STA, 11 April 2020 - President Borut Pahor intends to end his political career after his term ends in 2022, he told the Saturday edition of the newspaper Dnevnik in an interview in which he talked about the ongoing health crisis. He also talked about his cooperation with PM Janez Janša, saying they try to act in unison and keep disagreements out of the public eye.

In the interview he praised people for respecting the strict measures that have been put into place. He said he was not afraid of getting infected and said he would self-isolate and work from home if that were to happen.

In case his health deteriorated to the point that he were unable to do his job, the speaker of the National Assembly would take over, Pahor said.

He is mostly supportive of the measures imposed by the government, saying that politicians had to make arbitrary decisions without reliable scientific grounds. "That's what politics is for!" he said, adding however that nobody can be envious of the government's responsibility.

He said that his cooperation is based in his philosophy of what it means to be the president of a country. "I am not here to praise the government, nor to criticise it or hand out instructions. I am in this position to cooperate with the government," he said.

"There are things I would not have said, but the prime minister is in a demanding situation and this must be taken into account when we demand more patience from him," Pahor said. He added that the conversations he had with the prime minister do not indicate that Janša wants to use the situation to expand the government's powers.

Pahor also believes that the situation is not such to demand Slovenia to follow the measures adopted in Hungary, where the parliament handed all the power to the prime minster. Pahor believes that Slovenia is proof that lives can be saved in a democratic way.

He is worried about the social, economic and likely political crises that are to follow the corona crisis. "We will likely find ourselves in a global depression."

"There will be social unrest that will have to be regulated smartly. It will be very important for everybody in political authority to show a great measure of patience despite criticism and ugly words. One will have to just swallow it. People will find themselves in distress, they will say things and we will have to understand it."

"As long as we, as people, refrain from violence, those in power will have to be more patient towards the people," the president said. He elaborated by saying he was referring to the protests that followed the 2008 economic crisis.

During the protests, "some resorted to things I believe were not legitimate, including verbal abuse, the latter will also have to be refrained from. Those who do not carry responsibility will be able to afford more, while the rest of us who are in power will have to be careful to avoid it."

Pahor also spoke about the EU, saying that there was a possibility of three crises colliding: health and migrant crises and economic recession. He believes the solution, once again, will be not less but more EU.

The president regretted that the bloc has underestimated the threat of a pandemic, as this strengthens the feeling among people that EU is useless.

Drawing parallels with the 2008 financial crisis when he was prime minister, Pahor said that the concept of borrowing was now based on the premise that this was a temporary crisis, although it is unclear at the moment how long it will last.

"But this will not make the debt any less of a problem. It's a problem of a different sort... It has triggered a very difficult debate in the eurozone for which there is no happy ending in sight, although one will have to be found if we want to preserve the EU and the euro. I think a compromise will be made, one we are not familiar with yet."

He also said that in the previous crisis, Germany and France were more united in efforts to overcome it. "[Angela] Merkel and [Nicolas] Sarkozy were the engine I miss today at the helm of the train," he said of the German chancellor and former French president.

"With that it was easier for Slovenia to see where things were headed and what measures to adopt," Pahor said. However, he does not believe that Slovenia should swap its alliances with Paris and Berlin with the Visegrad Group, even though the country has great friends in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. "Slovenia is a core country of the EU and this must remain so."

When asked whether he feared that Slovenia could end up on the outskirts of the EU because the senior coalition Democratic Party (SDS) is close to the Hungarian Fidesz, Pahor said that he does not express opinions about party affairs, "but I do understand some misgivings that may stretch into distrust. It is not my job to deepen the mistrust, my role is to address it."

All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook

We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Aleksander Sandi. You can see more of his work here.

Contents

Five new Covid-19 deaths confirmed, death toll up to 50

Persons entering Slovenia to be quarantined for a week as of Sunday

Report: EUR 900m in aid available in second stimulus package

If you're curious how some foreigners in Slovenia are experiencing the crisis, you can find a series of stories here

Five new Covid-19 deaths confirmed, death toll up to 50

STA, 11 April 2020 - Another five Covid-19 patients died on Friday to bring the death toll related to the coronavirus epidemic to 50. Another 1,232 tests were performed yesterday and 28 new infections confirmed, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 1,188, show the latest government figures.

A total of 94 Covid-19 patients were in Slovenian hospitals yesterday, 12 fewer than on Thursday. The number of patients who require intensive care was meanwhile up by one to 37.

A total of 11 persons were released from hospital care on Friday, bringing the overall number to 148.

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Persons entering Slovenia to be quarantined for a week as of Sunday

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STA, 11 April 2020 - Persons entering Slovenia as of Sunday will be subjected to a week-long quarantine at home or at a location agreed with the civil defence, and then tested for the new coronavirus, says a government decree which shortens such quarantine from two weeks. Cross-border workers, cargo vehicle drivers and transit passengers will be excluded.

Under the decree, if a person declines to be tested after a seven-day quarantine or if test cannot be performed, the quarantine will be automatically extended for a week.

If the test is negative, the quarantine ends, but the person will need to immediately inform the health authorities about possible Covid-19 symptoms. This also applies for the duration of the quarantine.

If the test is positive, the person will be treated under the standard procedure for such cases. The quarantine will also be extended if the results are not available on the day of the testing, but only until the results are known.

Persons who have permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia will be quarantined at home or, if this is not possible, at a location agreed with the civil defence. They will have to cover the costs of the quarantine.

Persons who do not have permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia will need to provide an address where they will be accommodated and quarantined, otherwise they will not be allowed to enter the country.

Foreigners who are coming to Slovenia to work will be ordered quarantine at the address stated by the employer, which they will need to prove at the border.

Employers will need to provide foreign workers with adequate conditions for the quarantine, as well as with food and security. Their accommodation must meet the recommendations issued by the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ).

Slovenian citizens who state that they are infected or that they have apparent symptoms of Covid-19 upon entering Slovenia will be instructed to immediately contact the health authorities. Foreigners will not be allowed the enter the country in such cases.

The decree does not apply to cross-border daily migrant workers and weekly migrant workers who work in Austria, and for persons attending a funeral of a close relative in a neighbouring country.

Also excluded are drivers of cargo vehicles who transport goods to and from Slovenia or across Slovenia, persons who will travel through Slovenia in a single day, and persons who possess diplomatic passports.

The measure does not apply to persons providing urgent services, members of rescue and protection services, health workers, police officers, firefighters and persons participating in humanitarian convoys.

Also excluded are citizens of Slovenia, Austria, Italy and Hungary who own or lease land plots located on both sides of the border and who perform agricultural work on such land.

Head of the Koper unit of the NIJZ Milan Krek told the press today that the current measures had prevented a steep increase in the number of infected persons, which would overburden the healthcare system and cause excessive number of deaths.

He added that Slovenia had been handling the epidemic very well, much better that many countries, but that the situation was not stable yet and that people should stick to the expert recommendations.

"We need to hold on for a few more days in order to stabilise and ease the epidemic," Krek said, adding that it was risky to soften the restrictions before the epidemic was stabilised.

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Report: EUR 900m in aid available in second stimulus package

STA, 11 April 2020 - The government met on Saturday in Brdo pri Kranju to discuss guidelines for additional measures to mitigate the effect of the coronavirus epidemic on the economy. The public broadcaster TV Slovenija has reported that the package will include EUR 900 million in loans, guarantees and guarantee schemes.

The second stimulus package looks to ensure liquidity of the economy and features necessary corrections and amendments to the first, EUR 3 billion package, passed on 2 April.

TV Slovenija reported late on Friday that the measures had already been drafted, saying that companies would have EUR 900 million on their disposal in the form of loans, guarantees and guarantee schemes.

The package reportedly includes quick and favourable loans secured with state guarantees, and loan guarantee schemes intended for boosting liquidity, provided by the SID Banka bank, the Slovenian Enterprise Fund and the Regional Development Fund.

SID Banka has also proposed that a new fund worth EUR 1 billion be established to tackle liquidity issues, the public broadcaster said.

Measures to help the tourism sector, which has been severely affected by the pandemic, would reportedly be in force until the end of the year. One of the proposed measures is deferral of refunds to passengers and guests in relation to cancelled trips.

According to the unofficial proposal, tourism and hospitality companies will have more than EUR 100 million in favourable loans.

What is more, the state is to help businesses pay rent for commercial premises by subsidising up to 70% of the amount or enabling them to defer rent payment.

According to TV Slovenija, the timetable sets the deadline for the passage of the second package at 30 April.

Prime Minister Janez Janša said in a video address after the session that the government had been acquainted with relevant reports from the five task forces and decided to put all measures for securing liquidity of the economy into one package.

The measures will start to be prepared immediately after Easter holidays, and the government will be able to discuss it together with amendments to the first package on 20 or 21 April, he added.

"No vulnerable group will be excluded," Janša, said, adding that due to the complexity of the matter, specific legislative projects had been divided into three parts.

One of them is amending the infectious diseases act, one of the basic legal tools to fight the epidemic, as it has been established that it needs several changes and amendments and that some provisions are outdated.

The Ministry of Health has been tasked to draft changes by the end of next week, Janša said, adding that some of the provisions would be changed based on the experience gained in the fight with the coronavirus epidemic.

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The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 10 April 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Mystery of Janša’s attack on Čeferin after mild criticism of govt

STA, 10 April 2020 - The latest editorial of the left-wing weekly Mladina reflects on what it sees as a rage reflex that seems to be triggered in PM Janez Janša by even a hint of criticism. It looks at the attacks mounted against Aleksander Čerefin after the Slovenian UEFA head said he was tired of hearing the constant apocalyptic coronavirus comments by Slovenia's leading officials.

The weekly paper's editor in chief Grega Repovž argues that Janša's comment about greed causing football matches not being cancelled also after the WHO had declared an epidemic, made during Tuesday's special address to the nation, was a jab at Čeferin meant to suggest UEFA could have prevented the fateful 19 February Milan match between Atalanta and Valencia.

Repovž points out that a potential cancellation of the match had been in the domain of Italian authorities, which had recorded three coronavirus cases in the county by that point.

While also highlighting other demonstrably false statements made by Janša in a part of the address targeting the former government, Repovž says the criticism by Čeferin, who just argued he would prefer a less bleak and more encouraging tone from Slovenian officials, should have been easy to swallow for those in power.

"But no, no. Janša cannot allow that. An attack followed. A fierce attack. Janša's propaganda machinery jumped first, followed by his twitter trolls. There was no mercy," Repovž says, adding that this was still not enough for Janša to later at least hold back in his address to the nation.

"What kind of person do you have to be to accuse somebody of what Čeferin was actually accused of by Janaša, through his media directly and in his speech indirectly? What to think of a man who has so much power and responsibility, but invests so much energy and anger into a single critical remark and even brings it up in an address to the nation," Repovž wonders in the commentary entitled Rage.

Demokracija: Beware of WHO's Advice!

STA, 9 April 2020 - The right-wing weekly Demokracija rebukes the World Health Organization (WHO) for its action in the Covid-19 crisis. "Even if it was probably set up with good intentions, the WHO has turned in a politicised and corrupt organisation."

The WHO first long insisted on the stance that "general use of protective masks is not necessary", but then made a U-turn this week, starting to support the countries which encourage their citizens to wear them.

Editor-in-chief Jože Biščak finds it hard to believe the medical reasons have changed in the meantime, saying WHO staff simply want to keep their well-paid jobs, blowing hot and cold depending on where money comes from.

It recalls several cases of its "odd" action, ranging from a cheap purchase of malaria vaccine, which caused thousands of child deaths in Africa, to its complete inefficiency in fighting tuberculosis, Ebola and Covid-19, wondering if it was deliberate.

When some started warning that flights from China to Europe should be suspended, the WHO said there was no evidence the virus is transmitted with contact among people.

"When the moment of truth came, it was already too late. The number of victims is nearing 100,000 and the number of those infected goes into millions."

Demokracija blames "the belated and totally misplaced reaction" to the virus spread on the WHO and its national offices in the form of public health institutes, in reference to Slovenia's National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

"So when you listen to the WHO advice in the next crisis, mind your money and use common sense if you want to do best for you and your family.

"When the WHO is giving advice, people are often dying, which Spain, Italy and France are realising as they mourn their deceased." The situation would be similar in Slovenia if the new government had not taken the necessary measures and advised people, unlike the NIJZ, to wear masks.

All our posts in this series are here

All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook

We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Xenia Guzej. You can see more of her work here.

Contents

Two new fatalities bring coronavirus death toll to 45

Slovenia successful in tackling coronavirus but acute phase not over yet

Survey shows high level of trust in conventional media during epidemic

Large shipment of protective equipment delivered

Two new fatalities bring coronavirus death toll to 45

STA, 10 April 2020 - Slovenia recorded two more Covid-19 fatalities on Thursday, bringing the death toll of the coronavirus epidemic to 45. The number of infected persons rose by 36 to 1,160, show the latest government data released on Friday.

The number of Covid-19 patients who require hospitalisation dropped slightly to 106, of whom 36 were in intensive care, two more than on Wednesday.

Nine were discharged from hospital, for a total of 137 persons who no longer require hospital treatment.

Slovenia has so far performed over 33,000 covid-19 tests.

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Slovenia successful in tackling coronavirus but acute phase not over yet

STA, 10 April 2020 - Bojana Beović, an infectious disease specialist, has told the weekly Mladina that Slovenia was yet to exit the acute phase of the coronavirus epidemic. However, the Italian scenario is very unlikely to unfold as hospitals have admitted much fewer Covid-19 patients than had been projected.

Beović, who heads the Health Ministry's medical task force for coronavirus, said that the effectiveness of the latest preventive measures would be clear after this weekend, and "only after that can we talk about an exit strategy."

Slovenia has "caught the last train in preventing an exponential growth of infections" and the number of severely ill patients in Slovenia will apparently not exceed the capacity of the country's healthcare system.

Beović also said at a press conference today that, considering that the daily number of new infections was dropping, the epidemic had probably reached its peak, but that more would be known after the Easter holidays.

She called on people to refrain from contacts for another week or two, noting that the epidemic wave ended only when an infected person passes the infection to under one person on average.

Beović proposed in the Mladina interview that, in the next phase, the younger population should be allowed to get infected under controlled conditions to gain herd immunity. But she stressed that it would be hard to contain the spread of the virus between generations.

"The risk of doing something like this is too high at the moment. It is true, though, that in the long run, while a vaccine is not yet available, such tactics should be chosen."

Beović was also asked about this at the press conference, saying that if a vaccine or effective medication was not available soon, this was the only option, which would actually be implemented once kindergartens and schools reopen.

Slovenia plans to shortly start examining the presence of antibodies which show that a person has recovered from the infection. But the epidemic needs to last longer for such research to produce quality results, and it would be good to also have a quality test for antibodies, Beović told Mladina.

As for the criticism in the public about the perceived excessiveness of the measures and pessimism of the government, she said that "it is better to stay on the side of caution" and that the trend should first turn downwards before one could speak about optimism.

Beović noted that there were no official guidelines for the treatment of Covid-19 because of the lack of reliable data, while there were some reports about successful application of blood plasma of persons who had developed antibodies.

She personally expects the most from the antiviral drug remdesivir. "If this does not prove to be effective, we can say that we will remain in the dark."

The epidemic has exposed care in nursing homes as the biggest shortcoming in the healthcare system, as these are equipped more like hotels, while what their residents need is something like a nursing hospital.

She also stressed that it was important to restart the healthcare system, "otherwise it will not be possible to eliminate all the backlog in examinations and surgeries in the foreseeable future."

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Survey shows high level of trust in conventional media during epidemic

STA, 10 April 2020 - Slovenians mostly have no issues trusting conventional media, meaning TV, radio and printed media reports, during the coronavirus epidemic, shows a survey released on Friday by pollster Mediana.

More than half the respondents (51%) said they trust or fully trust TV reports, while 8% said they do not trust them at all. The shares for radio reports were 48% and 8% respectively, and for printed media 40% and 7%.

A lower level of trust was recorded for online news portals, which also had the highest share of undecided respondents. Trust or full trust was expressed by 25% and no trust at all by 30%.

There is even more scepticism towards social media, where the share of those fully trusting the reports was 4% and of those not trusting them at all 44%.

The survey was carried out between 3 and 5 April through online polling. It involved 703 respondents aged 15 to 75.

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Large shipment of protective equipment delivered

STA, 10 April 2020 - More than twenty tonnes of protective equipment, including face masks for medical staff, was delivered from China to the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport on Friday morning, one of the largest such shipments since the start of the coronavirus crisis.

The 1.1 million FFP2-type masks, which are crucial for frontline staff, along with almost 16,000 protective uniforms for doctors and 1.7 million gloves was delivered from Chengdu aboard an Airbus A330.

The equipment was ordered by the Agency for Commodity Reserves via Public Digital Infrastructure, a company owned by gaming millionaire Joc Pečečnik, and is part of a large, EUR 30 million-plus order the company has received.

Prime Minister Janez Janša, sharing photos from the airport on Twitter, said that "the holidays will be calmer" now.

Late in the evening, another seven tonnes of protective equipment will arrive at Ljubljana airport from Qingdao, China, the Foreign Ministry said, adding that this will be the first of several special transport flights organised by the Agency for Commodity Reserves.

The plane will bring more than 1.1 million of protective face masks and other types of protective equipment donated by Chinese cities twinned with Slovenian cities, Slovenian and Chinese companies, the Association of Chinese Businesses in Slovenia, the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Slovenian community in China and a number of individuals.

The Foreign Ministry thanked those involved for their donations, adding that the plane will also carry protective equipment Slovenia bought in China.

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What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 3 April
        LJUBLJANA - The government started discussing guidelines for a second fiscal stimulus package. It will focus on correcting any flaws in the first package, worth EUR 3 billion, and measures to boost the economy's liquidity.
        LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry announced that the rotations of contingents of the Slovenian Armed Forces in international operations and missions planned in the next three months would not be carried out due to the coronavirus pandemic. The contingents which are currently abroad will need to extend their service for three months.
        LJUBLJANA - The government restricted the usage of drugs containing chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine or azithromycin to make sure enough of those substances are available to patients who need them.
        LJUBLJANA - Florist shops and nurseries reopened, with the government explaining that spring is a peak selling time for these businesses.
        DOBROVNIK - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec hailed a decision by orchids grower Ocean Orchids to also start growing vegetables as a case of rapid adaptation. She announced government measures to facilitate this.
        LJUBLJANA - The chair of the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee, Matjaž Nemec, expressed surprise because Slovenia failed to join a group of EU countries that have expressed concern about the risk of violations of the rule of law by measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. On Monday, Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič expressed support for the statement.
        SKOPJE, Macedonia - Slovenia donated to North Macedonia protective equipment worth EUR 110,000 to help the country fight the novel coronavirus.
        LJUBLJANA - Individuals and businesses donated over EUR 58,800 as they responded to the Finance Ministry's call to raise funds for Covid-19 relief. The donations went into the "budgetary reserve" and the government will report to parliament on the use on a monthly basis.
        LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus crisis started to take a toll on the unemployment situation in Slovenia and what had been a favourable trend until recently was reversed. The number of people registered as unemployed grew by 0.5% to 77,855 in March compared to February.
        LJUBLJANA - Thirty members of the Slovenian chapter of PEN International called on the Slovenian authorities to respect all citizens' rights guaranteed by law and constitution as measures to contain the coronavirus epidemic are being introduced.

SATURDAY, 4 April
        LJUBLJANA - All persons arriving in Slovenia from abroad now face a 14-day quarantine. They will be quarantined at home if possible and if not, they will be placed at facilities.
        LJUBLJANA - The bonuses for vital public sector staff envisaged by the government mega stimulus bill will be fully covered by the state, Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik said.
        LJUBLJANA - Police were checking compliance with movement restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus across the country, detecting no major violations.
        LJUBLJANA/KOPER - Due to the coronavirus epidemic, Ljubljana airport recorded a 20% drop in the amount of cargo transported in March. This was mostly the cargo transported in passenger planes, the airport operator Fraport Slovenija said.

SUNDAY, 5 April
        LJUBLJANA - Coronavirus death toll in Slovenia rose to 30 as infections topped 1,000.
        LJUBLJANA - Government spokesman Jelko Kacin announced that stringent lockdown restrictions introduced to fight the coronavirus epidemic would remain in place at least two to four more weeks.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša rebuffed critics who have accused the government of sidelining public health professionals. He said the government had listened to a broader circle of experts beyond the domestic National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

MONDAY, 6 April
        LJUBLJANA - The government said it was preparing measures to enable some industries to relaunch operations immediately after the Easter holidays if the current trend in the number of persons diagnosed with Covid-19 continues.
        LJUBLJANA - The Agency for Commodity Reserves delivered 66 mechanical ventilators to hospitals, as well as 1.83 million three-layer face masks and over 401,000 FFP2 masks the week before.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and US Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard met to mark the Slovenian-American Friendship and Alliance Day.
        LJUBLJANA - The Commission for Justice and Peace of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference recalled the first free multi-party elections in Slovenia 30 years ago likening the situation at the time to the coronavirus crisis in which the bishops see "our civic duty, responsibility" put to test again.
        NOVO MESTO/BEGUNJE/ŽIRI - Several Slovenian companies, including Adria Mobil, Alpina and Elan, announced they would shortly relaunch production after suspending or scaling it down amid the coronavirus epidemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian agriculture organisations raised concern about "huge" damage to business due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, urging the government to take a series of measures, including curbs on meat imports and increased purchase of produce for national commodity reserves.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian lawyer and UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin told sport newspaper EkipaSN in an interview he believed Slovenian authorities should express a bit more optimistic view of the situation as the country is fighting the coronavirus epidemic.
        LJUBLJANA - An OECD report found Slovenia to be one of the most transparent OECD countries in the field of public procurement, yet it recommended it to open up its public procurement procedures to more experimentation and innovative methods.
        KRANJ - A dystopian play by Tjaša Mislej about four workers working and living in a giant warehouse won this year's Slavko Grum Prize for best new Slovenian play.
        HOLMEC - The Holmec border crossing was partly reopened after Austria closed it as part of restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus.

TUESDAY, 7 April
        LJUBLJANA - More than five years after deciding the state must provide equal funding for public and private primary schools, the Constitutional Court specified that this applies only to the mandatory part of school curricula at private schools but not to non-mandatory curricula, such as morning and afternoon care, or remedial tutoring.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly voted with the needed two-thirds majority in favour of changes to the rules of procedure that allow it to hold sessions and vote remotely in exceptional circumstances such as the coronavirus epidemic or natural disaster.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed legislative changes that will shorten the period for laws, which cannot be challenged in referenda, to take effect. The changes are expected to speed up the implementation of laws designed to alleviate consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic by 8 days.
        LJUBLJANA - The business newspaper Finance reported, referring to Bloomberg, that the Slovenian state had borrowed another EUR 2.25 billion by carrying out a new 10-year bond issue and expanding the amounts of the previous two bond issues.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council endorsed the measures taken by the government to contain the coronavirus epidemic and mitigate its consequences. For the most part the measures are in agreement with recommendations by international organisations and comparable in scope to measures taken by other countries. However, in the future the measures must be more targeted, simple and limited in duration.
        LJUBLJANA - Administered fuel prices in Slovenia dropped to eleven-year lows despite the government increasing excise duties the day before. Regular and diesel sold at service stations outside the motorway network dropped to euro per litre. The last time regular cost less than a euro was in April 2009 and diesel in May 2009.
        MARIBOR - Pošta Slovenije generated EUR 262.7 million in revenue last year, EUR 12 million more than the year before. While failing to disclose the profit figure, the company said it was substantially below projections. The main reason for the lower-than-expected profitability is a pay deal the company had struck with trade unions.

WEDNESDAY, 8 April
        LJUBLJANA - Hospital data indicated the novel coronavirus epidemic is stabilising, with hospitalisations and intensive care cases flat. A total of 108 persons were in hospital, of whom 34 in intensive care. So far 128 persons have been discharged from hospital.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor discussed efforts to overcome the coronavirus pandemic with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella. The presidents underlined the importance of solidarity and cooperation among nations, and expressed regret at the EU's inability to respond earlier and more effectively. They expressed support for the measures adopted by the governments of their respective countries.
        LJUBLJANA - Medical Chamber head Zdenka Čebašek-Travnik urged the government to use all medical staff, including private doctors and dentists, to restart the country's healthcare when it begins to gradually exit the coronavirus crisis.
        LJUBLJANA - The central bank suspended for a year the payout of dividends by banks and savings banks. The measure is aimed at securing sufficient capital so that the system could better sustain potential losses and be able to supply the economy and individuals with loans.
        LJUBLJANA/STRASBOURG, France - Responding to criticism coming from the Council of Europe over pressure on the media in Slovenia, the government argued the situation was a result of media having "their origin in the former communist regime". The dispatch was criticised the next day by the Journalists' Association and the opposition, while coalition partners distanced themselves from it.
        LJUBLJANA - Vojko Urbas was appointed acting director of the Criminal Police Department and took over from his predecessor Boštjan Lindav. He was appointed by acting Police Commissioner Anton Travner, who has led the force since the Janez Janša government was appointed in mid-March.
        LJUBLJANA - The top leaders of major religious groups in Slovenia called on believers to stay home, pray and peruse religious texts as they addressed the daily government coronavirus press briefing.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Roma warned about tenacious discrimination and their communities struggling in the face of the coronavirus crisis as they observed International Roma Day.

THURSDAY, 9 April
        LJUBLJANA - The government's coronavirus spokesperson Jelko Kacin rejected interpretations Slovenia had decided to freeze membership payments to the World Health Organisation given that PM Janez Janša said everybody would need to follow the example of the US in taking this step.
        LJUBLJANA - Unofficial data from the Employment Service showed the registered unemployment total rising by 4,922 in the first eight days of April, jumping by 1,030 on 8 April alone.
        LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry said that Slovenia will ask for international assistance via NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre in securing transport for protective gear and other supplies to ensure there is enough equipment to battle the coronavirus epidemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša exchanged information on the current coronavirus situation with Friuli Venezia Giulia President Massimiliano Fedriga via videoconference.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's trade in goods continued to grow in February, the month before Slovenia introduced strict lockdown measures amid the coronavirus epidemic. Exports grew by 11.7% and imports by 5.9% over February 2019, data by the Statistics Office showed.
        NOVO MESTO - The supervisory and management boards of Krka proposed the shareholders of the drug maker be paid dividends of EUR 4.25 gross per share. Not only is the proposed payout almost a third higher than in 2019, Krka is actually one of few listed companies whose shareholders may get dividends this year.
        LJUBLJANA - A group of five Slovenian MEPs led by Tanja Fajon (S&D/SD) called on the government to join EU countries helping and taking in unaccompanied refugee children stranded on Greek islands.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to allow non-urgent health services to resume under certain conditions after these have been suspended in the efforts to contain the coronavirus epidemic in the country.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenians are increasingly optimistic regarding the situation around the coronavirus epidemic, showed the latest survey by Valicon, as a vast majority of respondents believes that things are turning for the better.

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