STA, 12 April 2021 - Ljubljana, 12 April - Slovenian Press Agency (STA) director Bojan Veselinovič has told the government he is granting it access to all books of account and documents, even though the STA has never received a formal request to that effect. He said the government should say, in writing, who will access the documents on its behalf and in what way.

In an open letter sent on Monday, Veselinovič says he is doing that despite the government having never formally transferred its shareholder rights to any government agency or body, which he has said in the past is a prerequisite under Slovenian corporate law to grant access to anyone except the government as such, including the Government Communication Office (UKOM).

Veselinovič acknowledged that the move may be construed as "legally incorrect" but "I have opted for this step having struggled between consistent respect for a clearly defined legal framework which governs the information rights of shareholders, and a repeal of the vapid excuse by the government side which leads to the financial starvation of the STA and jeopardises the social security of the employees."

He also reiterated that the STA has not received the public service fee for this year, even though that obligation is set down in the seventh anti-corona law, which stipulates that it is entitled to the payment regardless of whether a public service agreement with the government has been concluded or not.

Moreover, he said the government has refused to sign a public service agreement even though it had been urged to do so, and he rejected the recent claim by the prime minister's chief-of-staff, Peter Šuhel, that he had been invited twice to sign a public service agreement but refused to.

Noting that the independent auditor has highlighted risks to liquidity in its report on the STA's financial operations, Veselinovič said that "it is the duty of the government as the representative of the founder to honour its legal obligations and prevent the collapse of the STA."

The government said in a tweet that UKOM had called on Veselinovič to sing a new contract on 24 February and 29 March. It also published the two letters, which call on Veselinovič to "clearly say whether he acknowledges UKOM as a representative of the founder so that we can prepare a new contract and also forward all the documents that had been demanded".

The question whether the government would respond to Veselinovič's latest call was left unanswered. UKOM merely said that Veselinovič had not forwarded the requested documents until today.

The STA's supervisory board called on the government at the end of March to meet its legal obligations to the agency, which had been performing the public service of informing the public under the STA act and had been recording very good business results so far.

The board also said that all documents and data were always available to the government as the only STA shareholder.

The head of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) and deputy prime minister, Zdravko Počivalšek, said on Twitter Veselinovič had made the right move today "albeit a bit late". "The STA is an important state institution, so it is essential that this dispute be solved as soon as possible," he said.

The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) did not respond to Veselinovič's call but pointed to a recent letter by the NSi head and deputy prime minister, Matej Tonin, urging Veselinovič to immediately forward the requested documents to UKOM. Tonin also assessed at the time that the relationship between Veselinovič, the government and UKOM had deteriorated so much in the last months that the STA director should offer his resignation for the benefit of the agency.

STA, 12 April 2021 - The journalists of the newspaper Delo, as well as the paper's editorial board and the Journalists' Association, have condemned threats levelled against Delo's Brussels correspondent Peter Žerjavič by Žan Mahnič, the state secretary for national security.

The journalists believe that the threat tweeted by Mahnič is yet another attempt to put pressure on the newspaper and individual journalists who are doing their job professionally and in line with the highest standards, also enjoying the support of the publisher leadership and editorial board.

Last week, Žerjavič tweeted a link to an article about Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša's criticism of the German public broadcaster ARD following a report by the broadcaster about pressure on the media in Slovenia.

Unfortunately, Mr. @NikNeumaier, you performed a censorship #PRAVDA or #DerStürmer style. Literally. Excluding from your report almost everybody who disagreed with your one sided agenda. It’s a shame for #ARD @ARDstudioWien. #lyingforlivinghttps://t.co/qu9AOYBbYR https://t.co/rA889Wk6vi

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) April 7, 2021

"Lügen für den Brotwerb". Tako so na ARD prevedli hud očitek slovenskega premierja (lying for living) njihovemu novinarju in celi hiši. Primerjanje osrednje nemške javne TV s Stürmerjem ali Pravdo je že tako poniglavost, kakršne na tej ravni še ni bilo. https://t.co/bd6zsFNLoJ

— Peter Žerjavič, Delo (@ZerjavicDelo) April 8, 2021

"Comparing the main German public TV broadcaster with Stürmer or Pravda is hypocrisy never before seen at this level," Žerjavič added in reference to the Nazi and Communist propaganda papers to which Janša likened the ARD and which is also discussed in the article posted on the website of the ARD news show Tagesschau.

In response, Mahnič tweeted "who in the EU cares what some irrelevant ARD thinks. You should be worried how many more Thursday afternoons you will be having fun at Place du Luxembourg if Petrič fails to get annexes for the second rail track."

.@ZerjavicDelo, koga v EU briga, kaj si misli nek brezvezni ARD. Tebe naj raje skrbi, kolikokrat se boš še lahko zabaval na Place du Luxembourg ob četrtkih popoldne, če Petrič ne bo dobil aneksov za #2tir.

— Žan Mahnič (@ZanMahnic) April 8, 2021

Mahnič was referring to Stojan Petrič, a co-owner and the director of the publisher Delo, who remains a prominent figure in the industrial conglomerate Kolektor, the company that recently signed key contracts with the government to build a new railway to the port of Koper.

Apart from current journalists working at Delo, an open letter was also issued by former journalists of the paper, saying Mahnič's tweet was not only a threat but also an attempt at blackmailing Delo.

"He has made these threats openly and without reservations, even though this is criminal blackmail, a brutal attack on the paper's autonomous editorial policy and media freedom in general. A new violent attempt at political subjugation of Delo is taking place via blackmail of the owner."

The letter also mentions alleged withdrawal of a commentary by Janez Markeš critical of the government from a Saturday edition after a part of the copy had already been printed.

"Was the editor under pressure from outside or under political pressure to do this? In any case, the paper has witnessed brutal (self)censorship, inconceivable in autonomous and credible journalism," former Delo journalists said.

They also noted that the pressure Delo had found itself under is not unlike the pressure to which public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and the press agency STA were being subjected.

STA, 12 April 2021 - National vaccination coordinator Jelko Kacin pointed the finger at Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik last night when asked about problems in vaccination organisation on a current affairs show broadcast by RTV Slovenija. Prelesnik denied the accusation, saying the responsibility for delays lay solely with the government.

Kacin was asked on air Sunday night why Slovenia had not set up an effective nation-wide IT system allowing those who want to get vaccinated to register for a jab. The moderator also noted that some had gotten vaccinated simply by turning up at a vaccination site, while others could not get vaccinated despite having applied.

How to get a covid test in Slovenia

FInd out where you can get a covid test in Slovenia here

Kacin noted people started registering at the country's one-stop-shop online portal eUprava in December after being called to do so by the government.

However, the Information Commissioner's Office had issued a temporary injunction preventing this data to be sent to local health care providers, said Kacin. "This is an unreasonable decision, and it is impossible to work miracles until it remains so."

Prelesnik said today that not her office but those in charge bore the full responsibility for the delays, having failed to plan an effective process of registration and implementation of the vaccination drive.

Prelesnik said Kacin was either "pretending ignorance or is actually ignorant of the problem, which are both rather concerning". Delays in the vaccination drive are caused by inadequate quantities of vaccines, which has nothing to do with the injunction, Prelesnik said.

Her office found that the eUprava registration process misled citizens because it remains impossible to determine what users had achieved by registering - whether they only demonstrated interest in getting vaccinated or had actually been placed on a waiting list.

The office imposed the injunction, instructing the Health Ministry, the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ) and the Public Administration Ministry to inform individuals about the use of their personal data in mid-March.

They have not done this until this day and those who registered can in no way rely on their registration, which Prelesnik believes is unacceptable.

She said that those in charge had failed to show respect for basic human rights, such as the right to fair and transparent processing of personal data, when designing the process.

The Information Commissioner's Office found that public servants in charge of personal data protection within government bodies had raised issues but had been ignored by decision-makers.

Citizens have the right to know and the state must show them minimal respect by informing them how and where they can register to get vaccinated, said Prelesnik.

"Such important information should have been communicated by government representatives in a comprehensive and uniform manner. Instead we face new, contradicting and unclear statements by representatives of different bodies every day."

Prelesnik also called into question the purpose of the eUprava vaccination registration as such, saying nobody had accessed the data by the time the injunction was issued, while relevant bodies continue to instruct people to register only with their GP.

Interior Minister Aleš Hojs responded to Kacin's statement on Twitter last night, accusing Prelesnik of "unbelievable usurpation of authority".

Data on covid vaccination in Slovenia can be found here (in Slovenian only)

STA, 10 April 2021 - Voters in Slovenia are apparently not tired of new faces and parties as more than 64% of the respondents in a public opinion poll conducted by Mediana for the newspaper Delo said the Slovenian political arena needs a new party that would fill the content gap.

Region-wise, the largest share of respondents who are inclined to a new face come from central Slovenia, shows the survey conducted between 6 and 8 April on a sample of 705 adults.

As many as 79% of the respondents from the voter base of the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) would like to see a new face come, which confirms that the party of the former prime minister does not have a solid base, Delo said on Saturday.

On the other hand, as many as 56% supporters of the ruling Democrats (SDS) think that new faces and parties are not needed in Slovenia.

Around 23% of the respondents would certainly or probably vote for Aleksandra Pivec, the former president of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) who has established a new party called Our Land.

The same share of support goes for MPs Igor Zorčič and Janja Sluga, who recently left the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC).

According to the poll, the most recognisable face and having the most chance of being voted for is MEP Ljudmila Novak, the former president of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi).

Court of Audit president Tomaž Vesel and former Environment Minister Jure Leben, who is establishing a new party with a green note, are supported by 15% and 16% of the respondents, respectively.

Delo notes that these shares are not directly translatable to actual election results, as the respondent were limited only to a theoretical environment of new parties alone that are not facing a "real" competition.

STA, 11 April 2021 - A fire broke out Friday evening in the house of a local councillor for the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) in Črnomelj, Vesna Fabjan, after an unknown perpetrator threw a petrol bomb though the window.

Fabjan told news portal 24ur that a petrol bomb had come flying through the window, causing a small fire. The family were able to put it out quickly.

Novo Mesto police said an investigation was under way. The damage is estimated at EUR 2,000.

LMŠ said no political or other activity warranted such a cowardly and brutal attack on anyone, adding that police should find the perpetrators as soon as possible.

The party's leader, Marjan Šarec, wrote on Twitter there was increasing intolerance in society, which sooner or later translates into actions. "There is no justification for this cowardly act."

Vse več je nestrpnosti v družbi in to se prej ali slej odrazi v dejanjih. Za to strahopetno dejanje ni opravičila! https://t.co/YBva5qeFZ6

— Marjan Šarec (@sarecmarjan) April 10, 2021

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 9 April 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Mantra about society being polarised is plain lie

STA, 9 April 2021 - Mladina says in its latest editorial that leading politicians talking about the nation being divided and society being polarised is a "plain lie" and that its purpose is to create a false narrative about the support for the current government coalition.

The left-leaning weekly adds that this is confirmed neither by election results nor public opinion polls conducted since 2008, saying that "Slovenia is not politically divided into two equal parts" as this is a "plain populist lie."

Appearances and statements by governing politicians clearly show how important it is for them to repeat the theory that society is divided and polarised - this way they show that the public support they receive themselves is much higher than the actual support for their parties and policies.

"In all elections since 2004 ... a majority has been won by parties that declared themselves as clear opponents of the Democrats (SDS)," Mladina adds under the headline A Simple, but Big Lie.

The same is being confirmed by public opinion polls: the SDS and its satellites never get more than a third of overall support, and parties that break their promise of not cooperating with the SDS practically always lose public support immediately.

As for government support, the situation is similar - at this point Slovenia is not polarised, but it could be said that it is almost united: a vast majority is against the government led by Janez Janša and his SDS party.

"What polarisation is President Borut Pahor, an open supporter of the SDS, talking about then when he says that society is divided and polarised?" Mladina wonders, adding that by doing that, Pahor is fictitiously inflating public support for Janša and his government.

Of course, Janša is the one who talks the most about society being divided and polarised, but this theory is also repeated by all members of the government and Janša's satellites, as well as analysts who make public appearances as allegedly unbiased observers.

This is simply a lie as the "public has not been as politically unified as today for quite a while - since 2014. It is united in the conviction that it does not support these arrogant and autocratic authorities or government."

Demokracija: Fact checking to defeat media lies

STA, 8 April 2021 - Demokracija says in its latest commentary that opinions about the state of freedom of the press in Slovenia should be based on checkable facts and adds that people are getting aware that what they used to consider as mainstream, credible and influential media are not that anymore.

The right-wing weekly notes that in the State Department report about the media in Slovenia, the "only opinion by the Americans of their own is that the [Janez] Janša government respects media freedom and that there are no political pressures."

It adds that truth is a very practical challenge: it is based on checkable facts, and facts are undoubtedly on the side of the government, with two things being encouraging.

The first is that the government does not want to be likeable to the mainstream media and be apologetic when it is criticised or accused of something. "Naive people who would let the media guide them like controlled idiots no longer sit in the government palace."

Demokracija adds that the illusion that the established (progressive) media have influence on political decision has been lost with the third government of Janez Janša, which is a huge blow for their egos, as they imagined that they would be running the country regardless of who is in power.

"The second thing that is encouraging is that people are getting gradually aware that those what they used to consider as 'mainstream', 'credible' and 'influential' media are not any of that anymore."

They used to power the "motor of the Slovenian version of the lying cultural Marxism" with hatred towards Janša, the weekly says, expressing the hope that such media subversion is ending.

"Facts can now be checked on the internet, and fact-checking is the best way for truth to defeat lies," concludes the commentary headlined What Gender the Martians Are?

All our posts in this series are here

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, 2 April
        LJUBLJANA - Four centre-left opposition parties tabled a motion asking the National Assembly to impeach Prime Minister Janez Janša before the Constitutional Court. They accused him of violating several articles of the Constitution and laws, pertaining to healthcare, the media, prosecution, and human and constitutional rights.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia will get its pro rata share from a package of 10 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine whose delivery has been pushed forward from the first to the second quarter of the year. Under the plan agreed by EU member states, this means approximately 47,000 doses of the vaccine, of which 10,000 doses will reportedly be donated to the Czech Republic under a bilateral agreement.
        LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry picked Sanolabor as the supplier of a million rapid antigen test for mass testing for coronavirus. Sanolabor offered EUR 1.37 per test, with the total cost for the state amounting to EUR 1.137 million.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council noted that at least one of the two conditions enabling the government to depart from the obligation of medium-term fiscal balance under exceptional circumstances would be met next year, and advised caution.

SATURDAY, 3 April
        LJUBLJANA - The head of Slovenia's vaccination advisory group, Bojana Beović, told POP TV that the group had proposed suspending vaccination of younger people with the AstraZeneca vaccine until all dilemmas about serious undesired side effects are clarified.
        MARIBOR - Several hundred protesters gathered in the Maribor city centre to protest against anti-coronavirus measures. The rally was organised through social networks. The protesters did not wear face masks and ignored distancing recommendations.
        LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Janez Poklukar ordered an emergency oversight over the payment of epidemic bonuses following media reports about excessively high payouts, in particular to doctors.

SUNDAY, 4 April
        LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - PM Janez Janša said in his Easter message the coronavirus pandemic had fully exposed society's vulnerability and weaknesses, but expressed confidence Slovenia would overcome this trial.

MONDAY, 5 April
        NAZARJE - Appliances maker BSH Hišni Aparati generated almost EUR 380 million in revenue last year, a rise of almost 10% over 2019. The company did not reveal the profit figure, while telling the STA it was planning to increase revenue to EUR 487 million this year.
        
TUESDAY, 6 April
        LJUBLJANA - As part of the EU presidency trio format, the defence ministers of Slovenia, Portugal and Germany discussed the Strategic Compass process, EU-NATO cooperation, military mobility, and the bloc's support for stabilisation efforts in Mozambique. Minister Matej Tonin stressed the Strategic Compass would be a priority during Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of the year.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar held a video conference with Bavarian State Minister for European and International Affairs Melanie Huml in preparation of his visit to the German state on 22 June. The pair discussed ways to enhance cooperation in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court announced having annulled in an unanimous decision the implementation of a provision from one of the legislative packages for mitigating the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic that extends accreditations to higher education institutions. The provision was stayed in late January.
        LJUBLJANA - Two groups of petitioners submitted their respective initiatives for a referendum on the contentious amendments to the water act after they had collected over 9,000 and 33,000 signatures, respectively. The upper chamber of parliament voted against a veto on the amendments.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council noted that, according to preliminary data, the national budget deficit in the first three months amounted to EUR 1.29 billion, which is almost half of the deficit planned for the entire year.
        LJUBLJANA - The registered jobless total was down for the second consecutive month in March, standing at 82,638, or 6.1% less than in February. The number is nevertheless 6.1% higher year-on-year.

WEDNESDAY, 7 April
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša urged countries to join the EU's efforts to provide anti-coronavirus vaccines to less prosperous countries, as he took part in a virtual conference hosted by the World Forum for Ethics in Business to mark World Health Day, which discussed the changing paradigms during the pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Bojana Beović, the head of the national advisory committee on immunisation, said Slovenia would not change its Covid-19 vaccination strategy for the time being after the European Medicines Agency announced that unusual blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia denied asylum-seekers access to asylum in 2020, while forcibly returning migrants to Croatia, Amnesty International said in its latest human rights report. The country was criticised for limiting freedom of assembly during the pandemic, handling Covid infections at care homes inadequately, and failing to resolve Roma issues.
        LJUBLJANA - The European Court of Human Rights admitted an application against Slovenia over an alleged violation of the right to a fair hearing. The case concerns Constitutional Court judge Rok Čeferin's failure to exclude himself from a case.
        LJUBLJANA - Preliminary inquiries by the Education Ministry into the sentiment towards the announced self-testing of students showed that around 22% of pupils of the final three years of primary school and 18.5% of secondary school students would self-test. Several parents' initiatives oppose the plan.
        LJUBLJANA - The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning published a resolution on Slovenia's long-term climate strategy until 2050 with one of the goals being climate neutrality and resilience to climate change.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia woke up to an unseasonably cold morning with temperatures dipping into the 20s below zero in the south of the country in what was the coldest April morning on record.
        
THURSDAY, 8 April
        LJUBLJANA - Education Minister Simona Kustec announced pupils would return to schools and children to kindergartens following an 11-day circuit-breaker lockdown 12 April, which is in line with the promise made before the country entered its third coronavirus lockdown. Universities remain shut.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed a provision of a government decree which restricts travel to countries on Slovenia's red list of high-risk countries due to Covid-19, pending its final decision. It invoked its right to stay legislation to prevent the occurrence of irreparable damage.
        LJUBLJANA - The government said it expected that this year's budget expenditure will be EUR 800 million higher than planned in the current budget documents, arguing the situation regarding Covid-19 had deteriorated significantly since the budgeting process was completed.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor congratulated Vjosa Osmani on being elected president of Kosovo and wished her successful work as they had a telephone conversation, focussing on the epidemiological situation and cooperation between the countries and in the region.
        LJUBLJANA - The government decided to donate Covid-19 protective equipment to several Western Balkan countries following a request for aid through the EU civil protection mechanism. Montenegro will receive EUR 107,350 worth of equipment, North Macedonia EUR 115,000, and Serbia EUR 120,300.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council said that public investment that is to increase in the coming years could help drive economic growth and development, but that the institutional framework should be improved if investment is to be efficient.
        STRASBOURG, France - The latest Council of Europe report on penal statistics in its 52 member states showed Slovenia had 109 prisoners per 100 prison beds in 2020, which made it one of the CoE member states with the most crowded prisons; it placed the 9th most prison-crowded country. The Justice Ministry said it was aware of the situation and that two new prisons were planned.
        LJUBLJANA - Five exchange traded funds (ETF) by Bulgarian Expat Capital were listed on the Ljubljana stock market, following years of efforts by the Ljubljana Stock Exchange to attract ETFs there once again.
        LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a new decree on packaging and waste packaging under which all producers of packaging, not just those that put more than 15 tonnes of packaging on the market in Slovenia annually, are liable for waste treatment fees.

STA, 9 April 2021 - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša expressed their condolences following the death of Prince Philip on Twitter on Friday after Buckingham Palace announced Queen Elizabeth II's husband died aged 99 this morning. The Slovenian Foreign Ministry and the country's embassy in London have also expressed condolences.

Pahor expressed sincere condolences to Queen Elizabeth II and the citizens of the UK on behalf of Slovenia on Twitter and so did the Foreign Ministry.

Also posting on Twitter, Prime Minister Janša said: "I express my deepest condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom on the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh."

I express my deepest condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom on the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh. pic.twitter.com/H5UrI9ODLV

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) April 9, 2021

V imenu Republike Slovenije izrekam Njenemu Veličanstvu kraljici Elizabeti II. in državljanom Združenega kraljestva iskreno sožalje in sočutje ob smrti Njegove Kraljeve Visokosti vojvode Edinburškega.

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) April 9, 2021

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry meanwhile tweeted that "we are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Slovenia conveys sincere condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family."

The Slovenian Embassy in London said this was a very sad day for the UK and the whole world.

"A very sad day for the UK and the whole world as we mourn and remember the life of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Our thoughts are with Her Majesty The Queen, the Royal Family and the British people."

Prince Philip spent more than 73 years by the queen's side and would have turned 100 in June.

In a statement shortly after midday, the Buckingham Palace announced that he died this morning at Windsor Castle.

The duke, who was the longest-serving consort in British history, had returned to Windsor Castle on 16 March after spending a month in hospital.

Prince Philip accompanied Queen Elizabeth II on many state visits around the world, including to Slovenia in the autumn of 2008, when they were in the country for three days.

It was the first visit of the kind to Slovenia that was an opportunity to boost relations between Slovenia and the UK. The royal couple were hosted by then President Danilo Türk.

On the occasion, Queen Elizabeth II symbolically received as a gift a Lipizzaner horse from Lipica, although the horse remained in the care of the stud farm here.

Among the highlights of Prince Philip's visit was him presenting gold MEPI Awards to 26 Slovenian students. It was the Duke of Edinburgh who founded the programme in 1956.

STA, 9 April 2021 - The government unveiled on Friday its latest strategy for a gradual easing of restrictive measures depending on the epidemiological situation. Easing of several restrictions is envisaged in tier red, which Slovenia will be in as of next week, including reopening of primary schools and kindergartens, and lifting of the curfew.

Criteria at state level

*number of infections represents the average daily number of newly identified infections in the last seven days

Tier black
No. of infections: more than 1,350
Hospitalisations: more than 1,200

- curfew
- limited public transport services
- shops selling necessities, post offices, banks are open
- kindergartens are open along with primary schools for the first three grades of primary school, and schools for children with special needs
- urgent lab courses are allowed for university students
- top, up-and-coming and professional athletes and members of national teams are allowed to train and compete
- contactless sport activities outdoors are allowed
- individual exercise and family exercises are allowed

Tier red
No. of infections: under 1,350
Hospitalisations: under 1,200

- primary schools and kindergartens reopen in full along with secondary schools under model C, which means student alternate between in-class and remote learning every week, in-person seminars and exams with up to 10 people are allowed at faculties
- dorms reopen for secondary school students
- museums, libraries, galleries reopen
- contactless outdoor sports activities are allowed along with individual and family exercise
- individual classes are allowed in music, ballet and contemporary dance schools
- cadets and juniors are allowed to train
- certain services and shops reopen

Tier orange
No. of infections: under 1,000
Hospitalisations: under 1,000

- in-person lessons with some restrictions for college students and university students
- assembly of up to 10 people
- all shops reopen, bars and restaurants allowed to serve customers outdoors
- student dorms open
- no restrictions to movement among regions

Tier yellow
No. of infections: under 600
Hospitalisations: under 500

- tourist facilities reopen
- no more restrictions for secondary schools or faculties

Tier green
No. of infections: under 300

- No more restrictions for the entire country
- General hygiene measures remain in place, bars and night clubs remain closed

The latest data on covid and Slovenia, and thus how close we are to restricitions being lifted

STA, 8 April 2021 - The government is expected to potentially change the strategy for a gradual easing of restrictive measures based on the epidemiological situation at a session on Thursday, and decide on the education process after 12 April when the circuit breaker lockdown is scheduled to end.

The STA learnt unofficially that the Covid-19 task force has proposed to the government to keep kindergartens and primary schools open even when the epidemiological situation calls for tier red and have secondary school students study under model C, meaning half the class is in school for a week while the other half continues learning from home.

Under the current plan, kindergartens and the first three grades of primary school switch to model C in tier red, while the rest study from home.

The task force proposes that in tier orange, secondary schools also reopen for all students not just the final grades under model C.

The experts would also abolish the 10pm-5am curfew in the tier red for individuals or several members of the same household.

They also propose that bars and restaurants be allowed to serve their customers outdoors in tier orange and that masks no longer be obligatory outdoors if a safety distance is kept.

They also propose a compensation for those in isolation due to infection and those in quarantine because of a risky contact.

The seven-day rolling average of new daily cases was at 889 on Tuesday, which means the country would be in tier orange if it was not for the 11-day circuit breaker lockdown. However, last week the seven-day average exceeded 1,000, which would mean tier red.

The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) estimates there were almost 13,300 active cases in the country on Tuesday.

All our stories on covid and Slovenia