to their household or agricultural activities. Fines for violations will be about EUR 400.

Parliament passes package of laws to mitigate fallout of coronavirus crisis

LJUBLJANA - Parliament passed a package of laws aimed at mitigating the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Measures include pay compensation for temporary lay-offs, credit payment and tax duty deferrals for companies, as well as trade restrictions for agriculture and food products. The act on temporary redunancies, estimated at EUR 50 million, stipulates temporarily laid-off workers will be entitled to 80% of their wage average from the past three months, with the employers having to cover 60% of this sum and the state 40%. One of the acts in the package also gives the government direct control over the budget despite concerns this could constitute a breach of the Constitution.

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 319 by 2pm, up by 33 in a day

LJUBLJANA - The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Slovenia stood at 319 at 2pm on Thursday, up by 33 in the last 24 hours. A total of 9,860 persons have been tested so far, up by 1,130 from Wednesday, meaning the number of people tested daily remains at slightly above 1,000. Hospitals are reportedly presently looking after around 40 Covid-19 patients. While no new deaths have been reported since the first confirmed casualty on the weekend, the latest increase is slightly higher than on Tuesday and Wednesday, when it stood at 20 and 13 respectively. With testing restricted to health and emergency workers, the elderly, those in hospital and people exhibiting more severe symptoms, the government has warned that the number of actually infected people is probably several times higher.

Minister mulling police powers for the army

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs said he was considering an activation of legislation that would give the army police powers, a move that would need to be endorsed by a two-thirds majority in parliament. Speaking for public broadcaster TV Slovenija on Wednesday evening, Hojs said "I will propose the activation of article 37.a [of the defence act] as the competent minister." The article in question was adopted at the peak of the migration crisis, in October 2015, and has been activated once since, in early 2016. The centre-left opposition indicated they would want more questions as to the necessity of activating the army, echoing some of the same civil rights concerns that accompanied the drafting of the legislation in 2015. Meanwhile, PM Janez Janša announced Thursday evening that the Armed Forces would be supplemented with volunteers.

Half a million face masks delivered to civil protection services

LJUBLJANA - Around half a million face masks were delivered to a civil protection warehouse near Ljubljana on Thursday morning to cover the most urgent needs for protective equipment. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said that the government would try to pull off a planned supply of an additional 1.5 million type FFB2 masks by the end of the week. The same quantity of the more effective type FFP3 masks is expected to be delivered at the beginning of next week. One planned shipment did not work out though, as an order of 1.5 million masks that was expected to arrive through Italy turned out to have been a fraud attempt.

New rules for shops in place

LJUBLJANA - New rules for grocery shops took effect. They must be open from 8am to 8pm, and for the first two hours, until 10am, groups particularly vulnerable to infections - the elderly, pregnant women and disabled persons - must be given priority. All shops bar petrol stations and pharmacies must be closed on Sunday and holidays. This follows from a government decree adopted late on Wednesday as part of ongoing efforts to contain coronavirus by imposing strict social distancing rules. The vast majority of shops, all bars and restaurants, hotels, and services establishments such as hair salons were shut down by decree on Sunday. The trade union of shop assistants responded by threatening with a strike unless the closing time is pushed forward to 6pm.

Slovenian companies in China resuming work after lockdown

ZREČE/TRŽIČ/NOVO MESTO - Slovenian companies operating in China are gradually returning back to pre-coronavirus levels although production is not yet going ahead at full steam. The situation has been brought under control, Unior, which forges car parts in China at a plant employing 460 workers, said. The Cablex group, owning a subsidiary with a 400-strong workforce in China, said saying that after restarting production in mid-February, output is now approaching the planned capacity. Pharma company Krka, which co-owns a subsidiary in China, also reported that the situation is returning to pre-coronavirus levels. The companies are however concerned about the dire conditions in Europe and elsewhere, which are causing supply disruptions.

SBI TOP loses 3%

LJUBLJANA - The SBI TOP index of blue chips on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange lost another 3%. The most active issue was again the share of pharma Krka, which gained 1% and contributed almost EUR 402,000 to the daily turnover of EUR 1.67 million. Apart from the Krka shares, the only issue that was not among losers was port operator Luka Koper, which was up by 3.2%.

Slovenian companies ramping up production of sanitiser

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian makers of disinfectants are working around the clock to meet the spike in demand, in particular for hand sanitiser, caused by the coronavirus epidemic. Production has been ramped up. The biggest producer of medical disinfectants in Slovenia, the Trzin-based Kimi, makes disinfectant only for Slovenia because the majority of foreign providers stopped their supply. Ilirija in Ljubljana increased its output ten-fold but is experiencing issues in securing raw materials. Both Kimi and Ilirija have refrained from raising their prices despite surging demand, quoting ethical reasons.

Govt moves National Public Health Institute boss to healthcare directorate

LJUBLJANA - Adopting a number of staffing decisions, the government dismissed Nina Pirnat as the director of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) and appointed her the acting director general of the Health Ministry's Healthcare Directorate. It also appointed secretary generals at the health and foreign ministries. Darja Hrga was appointed acting secretary general at the Health Ministry. Hrga so far served as secretary general at the Defence Ministry, where she is to be succeeded by Marko Doblekar, who to be appointed acting secretary general at the proposal of Defence Minister Matej Tonin. Moreover, Jožef Drofenik was appointed acting secretary general at the Foreign Ministry, replacing Mitja Močnik, who was dismissed.

Govt raising pay for ministers and state secretaries

LJUBLJANA - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik announced what amounts to a raise of the pay for the ministers and state secretaries of the new government to the highest possible allowed for these posts in the public sector pay system. Koritnik, who argued this was not a pay increase but the determining of wage brackets, said the 61st wage bracket will be used for all state secretaries at ministries and the 64th for all ministers. PM Janez Janša tied the measure to the coronavirus situation. In the previous government, led by Marjan Šarec, all ministers bar the finance minister were ranked in the lowest possible bracket for the post, meaning the 62nd bracket. The same applied for all state secretaries, which meant the 59th bracket.

Support to NATO membership lowest in Slovenia, survey shows

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Only half of Slovenians support NATO membership, while 27% are against it, which is the lowest support among all members of the alliance, suggests a survey presented in Brussels. The average support to membership is 64%. France and Iceland also have only 50% of the population supporting NATO membership but there the percentage of those opposing it is lower than in Slovenia. The country with the highest share of NATO opponents is Montenegro, where it stands at 33%. However, support to the alliance there is slightly higher than in Slovenia, at 54%.

Chief defendant in hospital queue-jumping case back at work

LJUBLJANA - Uroš Smiljić, the main defendant in a hospital queue-jumping racket case which is still being processed by courts, has returned to his job at the UKC Ljubljana hospital after a higher court confirmed he had been unlawfully dismissed in 2018. He managed to prove at the Labour Court that he had been dismissed "for fictitious reasons", while the higher court fully dismissed an appeal by UKC Ljubljana. The investigation against Smiljić is ongoing.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

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 Sašo Vrabič, in front of Raj-a-nje (work in progress), 2020, oil on convas, 100 x 150 cm. You can see more of his work 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

Contents

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 319 by 2pm, up by 33 in a day

Govt announces lockdown, starts at midnight

Police and border officials from region discuss emergency supply

Calls to suspend construction work, hop growers face staff shortage

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 319 by 2pm, up by 33 in a day

STA, 19 March 2020 - The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Slovenia stood at 319 at 2pm on Thursday, up by 33 in the last 24 hours. A total of 9,860 persons have been tested so far, up by 1,130 from Wednesday, meaning the number of people tested daily remains at slightly above 1,000. Hospitals are reportedly presently looking after around 40 Covid-19 patients.

While no new deaths have been reported since the first confirmed casualty on the weekend, the latest increase is slightly higher than on Tuesday and Wednesday, when it stood at 20 and 13 respectively.

With testing restricted to health and emergency workers, the elderly, those in hospital and people exhibiting more severe symptoms, the government has warned that the number of actually infected people is probably several times higher and strict social distancing measures remain in place.

Bojana Beović, the infectious disease expert affiliated with the government coronavirus crisis response team, told Radio Slovenija today that reports about infections were coming from around the country. The number of patients in hospital care was at around 40 today, an increase compared to previous days, as people whose symptoms have gotten worse are seeking hospitalisation.

Beović said "this is the start of something we will need to control with all our forces and we're getting ready for this very intensively now".

The country's leading hospital UKC Ljubljana told the STA today that it was looking after 21 Covid-19 patients this morning, five of which in intensive care. UKC Maribor has 14, two of which in intensive care.

Beović said hospitals were ready, but some had not yet been admitting patients. The plan is to first fill the capacities at UKC Ljubljana, UKC Maribor and Klinika Golnik to only then gradually include other hospitals.

"Special isolated rooms, equipment and some experience is needed to work with such patients and it would not be wise to disperse this too much," she explained.

Beović again defended the testing policy, saying Slovenia was among countries with the highest number of tests conducted per capita. "Our recommendations are entirely in line with those of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the draft recommendations of the European Commission," she said.

"We are of course testing, but not those with the mildest symptoms, who can stay home, bar specific situations when we expect an aggravation," she explained. She added the disease can also run its course feeling like a common cold and it was not feasible and even risky for everybody to immediately go to the doctor.

"We are actually testing more, but we've changed the focus of the testing," Beović concluded.

Meanwhile, a group dubbed Young Doctors of Slovenia issued today a warning that the present measures for containing the virus in Slovenia were possibly not effective enough.

Presenting a simulation model that projects the potential spread of the virus in line with two scenarios, the group said around 500 hospital beds, of which 120 in intensive care, would be needed at what would be the peak of the outbreak in the first week of April if the current measures work.

If they don't but are upgraded at the end of March to produce successful results, 18,000 patients would need hospitalisation in mid-April, of which almost 500 in intensive care, suggests the simulation, made by physicist Luka Medic in cooperation with medical doctor Sanja Zupanič.

The young doctors, who published the call on Facebook to stress every day matters, said that according to their knowledge Slovenian has 200 intensive care beds, with most already occupied without crisis conditions.

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Govt announces lockdown, starts at midnight

STA, 19 March 2020 - The government adopted a decree on Thursday banning gatherings and movement of people in public areas, albeit with a number of exceptions. The measure enters into force at midnight.

Despite the stepped up restrictions, people will be allowed to leave home to go to work, the pharmacy and to buy groceries at their closest shop, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija.

In line with the government decree, people will also be allowed to go outdoors and to parks, but only alone or with people living in the same household. They will also be able to run errants related to their household or agricultural activities.

Local communities will be able to determine exemptions to the ban in more detail with a public municipal decree.

Fines for violations will be about EUR 400, according to Hojs.

Addressing the citizens via a videoconference tonight, Prime Minister Janez Janša said people must become aware that even the strictest measures would have no effect unless "we realise that every one of us is a part of both the problem and solution".

The period of this crisis cannot be assessed yet, he said, noting that "we are definitely not talking about days but rather of at least weeks and months".

He said that Slovenia had never been in a more difficult situation and that the danger was worse than in a typical war except in those that involve the use of biological weapons.

He also announced an expansion of the military reserve force, calling all those with military skills to join in.

Janša added that certain measures such as the ban of passenger flights and restrictions for some other activities would be toned down in the coming weeks when additional protective equipment arrived and safety procedures were laid down.

He asserted additional protective gear would arrive in Europe and Slovenia shortly, and that food reserves were sufficient and would be further supplemented.

Hojs also commented today on calls by the trade union of shop assistants to change a government decree saying that grocery stores must be open from 8am to at least 8pm. The union demands the closing time at 6pm.

It demands the change within 24 hours, and is threatening with a strike.

Hojs said now was not the time to threaten with strike, adding that Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek would check the decree again to determine if the working time should be cut any further.

According to the minister, the government would like to set a time frame for individual groups of population to go to shops so as to prevent the most vulnerable groups from being exposed to a potential infection.

Commenting on the proposal to give the army police powers, he said this would not mean that the army would have unlimited powers within the country but that the army could be activated to exercise additional control of the EU's external borders, as police would be required inland.

Until 2pm today, 319 cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in Slovenia, while 9,860 tests were conducted.

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Police and border officials from region discuss emergency supply

STA, 19 March 2020 - Top police and border services officials from Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Croatia and Serbia highlighted in a videoconference on Thursday the importance of uninterrupted supply of essential goods in the region and agreed that providing medical supply without any difficulties must be top priority.

The discussion, held at the initiative of the Slovenian police, aimed to coordinate a supply of emergency commodities to avoid disruptions amid the coronavirus epidemic, said the General Police Administration.

Measures could include cargo convoys or special routes.

Medical supply should take priority, they all agreed, adding that police could escort such precious cargo if need be.

The police officials also concurred that cracking down on profiteering from the coronavirus crisis must be top priority as well and highlighted the role of international cooperation in such cases.

They agreed to exchange information on measures and their coordination and stressed the importance of rapid responses and collaboration to mitigate the crisis and protect public health. The next videoconference is scheduled for Monday.

The epidemic has not halted the Western Balkan migration flows and efforts to deal with the migration issue must continue as usual, the officials also said.

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Calls to suspend construction work, hop growers face staff shortage

STA, 19 March 2020 - Employers in the construction sector and related industries were called by the relevant trade union to suspend work on construction sites and production of building materials for the duration of the new coronavirus epidemic. Hop growers meanwhile pointed to the shortage of seasonal workers as borders are being closed.

The Trade Union of Construction Workers of Slovenia said in Thursday's statement that workers on construction sites mostly had no appropriate protective equipment.

There are difficulties in organising the arrival of workers at construction sites, and for those who are coming in a group. It is not ensured that there is a safety distance between them and they are not protected, it added.

The union also said that sanitary conditions at construction sites did not allow for proper hygiene to be maintained, and added that construction work was not essential for the functioning of the state during the crisis.

"What we would like to stress in particular is that migrant workers, whose share is the highest in construction, usually have no accommodation which would enable self-isolation in case a worker gets infected."

The union thus called for measures to be adopted to secure organised self-isolation for workers who get sick but do not need hospitalisation.

While the public life and most of commercial activities have ground to a halt in recent days, the construction sector is facing criticism as many construction sites remain open and work is conducted as usual.

The Economy Ministry said that the temporary ban on the direct provision and sales of goods and services did not apply to construction sites.

"The decree does not encroach upon employment relationships, and workers may continue with works on an unfinished building under the condition that other persons are not present at the site," the ministry said.

As the decree does not regulate transactions between companies, construction material shops are allowed to sell their products, while it does temporarily ban the sale of construction material to individual consumers.

Hop growers, who mostly hire foreign seasonal workers and who have already started with work on hop fields, meanwhile noted that the arrivals of foreigners have stopped and said they expected assistance from the state.

They need between 800 and 1,000 seasonal workers in the spring, and most of them come from Romania, while only around 250 have arrived in Slovenia so far, Janez Oset, the head of the relevant association, told the STA.

"We are in touch with the Agriculture Ministry," he said, adding that the state was expected to make sure that workers got tested before their arrival in Slovenia and that they got documents which would enable them to cross the border.

Oset is worried because work on hop fields needs to be done in the coming weeks, otherwise the crop will be in peril.

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STA, 19 March 2020 - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik announced on Thursday what amounts to a raise of the pay for the ministers and state secretaries of the new government to the highest possible allowed for these posts in the public sector pay system.

Koritnik, who argued this was not a pay increase but the determining of wage brackets, said the 61st wage bracket will be used for all state secretaries at ministries and the 64th for all ministers.

Prime Minister Janez Janša defended the decision on Twitter: "Nobody raised wages. For the duration of the crisis I placed the ministers, state secretaries and their closest teams into the highest possible wage brackets, and I recommend leaderships do the same everywhere where people are overburdened due to #COVID19. Those carrying a double burden will be additionally paid for this time. Everywhere."

In the previous government, led by Marjan Šarec, all ministers bar the finance minister were ranked in the lowest possible bracket for the post, meaning the 62nd bracket. The same applied for all state secretaries, which meant the 59th bracket.

The law stipulates that the wage bracket for ministers is determined - within a predefined scope - by the prime minister and for the state secretaries by the government upon the proposal of the public administration minister.

The highest, meaning the 65th wage bracket in the public sector, is reserved for posts that include that of the prime minister, the country's president and the speaker of parliament.

Meanwhile, the government agreed on a special wage provision for public servants working closely with officials in the office of the prime minister, of the government's secretary general, of ministers and heads of government services. The wage bracket determined for them can be five brackets above that reserved for their post.

Despite its relatively small size, Slovenia is home to a wide selection of fish species, including some rarely found anywhere else in the world. Fishing in both freshwater and saltwater has been rooted in Slovenian tradition for generations. The specimens swimming in Slovenia’s waters are very healthy thanks to the country’s favourable mixture of microclimates which surpass the European average. With the increasingly sophisticated management of waters and catch and release techniques, fishing is expected to flourish even further in the coming years and decades.

Photo: Fishing Guides Slovenia

Fly-fishing in Slovenia

Fly-fishing is the type of fishing Slovenia is most famous for. Its rivers are nothing short of heaven for any enthusiast. There are numerous incredible catches, the most famous being the Marble Trout. In addition to residing in the most pristine and stunning river in Slovenia, the Soča River, this trout species can grow to enviable lengths and can even hit the 10 kg mark – a trophy-sized catch for any fly-fisherman! Our rivers and lakes also provide great Brown trout, Rainbow trout, Grayling and other fantastic fish.

Carp fishing in Slovenia

Carp fishing is very popular in Slovenia, and in recent years, this type of fish species has grown to enviable sizes, as catch and release has been introduced in most lakes, which greatly contributes to the size of carp caught. The current Slovenian record-holder is a whacking 34-kg monster, but this record is bound to be broke soon, as quite a few fish in our waters have already come close to this size.

The main carp fishing spots are Lake Bled and Šmartinsko Lake, where the largest beasts reside. Šmartinsko Lake is especially intended for carp fishing, as parts of its shore have been wonderfully arranged to facilitate carp fishermen. This lake holds the Slovenian record, but there are quite a few specimens roaming around Lake Bled that have likely already tipped over the 30 kg mark.

Spin fishing in Slovenia

Another popular fishing sport in Slovenia is spin fishing because of the remarkable number of elusive predators which can reach record sizes. Catfish grow over 250 cm and can weigh more than 100 kg. The Pike record is 134 cm. Then there’s the lake-dwelling Zander, a tricky yet very satisfying catch. The king of rivers is, of course, the Huchen, or Danube salmon, a fish that is highly regarded in Slovenia, with only a few other countries beating our record in the size of this exquisite species.  In autumn and winter, when the temperatures drop significantly, the hunt for Huchen is on!

Sea fishing in Slovenia

Slovenia doesn’t have a large coastline and its territorial waters are quite small, but that doesn’t mean this part of the Adriatic fisherman-friendly. Just the opposite! According to those who have experience fishing in these parts and eaten the fish caught in these clean and calm waters, fishing off the Slovenian coast is placed among the best in the world. Unbeknownst to many, giant 200-kg Tuna can be caught in our sea. Even a shark has been known to hang off a hook and you are most certainly going to catch Dentex, Mahi-mahi, Sea Bass and other equally powerful and combative saltwater inhabitants. An additional bonus of fishing in Slovenia is that sea fishing from the shore doesn’t require a permit.

You can learn more about fishing in Slovenia at Fishing Guides Slovenia.

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

Contents

New rules for shops in place

Only four crossings with Italy open as of midnight

Minister considering police powers for the army

Stranded Slovenians returning home

Half a million face masks delivered to civil defence today

New rules for shops in place

STA, 19 March 2020 - New rules for grocery shops took effect on Thursday. They must be open from 8am to 8pm, and for the first two hours, until 10am, groups particularly vulnerable to infections - the elderly, pregnant women and disabled persons - must be given priority. All shops bar petrol stations and pharmacies must be closed on Sunday and holidays.

This follows from a government decree adopted late on Wednesday as part of ongoing efforts to contain coronavirus by imposing strict social distancing rules.

The vast majority of shops, all bars and restaurants, hotels, and services establishments such as hair salons were shut down by decree on Sunday.

The establishments that remain open - groceries, pharmacies, service stations, shops for farmers, banks and post offices - had originally been unrestricted in how they restructured their opening hours and most had opted for shorter hours and stepped up online deliveries.

Public life in Slovenia has ground to a near halt since the start of this week due to the coronavirus measures and new rules are expected, including a ban on public gatherings of more than five people and police powers for the army.

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Only four crossings with Italy open as of midnight

STA, 18 March 2020 - Only four points along the border with Italy will be open as of midnight Wednesday, down from six so far, under a new decree that the Slovenian government adopted Wednesday evening.

The only points that will remain open at all times are the crossings Vrtojba, Fernetiči and Škofije, which are on the main transit routes to Italy. The smaller crossing Krvavi Potok will be open from 5am to 11pm.

On all other road connection with Italy, road-blocks will be erected. Train and bus transport remain suspended as well.

While reducing the number of entry points, the decree will nevertheless make life easier for farmers who have land on both sides of the border and have complained that the border closure is causing them serious difficulties since they had to take long detours.

Slovenian citizens who have land in Italy will be allowed passage on all roads for farm work.

Cargo traffic will remain restricted. Lorries bound for Slovenia will have free passage, as will lorries in transit which neighbouring countries agree to let cross.

All other cargo except mail, medicines, protective equipment, medical devices and humanitarian aid will be turned away at the border.

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Minister considering police powers for the army

STA, 19 March 2020 - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs is considering an activation of legislation that would give the army police powers, a move that would need to be endorsed by a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Speaking for public broadcaster TV Slovenija on Wednesday evening, Hojs said "I will propose the activation of article 37.a [of the defence act] as the competent minister." He did not specify when he may formally make the proposal.

The article in question was adopted at the peak of the migration crisis, in October 2015, and once activated by a two-thirds majority vote at the proposal of the government it allows the army to help the police in "broader protection of the state border".

It allows soldiers to carry out tasks such as temporarily restricting the movement of persons and taking part in crowd control.

The powers are granted for three months with the possibility of extension. The article has been invoked once before, in February 2016, to help police patrol the border.

The legislation faced heavy criticism when it was passed with leftist activist groups and NGOs concerned about its potential implications for civil rights.

Radio Študent, a student radio station, even initiated a referendum to stop the bill, but the National Assembly thwarted the attempt invoking constitutional provisions that ban referenda "on laws on urgent measures to ensure the defence of the state, security, or the elimination of the consequences of natural disasters".

The legislation was subsequently challenged at the Constitutional Court but it passed muster.

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Stranded Slovenians returning home

STA, 19 March 2020 - Slovenians are gradually returning to their homeland from Morocco, the Czech Republic and Serbia after being stranded abroad due to suspended flights and border restrictions in response to the coronavirus epidemic. Several groups of travellers are currently en route, the Foreign Ministry told the STA on Thursday.

A bus full of Slovenians left Prague this morning, while another one has recently headed towards Belgrade to pick up Slovenians there. A group of Slovenians are also on a repatriation flight from Marrakesh to Budapest.

A total of 16 Slovenians have asked for consular help in getting back home from Morocco. All of them are on today's flight to Budapest.

The ministry said that the group would then be transported to Slovenia. The repatriation mission was coordinated with the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Slovenian embassy in Paris and Hungarian embassy in Morocco.

The bus from the Czech Republic left Prague airport early this morning carrying twelve Slovenian tourists who had experienced problems returning back home from the Canary Islands due to border closures. The ministry coordinated their return with their Czech colleagues as well as with the Slovenian embassies in Madrid and Prague.

Meanwhile, the bus headed to Serbia, carrying stranded Serbian citizens, is expected to return to Slovenia with twelve Slovenians and two Slovaks who have been stuck there after restrictive measures were imposed.

The ministry has pointed out that one of the few European airports that is still operating is the one in Croatia's Zagreb but Croatia Airlines might suspend their links at any moment due to the emergency situation. Passengers are thus advised to check their flight statuses directly with the airline.

Slovenians left abroad amid the epidemic were urged to contact the ministry earlier this week, particularly if they needed help with repatriation. More than 650 Slovenians have checked in: almost a half of them are stranded in EU countries and almost a third in Russia, Asian countries and in the Middle East.

So far, none of them have reported any issues, all of them are safe and have access to a special consular emergency unit at the ministry.

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Half a million face masks delivered to civil defence today

STA, 19 March 2020 - Around half a million face masks were delivered to the civil defence warehouse on Thursday morning, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said, adding that the most urgent needs for the protective equipment to contain the coronavirus outbreak were now covered.

A total of 400,000 disposable three-layer masks have been delivered by the medical equipment supplier Sanolabor, and the railway operator Slovenske Železnice delivered an additional 100,000 masks.

Speaking to the press at the civil defence warehouse in Roje on the outskirts of Ljubljana, Počivalšek said that the government would try to pull off the planned supply of 1.5 million type FFB2 masks by the end of the week.

The same quantity of the more effective type FFP3 masks is expected to be delivered at the beginning of next week, he added.

The minister said that the government was checking what had happened with a shipment of 1.5 million masks which had been expected to arrive at an airport in Germany's Hamburg on Wednesday.

Slovenia's diplomatic service in Berlin has been involved in the inquiry, Počivalšek said, adding that the efforts included Slovenian Ambassador Franc But.

Počivalšek expects that, despite some logistics problems, protective equipment will be provided to all healthcare workers and later to other public services whose employees are in contact with infected persons, and to companies.

The minister noted that the market was flooded with suppliers and that talks were under way to supply around 11 million three-layer masks. "I want ... everybody to get access to all the protective gear as they need."

Defence Minister Matej Tonin, whose ministry is in charge of distribution, said on Wednesday that the equipment would be distributed first to the healthcare sector and social institutions, and then to critical infrastructure and companies.

Slovenia is also awaiting another 300,000 face masks secured by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba via personal connections between Slovenian lawyer Aleksander Čeferin, the president of UEFA, and Alibaba owner Jack Ma.

The shipment arrived on Wednesday at the Liege airport in Belgium, and is expected to be in Slovenia this evening or on Friday morning.

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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:

Slovenia to ban public gatherings of more than five persons

LJUBLJANA - The government will ban public gatherings of more than five persons in order to fight the coronavirus epidemic. The relevant decree is expected to be adopted shortly. Defence Minister Aleš Hojs said the ban would be modelled on Austria's. It will be policed and fines will be put in place for violators. The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Slovenia rose to 286 by 2pm, up by 13 in the last 24 hours. A total of 8,730 persons have so far been tested.

Hospitals making room for potential new coronavirus patients

LJUBLJANA - Hospitals around Slovenia are preparing for an expected increase in the number of coronavirus patients who will need intensive treatment. Additional rooms have been reserved and transitional units established for those suspected of being infected. UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest hospital, has increased the number of beds for intensive care and the orthopaedic and dermatology wards have been reorganised to admit coronavirus patients. Additional beds will also be made available at community health centres.

Pahor urges Von der Leyen to facilitate purchase of medical equipment

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in via videoconference, calling for procedures of public procurement of medical equipment for fighting the coronavirus pandemic to be facilitated. Pahor also spoke with EU High Representative Josep Borrell and European Parliament President David Sassoli. The officials agreed that other important issues must not be overlooked during the coronavirus crisis, including illegal migration, negotiations on the next multi-year EU budget, climate change, digitalisation and EU enlargement.

Upper chamber to eschew vetoing emergency laws

LJUBLJANA - The National Council, the upper chamber of parliament, plans to actively avoid vetoing emergency laws in order to accelerate their implementation. As soon as the government tables a bill, the National Council will convene a correspondence session asking councillors if they give up their right to veto in advance. If such a proposal is confirmed, the National Assembly will be able to pass legislation with immediate effect rather than waiting for eight days as customary for a National Council veto decision. National Council president Alojz Kovšca said only emergency laws would be treated this way.

Committees clear first emergency bills

LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary committees backed ahead of Thursday's emergency plenary the first set of bills aimed at mitigating the coronavirus crisis. The measures include pay compensation for temporary laid-off workers and the possibility to impose restrictions on trade in agriculture and food products to ensure sufficient food supplies in the country, as well as a one-month suspension of prison sentences or early release when there are no safety concerns. Notably, amendments were adopted that expand the temporary aid to some 106,000 self-employed in the country.

Govt adopts bill to defer company debt payments

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an emergency bill to allow banks to defer liabilities of companies, co-operatives, self-employed and farmers by 12 months. Banks will be compelled to do so for those unable to operate under government measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said only solvent and tax paying debtors would be eligible. He said the measure, which is to be passed by parliament tomorrow, would not affect the country's financial stability.

UEFA boss and Alibaba founder secure face masks for Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is to receive 300,000 protective face masks from two foundations of the Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma. The donation, which is expected to arrive in Slovenia on Thursday evening or Friday morning, is a result of a friendship between Ma and UEFA boss Aleksander Čeferin. Another shipment of 1.5 million masks in expected to arrive on Thursday, mostly intended for healthcare workers, social institutions.

More than 650 Slovenians still away abroad

LJUBLJANA - More than 650 Slovenians are still away abroad amid world-wide cancellations of flights and other public transport links due to the coronavirus crisis. The Foreign Ministry said that almost half of those who responded to its call to get in touch were currently in EU countries, and a third in the Middle East, Asia and Russia. They are mostly tourists and travellers rather than those living, working or studying abroad, the ministry said, adding it was working to help get them home.

Drug makers working hard to secure undisrupted supply

NOVO MESTO/LJUBLJANA - The two main pharmaceutical companies in Slovenia, Krka and Lek, say they are making the greatest possible effort to keep production and supply of the market at normal levels, while introducing measures to contain the coronavirus epidemic. The pharmaceutical wholesale group Salus, an important link in the chain of supply of medications and other related products to medical institutions, pharmacies and individuals, said that it was making the same effort.

Slovenia points to coronavirus impact on transport

LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Blaž Košorok took part in a videoconference of EU ministers in charge of transport, pointing to the major negative financial consequences of the battle to contain the new coronavirus on the sector and the need for financial aid. The Slovenian government is preparing financial aid from the budget, but if the crisis continues, "additional aid from the EU and, temporarily, higher flexibility of state aid will be required," Košorok said.

Actor Peter Musevski dies

LJUBLJANA - Actor Peter Musevski, best known for his lead role in Bread and Milk, the 2001 drama that won the Lion of the Future in Venice, died, aged 54. Musevski, a theatre and film actor who made a name for himself for portraying difficult, low-life characters, had been a member of the Prešernovo Gledališče Kranj theatre since 2003. His most recent film role was in Vinko Möderndorfer's Deadlock. His artistic accomplishments won him the 2009 Prešeren Fund Prize.

Art galleries moving online due to coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - Several Slovenian galleries and museums have closed their doors to visitors during the coronavirus epidemic but that does not mean art lovers will be left in the lurch. Art events, including museum tours, are simply moving online. The National Gallery, Equrna Gallery, Moderna Galerija and the Ethnographic Museum are among those showcasing online, while Ljubljana City Art Gallery will exhibit art pieces created during the social isolation on Facebook.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts 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

Contents

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 286 by 2pm, up by 13 in a day

More than 650 Slovenians still away abroad

Pahor urges Von der Leyen to facilitate purchase of medical equipment

Businesses urged to follow example of Chinese-owned Gorenje over coronavirus

UEFA boss and Alibaba founder secure face masks for Slovenia

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 286 by 2pm, up by 13 in a day

STA, 18 March 2020 - The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Slovenia rose to 286 by 2pm on Wednesday, up by 13 in the last 24 hours. A total of 8,730 persons have so far been tested, up almost 1,200 compared to yesterday, the government said on Twitter. No new deaths have been reported since the first confirmed casualty on the weekend.

The rate of increase in the number of confirmed cases has been slowing down in recent days, probably due to the decision to restrict testing to health and emergency workers, the elderly, those in hospital and people exhibiting more severe symptoms.

The government has warned that the number of actually infected people is probably several times higher and strict social distancing measures remain in place.

The Ljubljana UKC hospital is currently treating 18 Covid-19 patients, five of them in an intensive care unit. Two new patients were admitted and four discharged today, the hospital said on its Twitter account.

Central Slovenia has registered most of the coronavirus cases so far confirmed, 103.

Meanwhile, 13 coronavirus patients are hospitalised at UKC Maribor in Slovenia's second city (NE), one of them is in intensive care but no longer needs a ventilator, while one of the 12 others does.

In addition, 95 UKC Maribor employees are self-isolating. Preventive measures are in course after an office employee of the transfusion medicine centre has tested positive, although the person has not been in contact with patients or staff that have contacts with patients.

Government information shows that the highest infection rate has been in the age group of 30-49-year-olds, at 99, and the lowest among kids up to the age of 15, at 20. Forty-five are 60 or older.

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More than 650 Slovenians still away abroad

STA, 18 March 2020 - More than 650 Slovenians are still away abroad amid world-wide cancellations of flights and other public transport links due to the coronavirus crisis, Foreign Ministry data show.

The Foreign Ministry said that almost half of those who responded to its call to get in touch were currently in EU countries, and a third in the Middle East, Asia and Russia.

The figure includes both individuals and groups of tourists, so that the actual number of those still away abroad is likely higher than 650.

They are mostly tourists and travellers rather than those living, working or studying abroad, the ministry said.

Almost 300 of those who are still in some other EU country should not have major problems returning home.

Meanwhile, the ministry pledged to make its best effort to help get home some 200 Slovenians still in the Middle East, Asia or Russia.

None of those who have got in touch is in trouble for the time being and all are safe.

A special "consular crisis cell" comprising 15 to 20 employees is working daily to help anyone in need of assistance.

Talks have also been under way to evacuate Slovenian tourists in cooperation with other EU countries.

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Pahor urges Von der Leyen to facilitate purchase of medical equipment

STA, 18 March 2020 - President Borut Pahor spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, calling for procedures of public procurement of medical equipment for fighting the coronavirus pandemic to be facilitated. Pahor, who also spoke with EU High Representative Josep Borrell, said this was of extreme importance to Slovenia.

The talks had been planned to take place in person, but were instead held via videoconference, the president's office said, adding that Pahor had also spoken to European Parliament President David Sassoli over the phone.

Speaking with Von der Leyen, the president called for public procurement of medical equipment to be finalised as soon as possible. Von der Leyen said that the shortest deadline for applications was six days, adding that the problem was on the supply side.

Currently under way are three joint public orders for protective masks, ventilators and laboratory equipment, with Slovenia participating in all three. The procedures are in different phases, and the European Commission refuses to speak about the ordered quantities.

The president's office added that the officials had agreed that the new coronavirus pandemic would slow down economic growth, to which member states needed to be prepared.

Von der Leyen presented key measures regarding state aid and the Stability and Growth Pact with which member states can take measures of their own to protect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular.

The officials agreed that other important issues must not be overlooked during the coronavirus crisis, including illegal migration, negotiations on the next multi-year EU budget, climate change, digitalisation and EU enlargement.

Pahor acquainted Von der Leyen with the joint letter of the countries of the Brdo-Brijuni Process of cooperation in the Western Balkans, signed by seven leaders.

The letter calls on the European Council to set a date for the start of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania and continue talks with other candidate countries.

Pahor said that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci had informed him that while he supported the call, he would not sign it because the remaining leaders focused on North Macedonia and Albania, while Thaci had insisted that visa liberalisation for Kosovo was also added.

The president, who invited the European Commission president to take part in one of the future meetings of the initiative, also acquainted the EU foreign policy chief Borrell with the letter in a separate videoconference.

Borrell meanwhile acquainted Pahor with the measures at the EU level to contain the spread of coronavirus, including the efforts to return EU citizens from third countries home, the president's office said.

They also discussed the migration crisis, EU-Turkey relations in the wake of the developments on the Greek-Turkish border, and the situation in the Western Balkans.

Pahor and Borrell agreed that Turkey was facing a great challenge and that the EU should help. The EU is doing this based on the 2016 agreement, and it is unjustifiable to use migrants to exert pressure on the EU, they added.

Exchange of views on fighting the pandemic also topped the agenda as Pahor spoke with Sassoli, who told the Slovenian president that the next session of the European Parliament in Brussels would be almost fully dedicated to the topic.

Pahor and Sassoli also called for the most efficient and unified response from the EU, the president's office said.

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Businesses urged to follow example of Chinese-owned Gorenje over coronavirus

STA, 18 March 2020 - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek has appealed to manufacturers to organise work in such a way as to protect their staff's health to the greatest possible extent in order to remain functioning despite the coronavirus epidemic, offering the Chinese-owned household appliances maker Hisense Gorenje as a good example to follow.

"Production processes must not stop, lest closure of production facilities should jeopardise the supply of the population," the minister said in the appeal, posted on the government web site.

The post also features a video showing how health safety measures were being applied in Hisense's Gorenje factory in Velenje, which employs 3,500 people.

The ministry says that the company introduced measures on time to protect the health of all its employees and prevent the spread of the virus.

The company introduced first preventive measures as early as end of January when the virus only started spreading out of China, including banning all business trips to or from China.

They upgraded the measures in February, stepping them up at the beginning of March. On top of earlier instructions to employees to follow self-protective measures and availability of sanitisers, the company reduced the number of entrances and has been temperature scanning all employees entering the building.

Inside the Gorenje complex everyone is required to wear face masks with special measures in place at the canteen and a special regime imposed on the lorry drivers and visitors entering, although they are advising against visits to the company premises.

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UEFA boss and Alibaba founder secure face masks for Slovenia

STA, 18 March 2020 - Slovenia is to receive 300,000 protective face masks from two foundations of the Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma. The donation, which is expected to arrive in Slovenia on Thursday evening or Friday morning, is reportedly a result of a friendship between Ma and UEFA boss Aleksander Čeferin.

According to the media, the Slovenian lawyer who heads the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has been involved in this project since he is a friend of Ma and has thus contributed to the efforts to raise such an amount of coveted protective gear.

Čeferin has confirmed the reports for the newspaper Delo, saying that he had called his good friend Jack Ma and asked him for help. "Jack responded immediately and a donation of 300,000 protective masks is coming to Slovenia and is to be followed later by other gear."

The UEFA head expressed gratitude for this step, saying that world-wide solidarity was key for survival in such times.

The Defence Ministry communication office told the STA that the masks would be transported from Belgium, where they had already landed, by the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.

The Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation have donated 1.5 million masks altogether to France, Belgium and Slovenia to help fight the coronavirus epidemic in these countries.

Meanwhile, another arrival of much needed masks is expected on Thursday - after a slight delay, Slovenia is to get 1.5 million masks, mostly intended for healthcare workers, social institutions, but also for workforce in infrastructure and industry.

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Among other things, Noah Charney is the author of Slovenology, which you can get a paper or ebook copy of so you can enjoy Slovenia wherever you are 

Back in 2015, I wrote an article for the American magazine, The Atlantic, introducing American readers to someone who was arguably the greatest skier in history: Tina Maze. That was during her epic season, in which she accumulated more points than anyone, male or female, ever had, and it was prior to her Sochi Olympics success. Americans don’t follow skiing and so had to have explained to them both what the sport is and who Tina Maze is. I helped them imagine her dominance in skiing through a parallel they would understand: I likened her to Michael Jordan.

Well, now there’s another Slovenian athlete who can only be liked to Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the two greatest basketball players of all time. Basketball has pulled ahead of both baseball and football as the most popular sport in America, so Americans need no introduction to it. Nor do they need an introduction to the athlete in question.

I’ll confess that I love a man named Luka. It’s a platonic love, but it’s a type of love all the same. Luka Dončič, whom I’ve never met, brings sunshine and joy into my life. When he performs well, my day is brighter. When he has an off night (or if, as is the case while I’m writing this, he’s nursing an ankle injury), I’m a little bluer and a little distracted. My wife and I share this affection, and I’m comfortable that she loves someone else in this way. In fact, millions do, not only Mavericks fans. Luka has a euphoria about him that is infectious. So many athletes, no matter how good, seem in it for the money. Luka is making tons of it, of course, but he has a childlike enthusiasm, a levity that is spreads to those who see him play. That is not what we expect from professional top athletes.

Luka has dominated headlines as much as he has dominated the courts on which he has played. His comparable statistics at age 20 are in line only with Jordan and James. If he continues at this level, barring catastrophic injury and even without improving (as he surely will with experience), then by the time he retires, he will be remembered as the greatest. His talent, numbers and command are already there. He out-LeBron-ed LeBron James, his childhood idol, a few games back, leading his Dallas Mavericks to victory over the first-place, James-led Lakers. His Mavericks are, amazingly, currently the best offensive team in NBA history, and that is without the co-headlining star, Latvian “unicorn” Kristaps Porzingis, playing particularly well, and without a third All-Star player—just Luka and a very deep, talented, balanced team. All Luka needs to do is to avoid a freak injury and keep on going. The smart money is on him, in a decade or so, being dubbed the best basketball player in history.

He is just 20 years old but, having played with Real Madrid in the Euro League (the second-best league in the world after the NBA) for years prior to being drafted by the Mavericks a year ago, he has the experience and calm on the court of a veteran. In the US, he cannot even order a beer (you must be 21 to drink alcohol there), but he is blazing statistical trails and has drawn effusive praise from players and commentators across the board. Last season, his rookie year, he came in second in All-Star votes, behind only LeBron. That popularity comes from a combination of his skill and domination, mixed with that joy. He is totally unpretentious and humble, while totally confident (a rare combination among top athletes). He is clearly having fun. It’s easy to forget that professional athletes are grownups being paid huge sums of money to play games. It’s a pretty sweet deal. Baseball star Willie Mays is credited with a quote that getting paid to play baseball is like getting paid to eat ice cream. Luka might say something similar about basketball. And the fun he is having is passed forward to his fans. That is why he has admirers far beyond the followers of his team.

?Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić (@dallasmavs) has become an ambassador of Slovenia's tourism?
?He will promote the country's unique attractions and investment opportunities.
?Slovenia will also be included in the @NBAAllstar game!#ifeelsLOVEnia #TexasFeelSlovenia pic.twitter.com/tgCAS7t15a

— Feel Slovenia (@SloveniaInfo) January 16, 2020

I’m inordinately proud of our Slovenian athletes. I often hear “considering how small a nation we are” as the precursor to “we’re remarkably good at sports,” and it’s true. Slovenia has a miniscule pool of citizens to draw from and relatively poor resources to support them, when compared to other countries, yet still we produce world-class athletes, Olympians, record holders, gold medalists. We are underdogs due to our size and budgets, and still we win, against the odds. This makes us a joy to cheer for. At the moment, Luka is at the summit of a sport which Europeans are not supposed to be as good at as Americans (especially white Europeans). That compounds Luka’s success and elevates it.

For us fans, this special type of love for an athlete we’ve never met is a strange but wonderful cocktail. There’s pride mixed in (for an underdog from Slovenia), hope (we want him to do well and check news on him constantly), sympathy (we feel down when he is down, we feel on a high when he succeeds), and a sense of good fortune. How lucky we are that we get to watch this sporting genius, already seemingly at the peak of his powers and the zenith of the game, but only 20 years old, and capable of playing, even improving, over the next 10-15 years.

How often can someone we’ve never met, who lives thousands of kilometers away, bring us such joy? Grab your Dončič jerseys and enjoy the ride. It will be a long and glorious one.

A Slovene version of this article first appeared in Playboy. Noah Charney lives in Italy and Slovenia, and lectures internationally in the subjects of art history and art crime. Learn more at www.noahcharney.com or join him on Facebook. You can also follow the Slovenoogy podcast wherever you get podcasts, with the iTunes link here. The book Slovenology can be found here.

A foreign climber, with no details yet as to their name or nationality, fell to his death this morning while climbing Little Triglav, one of the peaks on the mountain’s ridge, with the body being recovered by a helicopter team. The Kranj Police Department noted that the man was well-equipped, and stressed that during the ongoing epidemic it’s better that people avoid all outdoor pursuits that could lead to significant injury, since rescue teams, health workers and other emergency services are already overwhelmed.

This echoed a recent call by the Slovenian Mountain Association (Planinska zveza Slovenije) that people should stick to easier walks and hikes near their homes during this period, stating: "To prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, we will do the most we can to stay home - the mountains will wait for us, and the mountain huts have closed their doors until further notice. Let's not stress ourselves unnecessarily in the mountains, so that this will not cause accidents and the additional burden on the rescue and medical staff. "

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

Contents

Slovenia to ban public gatherings of more than five persons

Hospitals making room for potential new coronavirus patients

PM says people's safety, health come first in fight against coronavirus

Slovenia to ban public gatherings of more than five persons

STA, 18 March 2020 - The Slovenian government will ban public gatherings of more than five persons in order to fight the coronavirus epidemic. The relevant decree is expected to be adopted on Wednesday, Defence Minister Aleš Hojs said after the government session.

He said the ban would be modelled on Austria's. It will be policed and fines will be put in place for violators.

Austria banned public gatherings of more than five persons starting on Monday.

People are allowed to leave home for work that cannot not be postponed, to buy groceries and to help others. They may go outdoors, but only alone or with people living in the same household.

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Hospitals making room for potential new coronavirus patients

STA, 18 March 2020 - Hospitals around Slovenia are preparing for an expected increase in the number of coronavirus patients who will need intensive treatment, with additional rooms being reserved and transitional units established for those suspected of being infected.

UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest hospital, where 14 coronavirus patients are hospitalised, and a further four undergoing intensive care, is gearing up to receive more patients as people around the country are being tested for the new virus.

The number of beds for intensive care has been increased, and the orthopaedic and dermatology wards are also ready to admit coronavirus patients.

UKC Ljubljana general manager Janez Poklukar has said that the two wards were expected to admit first patients in the coming days.

Transitional units have also been opened in the hospital for patients who are suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, so that potential infection is not spread during the treatment.

In Ljubljana, the four patients in intensive care are in critical condition, while between five and 15 patients are hospitalised in the transitional units at any given moment, Poklukar said.

As the non-urgent programmes have been suspended, the hospital has around 30% of the total staff on hold, who are waiting to be called in in the case of an arrival of a large number of coronavirus patients.

Some employees have also been reassigned to wards where such patients are being treated, said Poklukar, adding that for the time being, there were no major problems with workload or burnout.

Community health centres are also restructuring.

The community health centre in Sevnica, for example, is gearing up to accept potential infected persons, director Vladimira Tomšič told the STA.

In addition to two isolation rooms, basement premises with a total of 12 "boxes" have been added to the mix.

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PM says people's safety, health come first in fight against coronavirus

STA, 18 March 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has called on the EU to put people's safety and health first in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. "Measures for the economy are important of course, after all in the long term this is the flip side of the same coin, but for us the immediate priority is people's safety and health," he said.

Speaking at a videoconference Tuesday evening convened by EU Council president Charles Michel, Janša also said that the EU should immediately create stocks of emergency medical and protective equipment.

That way it could immediately help any member state which may soon find itself in a similar situation as Italy several weeks ago, Janša was quoted as saying by his office.

The EU Commission notified the leaders that several public procurement procedures were under way to secure emergency medical and protective equipment. Slovenia is involved in all of them.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen endorsed a proposal to form a central EU registry on the emergency purchasing and distribution of emergency equipment and medicines. The Commission will draw up an appropriate legal framework by the end of the week.

The EU leaders also discussed the introduction of a "coronabond" to finance emergency measures and to address the consequences of the epidemic.

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