STA, 17 September 2021 - The government has adopted changes to the Covid pass mandate under which state administration employees working from office will need to be either Covid-19 reconvalescent or vaccinated starting from 1 October. It has also added several further exemptions to the recovered-vaccinated-tested (PCT) rule, lifting the age cap from 12 to 15 years.

The decision, taken by the correspondence session last night, means that testing will no longer be accepted for state administration employees in workplace as an alternative to vaccination or recent recovery from Covid-19 starting from 1 October.

Meanwhile, starting from Saturday, exemption from the PCT rule is being extended from children under 12 years of age to those younger than 15.

In addition to those who drop off or pick up young children in school and students on public transportation, the exemption is being extended to persons dropping off and picking up special needs children or elderly to care homes or day centres.

Presenting the changes today, Health Minister Janez Poklukar said that exemptions would also apply to users of health services when they get vaccinated against or tested for Covid.

A further exemption in the case of health services will be in cases of medical referrals labelled urgent or very fast, and in emergency social and family affairs cases.

After a call by the equality ombudsman yesterday, an exemption to the PTC rule will also apply to access to charities and other points providing basic necessities to people in need.

The PCT obligation will also not be mandatory for urgent supply with basic goods and necessities, providing public peace and order, security and defence as well as to petrol stations for persons engaged in international transport who leave the country within 12 hours.

The exemptions will also newly apply for recipients of registered mail when they need to accept the delivery in person to avoid legal consequences.

Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik said the new PC rule will only apply to the public administration in the narrow sense, that is government departments and their bodies, inspection services, police and army and administrative units, rather than the whole public sector.

The new rule will only apply to staff doing their job from the workplace. "Exempt are those who cannot get vaccinated for health reasons, they will have the option of self-testing as an exception."

Koritnik said the aim of the measure was to prevent spread of infections at workplace and to ensure undisrupted functioning of the state administration.

"We aren't forcing any state administration employee to get vaccinated, we're not mandating compulsory vaccination, but we do want the measure to be an additional encouragement to get vaccinated," he said.

"All those who don't want to get vaccinated will theoretically be able to work from home if the nature and type of work and the work process make that possible."

If work cannot be organised from home, the employer will be able to take measures in accordance with the employment relationship legislation.

The new PC rule for public administration will kick in on 1 October, which should give all state administration bodies enough time to adapt and organise work and employees to get vaccinated.

To meet the new rule on 1 October, the first jab will be enough but only on the condition that the second is administered by 1 November.

Koritnik said the government was recommending employers to review risk assessment in view of the Covid epidemic and take measures accordingly.

Mateja Logar, the head of Covid-19 advisors to the government, said they had proposed introducing PC rule for all citizens when two thirds of available ICU beds for Covid patients were filed.

The government's decision to start with the PC rule in the state administration was an additional decision, she said.

But she believes the PC rule will likely need to be expanded to other groups of population as well.

STA, 16 September - A Covid pass will be required at gatherings of over 50 people, be it organised public events or public indoor or outdoor gatherings, the government decided on Thursday. This means participants will need to be vaccinated, tested or have proof of recovery.

The changes to the decree on temporary restrictions to public gatherings will step into force a day after being published in the Official Gazette.

So far, the Covid pass was required for events with up to 100 participants and at indoor public events regardless of the number of participants.

The government also changed today the rules for exceptions to the quarantine rule following a risky contact for vaccinated persons. Under the new rules, a person vaccinated with AstraZeneca will not be ordered to quarantine after a risky contact if they received the second shot at least 15 days earlier. So far, it was 21 days.

Existing border restrictions were also extended today.

STA, 16 September 2021 - Seven police officers were injured and several police vehicles damaged on Wednesday after an initially peaceful protest featuring several thousand people against the Covid pass mandate turned violent. Nine rioters were apprehended, police said on Thursday. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs described the rioting as "scandalous".

Police broke up the rally after protesters started throwing bottles, rocks and lit torches at police and the Parliament House, breaking a dozen windows on the building. Tear gas and a water cannon were deployed.

Police Commissioner Anton Olaj told the press on Thursday that freedom of expression and assembly was a legitimate right, but it must be exercised without violence.

"We condemn all violence, including the conduct of protesters at yesterday's rally in Ljubljana, where mass violations of law and order occurred."

Olaj said more such incidents were expected. "We are ready and will continue to act as demanded by the law." He stressed that everyone who organises rallies must realise that they will be held accountable in the end, which includes covering the costs.

There has been criticism in the media of how police handled the protests, in particular the low number of officers at the start and the absence of fencing, which is a typical feature of smaller anti-government protests that take place at the same location each Friday.

Tomislav Omejec, the head of the general police sector at the General Police Department, said protection was organised based on the information available at the time, gleaned largely from Facebook posts.

Police numbers were stepped up once nightfall approached and officers protecting the Parliament House detected pressure escalating, he said.

Interior Minister Hojs described the rioting as "scandalous for a democratic society" and a "realisation of left fascism in practice", after yesterday accusing "offshoots" of left parties of being responsible for the riots.

Asked whether he had any evidence for that, he said it would be "difficult to prove directly whether this or that person called anyone, but this is a pattern that we saw last year", he said in reference to violent 5 November protests.

Unofficial information obtained by news portal N1 indicates that many rioters were football hooligans, who joined a rally that featured diverse groups of opponents of vaccination, masks and a wide spectrum of those displeased with the latest Covid pass mandate.

Hojs dismissed reports that the majority of the protesters were peaceful and that only a handful were problematic, noting that such rallies were always potentially risky if organisers allow groups that want incidents to join.

He also drew parallels with the anti-government protests that have been held each Friday for over a year. "If you look at the composition of people who were there yesterday, at least some of them have been regular visitors of Friday protests."

The rally was organised by several large Facebook groups, including a small political party called Resni.ca, whose leader Zoran Stevanovič said in a press release today that the original event had "nothing to do" with the subsequent violence.

"Because the authorities did not know how to divert attention from this public gathering, they activated a group of rioters immediately after the end of the rally to stage a battle with police... Unfortunately, many peaceful participants who were already dispersing suffered the consequences of police repression," he said.

STA, 15 September 2021 - Božo Dimnik, a lobbyist whose meetings with Prime Minister Janez Janša have been the subject of media scrutiny in recent days, has denied ever talking business with Janša, describing their meetings as "accidental".

"These were far from lobbying contacts, they were accidental meetings," Dimnik told Kanal A on Wednesday, adding that they never discussed business and that lobbying with a representative of the government would be "disrespectful".

The statement comes after POP TV released photos showing Dimnik and Janša playing golf on the island of Mauritius, reportedly in 2003.

Dimnik said he has been holidaying in Mauritius for forty years and had met Janša at the hotel reception.

A more recent report showed Dimnik on a yacht owned by the businessmen Andrej Marčič, reportedly in 2016. Another report showed Dimnik visiting Janša at home at an unknown date.

Dimnik said both meetings were "accidental", adding that they did not involve the planning or conclusion of any transactions.

Božo Dimnik za @Svet_KanalA o ozadju zasebnih druženj s premierjem @JJansaSDS: “Nikoli in nikdar nisva govorila o poslih, nikoli nisem lobiral.” Pravi, da je vedno šlo za naključna srečanja: “Janez Janša je po pomembnosti na repu mojih poznanstev.”
Svet ob 17.55. pic.twitter.com/4TvbTsxqOQ

— Kaja Kobetič (@KajaKobetic) September 15, 2021

Dimnik is a prominent lobbyist and his daughter owns a major supplier of medical equipment that has done millions of euros worth of business with public hospitals.

He told Kanal A that his daughter's company had won all the deals in public tenders.

Janša's and Dimnik's 2003 meeting in Mauritius has already been investigated by the Corruption Prevention Commission, which did not find any irregularities with respect of the duty of public officials to report lobbying contacts, but the commission only checked his contacts ten years back.

A commission spokeswoman told Kanal A that the watchdog had now initiated a new preliminary inquiry based on the new facts. If they detect any irregularities, they will launch a full investigation.

Janša's lobbying contracts will also be the subject of a debate by the parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances, which continues on Thursday after Janša did not show up for the first session. It is unclear whether Janša will attend this time.

STA, 15 September 2021 - Police used a water canon and tear gas to disperse a group of several thousand protesters rallying against the Covid pass mandate in front of Parliament House on Wednesday.

The protest started out peacefully in the afternoon, but towards nightfall the crowd started to push against Parliament House and several signal torches were thrown at the building.

Police in riot gear reacted by firing gas canisters at the crowd, which soon dispersed into the surrounding streets.

Smaller groups returned to the square and started throwing more torches, prompting the police to deploy a water cannon. Stones were also thrown at police.

The protest was organised by several groups opposing vaccination, masks and the Covid pass mandate that entered into force today.

Pred parlamentom je vroče! pic.twitter.com/G94xgXWoQA

— Radio Študent (@radiostudent) September 15, 2021

Razbita flaša. pic.twitter.com/UywetezwpF

— Radio Študent (@radiostudent) September 15, 2021

The groups are active mostly on Facebook and their spokespersons today decried the latest restrictions and called on the government and MPs to resign.

Ljubljana police estimate the crowd numbered 8,000 people and described the rally as "a mass violation of public law and order".

It said officers were pelleted with torches, granite pavers and other objects.

The police was still in the city around 10pm to disperse individual groups that scattered around the centre.

Police Commissioner Anton Olaj called for tolerance and said on Twitter that violence at protests was "inadmissible".

Interior Minister Aleš Hojs pointed the finger at leftist parties, saying their "offshoots" had organised the rally.

He said on Twitter that this was how "left fascism was implemented in practice".

STA, 15 September 2021 - Delegates of the coalition Modern Centre Party (Stranka modernega centra – SMC) will meet in Celje on Thursday for a congress at which party president Zdravko Počivalšek will seek support for a merger with the non-parliamentary GAS party and a tie-up with several other parties and lists for a joint list at the next general election.

Počivalšek, who serves as economy minister in the government of Janez Janša, will look to be given the mandate to merge the SMC with the Economically Active Party (Gospodarsko aktivna stranka – GAS), a pro-business party headed by National Council President Alojz Kovšca.

The plan is to create a liberal, business-oriented party, with the talks on the merger having been conducted in recent months, and to hold a merger congress by the end of the year. The new party would also get a new name.

The abbreviation SMC originally stood for the Miro Cerar Party, after its founder and former prime and foreign minister, with the name being changed later to the Modern Centre Party, keeping the same abbreviation.

According to the smallest party in the ruling coalition with five MPs, the new name is expected to shift the focus on the party being a political partner of the business sector.

At the congress, Počivalšek will seek a mandate to connect with some local parties and lists ahead of the next general election, scheduled to take place next year.

According to unofficial information, talks are being held, among others, with the list of Celje Mayor Bojan Šrot, several local parties, and the Greens of Slovenia, which is headed by former MP Andrej Čuš, now a state secretary of Počivalšek's.

The SMC is reportedly also open for talks to join Revive Slovenia, a project which features several parties, lists and individuals, including the People's Party (SLS). These talks are expected to be held at a later date.

All talks on cooperation and association are being held so that the diverse parties and lists create a joint slate for the next election.

It is expected, though, that the SMC as a parliamentary party will be the driving force, while the remaining parties would help out with a developed local network and locally prominent individuals.

The SMC is also expected to adopt guidelines for its platform for the next election, which include political partnership with the business sector and development for all regions.

What is probably a key congress and key election for the party comes after the SMC joined the Janez Janša government last spring after being part of the centre-left coalition led by Marjan Šarec, formed after the 2018 elections.

The party faced criticism for joining the coalition with the Democrats (SDS) after Šarec resigned, including internally, with as many as five MPs or half of the original number of SMC deputies in the National Assembly leaving the deputy group.

In the last year and a half, Počivalšek has faced allegations as economy minister of misconduct in the purchase of medical equipment in the early stages of the Covid-19 epidemic.

"After Šarec quit at the most difficult moment for our country, the SMC made a responsible move and was a motor of creation of the new government, which has tackled the health and economic crisis," Počivalšek told the STA ahead of the congress.

"Because it is precisely the SMC that holds the key to the current government, we have been the main target of attacks on it," he said, adding that "we have bled in this fight, but survived eventually."

Počivalšek said the SMC would be strengthened by new partners in allies so that it could succeed in the election campaign next year.

The SMC is currently barely registered in public opinion polls and ranks well below the threshold to enter the National Assembly.

The congress comes ahead of the imminent debates in parliament on the opposition-sponsored motions to oust two ministers from the SMC quota - Education Minister Simona Kustec and Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič.

STA, 14 September 2021 - A joint session of two parliamentary working bodies, called by the centre-left opposition to discuss the status of an association that has been linked to the Identitarian movement, was broken off yesterday after one of the ministers invited walked out, while another excused himself from attending the meeting.

The joint session by the Commission for Petitions, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities and the Culture Committee was to discuss the status of the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Values, whose erstwhile leader Urban Purgar recently resigned in the wake of controversy after he posted a "Hitler is #hero" tweet on 1 August.

Urban Purgar and his tweet. Photos: YouTube, Twitter

The opposition Social Democrats (SD), Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Left, Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) and the non-affiliated MPs (NeP) wanted for the Culture Ministry to annul the decision whereby it awarded the association the status of an association in the public interest, which was one of the conclusions proposed for the session to adopt.

SD MP Meira Hot said it was "completely unacceptable" for the association to enjoy such a status considering that it "incites hatred, offends people and even threatens liquidations".

"How can glorifying one of the biggest Nazi leaders be for the general benefit of our society and public interest," the MP wondered, adding that such actions ran in contravention of the Slovenian law.

Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti said a session on neo-Nazism was welcome, and it would be good for discussion to be held in parliament once about "hate speech and totalitarian criminal systems such as Communism, Fascism and Nazism".

He said it was up to the authorities in charge to detect if neo-Nazism was present in Slovenia, while "it is required to approach in equal measure and vigilantly to detecting other totalitarian systems".

The minister soon left the session without stating his position on the proposed conclusions. Since Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič had already excused himself from attendance beforehand, the session was broken off after about an hour.

The centre-left opposition said they would keep resuming and interrupting the session until they have been given answers to their concrete questions.

The parties had told reporters ahead of the session they would insist on the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Values being stripped of the status of an association in the public interest.

"Ideas of Nazism and Fascism are being stringently prosecuted throughout Europe, while the Janez Janša government encourages such ideas and gives them value," said Violeta Tomić, the head of the Culture Committee and MP for the Left.

STA, 13 September 2021 - Employees and users of services in nearly all sectors will have to comply with the vaccinated-recovered-tested rule from Wednesday, a decision that government officials say is designed to offer the best possible protection while keeping the economy and society open.

"The epidemic is a dynamic process that requires a lot of adaptation from everyone. I realise these changes are not pleasant for anybody, but unfortunately we have run out of other options," Health Ministry State Secretary Franc Vindišar told the press on Monday.

Under the new regulation adopted by the government on Saturday, all workers and even the self-employed will have to be vaccinated, have proof of recovery no more than 180 days old, or test at least once a week, whereby PCR tests, rapid tests and self-testing are allowed.

For employees, the cost of testing will be covered by employers, who are allowed to sanction those who do not comply in accordance with regulations governing safety at work or employment relationships.

The wide-reaching provision, which takes effect on Wednesday, has been met with resistance by business owners, who say it is unfair that employers should shoulder the cost.

"Employers do not consent to paying for testing, we think the cost should be borne by individuals. Everyone has the chance to get vaccinated, but if they have concern about that, they should pay for the testing themselves," Branko Meh, the president of the OZS chamber of small business, told the STA today.

Similar points were also raised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and the Chamber of Commerce (TZS).

The requirement applies to all users of services as well, only they will have to pay tests out of their pocket. Users of health services will have to show a Covid pass too, but Vindišar stressed that this does not apply to emergency services.

For service users, the weekly self-tests for job purposes will not suffice, so they will have to get a testing certificate from a licenced providers, according to Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc.

There are a handful of exemptions, including for children up to 12, persons who bring children up to grade three to school, those accompanying children up to 15 to the doctor's, and students on public transportation.

The only shops in which a Covid pass is not needed are grocery stores and chemist's, unless they are located in shopping malls, in which case the rule applies to them as well. Compliance will be checked by the businesses individual.

The Social Chamber of Slovenia urged the government to exempt from the rule persons who need care at home, or else at least 30% of them will end up without it. It argues that staff visiting these persons has no authority to check compliance as they enter a private rather rather a public space.

Business owners have long campaigned against having to check their customers' Covid passes, arguing that they have neither the staff nor the authority to do so.

And with the Covid pass mandate expanded to cover virtually all services, mall operators now complain that the new rules are discriminatory.

Toni Pugelj, the director of mall operator SES Slovenija, said the new rules were unacceptable. Business owners will organise and hire additional staff if necessary, but it would make more sense if the PCT rule was universal, which would cause less confusion.

"Or perhaps the government should institute a radical measure such as vaccination," he told the STA.

Zajc said the Covid pass checking should not be a problem: if consumers do not show a Covid pass, businesses may not serve them.

"This is the precondition to keeping the economy open. With a bit of effort this can be controlled. Our neighbours have proved that this is possible and we are no worse than them," he said.

Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik held a meeting with representatives of various inspection services today and told them that inspectors should focus on prevention and issuing warnings rather than fines.

"That way, there will be less non-compliance and it will be easier for everyone to accept and comply with the regulation," he was quoted as saying in a press release by the ministry.

Stern criticism of what they see as "rapidly changing government regulations to contain the spread of the coronavirus" was made by the centre-left opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB).

The LMŠ said such "measures are unrealistic and full of unclarities" and the SAB said the government was not aware of the damage it had caused.

STA, 11 September 2021 - Nearly all employees and users of services will have to comply with the vaccinated-recovered-tested rule, known in Slovenia by its PCT acronym, under a new regulation which the government adopted on Saturday and which becomes effective on 15 September.

The new rules determine that all workers will have to be vaccinated, have proof of recovery no more than 180 days old, or test at least once a week, whereby PCR tests, rapid tests and self-testing are allowed.

The cost of testing will be covered by the state. Employers are allowed to sanction those who do not comply in accordance with regulations governing safety at work or employment relationships.

The requirement applies to all users of services as well, only they will have to pay for testing out of their pocket.

There are a handful of exemptions, including for children up to 12, persons who bring children up to grade three to school, those accompanying children up to 15 to the doctor's, and students on public transportation.

The only industries in which the requirement is waived are grocery stores and pharmacies, unless they are located in shopping malls, in which case the rule applies to them as well.

Compliance will be checked by employers.

The mask mandate has been expanded as well.

Masks have long been mandatory in indoor public spaces and outdoor when it is impossible to have a distance of at least 1.5 metres. Now they are mandatory in cars if the riders come from multiple households.

Children up to age six are exempted everywhere as are persons with special needs who cannot wear masks.

In educational settings, masks are not mandatory for children up to grade five, during sports or music class, for kindergarten teachers, and university teachers when they speak from behind a glass panel.

Public speakers do not need to wear masks if a distance of up to 1.5 metres can be secured, and performers at cultural events do not need them either.

For indoor hospitality, masks are not required as long as patrons are seated.

With the vaccination rate persistently low albeit rising in the recent days, Slovenia has been relying on the PCT rules to stem the surge in infections while keeping businesses open.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 10 September 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Govt acting childishly on epidemic

STA, 10 September 2021 - The government's decision to give up on efforts to systemically stem the spread of the epidemic and instead shift the responsibility for this onto individuals and let the virus run its course is infantile and constitutes a dereliction of duty, says the weekly Mladina in its latest editorial.

"The authorities' decision to call it a day is a decision that will lead to excess deaths and excess cases of long Covid. But this is not something that should be accepted. No authority has the right to say: We have given you the vaccine, you refused to get vaccinated, so we give up."

If you are in a position of authority, you cannot fail to do your duty because you are offended, you must act to the benefit of the people, including those who do not heed your warnings.

The weekly wonders why those who have been vaccinated, those who must not get a jab out of health reasons or have compromised immune systems, and children are now being punished by a lack of restrictions.

Of course, there are some individuals who are doing their best, including the health minister, but this is not enough, says the editorial You Know That They Left Us to the Virus, Right?.

"To give up when one has the power to act means dereliction of duty. Amid a lack of a serious policy on the fight against the epidemic Slovenia has become some kind of a virus minefield. In only three weeks it has climbed to the top of the EU ranking according to the number of infections."

The paper concludes on a more positive note, hopeful that the authorities will realise how irresponsible and dangerous this is and start taking measures, following in the footsteps of more developed European countries.

Demokracija: Media coverage of BSF not surprising

STA, 9 September 2021 - The weekly Demokracija says in its latest editorial entitled Event on the Island (of the Stupid) that the lack of media coverage of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) is shocking but not surprising.

Minimizing and trivialising an event whose attendance exceeded all expectations and showed that a number of leaders very much care about Europe, has been brought to extreme in the "hair-splitting search for criticism and pathological hatred towards Janez Janša".

An incident in which "a few leftist lunatics" unfolded a flag on the staircase under the church on Bled island to protest "against alleged Fascism in Slovenia" was presented almost as a highlight of the forum by mainstream media, the weekly says.

"Many important and ground-breaking things happened. But the mainstream media either deliberately overlooked them or highlighted the people who cried over the fact that Europe does not want to accept thousands of Afghans, who are leaving their wives and children at home and fleeing instead of fighting against the dictatorship of the Taliban."

As expected, also popular was the "'eternal' topic of the leftists" - the rule of law in Slovenia. Reports were also "spiced up" with the "alleged avalanche of European criticism" targeting Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, who reiterated in Brussels that the EU will not open humanitarian corridors and will not be granting asylums to all Afghans.

This was reaffirmed in a joint statement by interior ministers of EU countries, but the highlight of mainstream media reporting was debates of the leftists in the European Parliament, with MEP of the Swedish Left Party Malin Björk becoming a star for wearing a T-shirt with a sign ZLOvenijo ČUTIM.

"That was a disgrace without compare, a gesture unbecoming of an MEP, which in these parts leftists presented as a concern over Slovenia," reads the commentary.

All our posts in this series are here