STA, 28 October 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša visited UKC Ljubljana today, meeting director Janez Poklukar. The latter said in a statement after the meeting that the hospital was investing massive efforts in providing beds, but the biggest problem was lack of staff.

"For 300 Covid-19 patients and another 60 in intensive care, we need 500 nurses and between 75 and 100 doctors. We need to reorganise other programmes to create internal reserves to tend to Covid-19 patients," Poklukar said.

Currently, there are 150 Covid-19 patients at UKC Ljubljana, of them 28 are in intensive care. They are located at five different locations: the infectious diseases clinic, the orthopaedic clinic, the old and the new paediatric clinic and the Peter Držaj hospital.

Preko 1700m2 nedograjenih bolnišničnih kapacitet že več kot desetletje sameva v @ukclj. V manj kot 10 dneh lahko s hitro adaptacijo zagotovimo veliko število oskrbnih mest za #Covid bolnike tik poleg vse ostale potrebne infrastrukture. Izziv za naše gradbenike. #Zmoremo? pic.twitter.com/NXQpstz7Bj

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) October 28, 2020

Poklukar also said that an agreement would be made with spa operators in the coming days to take in some of the patients. Talks are taking place at the national level, said Poklukar, who believes that patients who are no longer infectious could be sent to spas.

Poklukar today briefed Janša about the hospital's efforts, with the prime minister commending the hospital staff for their work during the pandemic.

The prime minister said in a tweet that more than 1,700 square metres of space had been left undeveloped at the hospital for over a decade, saying that quick adaptation works could provide a large number of beds for Covid-19 patients.

UKC Ljubljana explained for the STA that these were premises of a planned diagnostic and therapeutic service complex, which was an extension to the main hospital building.

The premises are in the development phase and the original plan was for them to house intensive therapy and operating theatres, the hospital said, adding that it would now try to turn it into a makeshift Covid-19 ward with around 100 beds.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia

STA, 28 October 2020 - The Commission for Justice and Peace (Komisija Pravičnost in mir) of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference has warned in a statement ahead of All Saints' Day that there is a danger of a growing culture of disregard for human life. It expressed support for everybody fighting for human lives in the coronavirus pandemic and criticism of a part of political opposition.

"Life takes precedence over ideology and the fight for power," the commission has said, adding that a part of the opposition invests a lot more effort into climbing back to power than in helping save lives and preserve health of Slovenians.

"In this situation, this is a perverse political practice because it does not focus on people and the common good, but on interests of certain groups," the commission said in the statement issued on Wednesday.

Citizens rightly expect a different approach: leaders joining forces in key issues and expressing unity and solidarity in order to save lives despite holding diverging views and interests. "Effort for the common good is a top commandment and a norm of any responsible politics and civil position."

Part of the left-leaning opposition took issue with this, saying that the Catholic Church in Slovenia was undermining its own credibility with such statements.

The Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) said it was "appalled and disappointed with the unwarranted insinuations about the bad intentions of the opposition".

The party would like the Church to deal with its primary mission, instead of undermining its own credibility with "cheap politicising" and showing its lack of understanding of democracy and democratic processes, it added.

The commission is also worried about "acquiescence or even inciting of Friday protests", saying that protests would soon become insignificant had "they not had support from the main public media, above all RTV Slovenija".

The Left said that the statement represented ideological fight against the protesters, RTV Slovenija and the opposition.

"With such moves, the leadership of the Slovenian Roman Catholic Church is doing harm mostly to believers and the Church itself, as such divisive addresses only resonate as an extension of the ruling party SDS," it added.

The commission is also worried because of what it feels is unresponsiveness of the public opinion in the face of incitement to violence and murders of political opponents.

"Culture of death - as Pope John Paul II labelled disregard for human life - is reflected in a peculiar way by the attitude of a part of our politicians toward decent burial of victims found in the graves of war and post-war mass killings perpetrated by Communist revolutionaries."

The commission also noted that All Saints' Day will not be commemorated by group religious events.

All out stories on religion and Slovenia

STA, 28 October 2020 - The Civil Society Alliance, an ad-hoc group, has urged the National Assembly to put an end to the government's abuse of the Covid-19 epidemic for its own ideological agenda and for an enhanced introduction of authoritarianism.

The public appeal, filed to parliament on Wednesday, remains open for signing after it has already been joined by 42 organisations and over 740 individuals.

The alliance brings together anti-government protesters, individuals and civil groups after Friday cycling rallies were suspended due to the worsening of the epidemic and other forms of protest were announced last week.

The appeal shows that those who penned it have come together to restore democracy and the rule of law and boost the welfare state, social responsibility and solidarity.

In a statement in front of the National Assembly, they said the appeal aimed to remind MPs of their constitutional right and duty to recall such a government.

Ex-Health Minister Dušan Keber (2000-2004) said that "instead of fully focussing on containing the epidemic, which poses a tremendous health and economic threat and threatens to turn into a humanitarian catastrophe sooner or later, the government is adopting laws and by-laws, appointing staff along the party lines, attacking the media, subjugating the police, humiliating judges and attacking the civil society in the shadow of paralysed public life and in the absence of public debate".

The alliance urges the government to withdraw the changes to media legislation and the bills on the demographic fund and on the abolishment of several public agencies.

It also takes issue with excluding NGOs from environmental procedures and evicting NGOs from the Metelkova complex and with a bill on investment in military equipment.

Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič announced after receiving the appeal, which the alliance hopes would gather 50,000 signatures, that he would distribute it to all MPs.

While every MPs can form their own opinion on the proposals in the appeal, Zorčič believes the assessment that democracy is being trampled on is exaggerated.

He said that "nothing has happened that would warrant such action" on the part of the National Assembly.

Zorčič however said the protesters' decision to suspend Friday cycling rallies was a responsible move.

STA, 26 October 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša said after holding talks with Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik, who had not waited for their coronavirus test results in isolation, that he was not asking them to resign, as the government was working around the clock and was thus making mistakes.

"I demand from no one to resign. The government works 24 hours a day and also makes mistakes. This happens in particular because each minister is performing a dual job," Janša said on Monday in an answer to a question from POP TV.

The prime minister also said in a tweet, to which he attached a screenshot of journalist questions, that the job of a minister was stressful and that they did not receive bonuses. "These are received by those who, without masks on their faces, criticise from a full studio someone without [a mask]".

Logar's positive test was confirmed on Friday after he was routinely tested as he returned from abroad, while the media report that he met in the National Gallery its director Barbara Jaki while waiting for the test results.

According to government Covid-19 spokesman Jelko Kacin, Logar was scheduled to be present at the event after the testing.

Immediately after being informed about testing positive, he stopped all his activities, and the entire office of the foreign minister stopped its activities as well, he added.

Kacin also said that Logar had not had any symptoms and that he had been routinely tested. "No one had expected that he would be positive, but it turned out that he was. He has been in isolation since," he added.

The media have also reported that Minister Koritnik did not wait for his preventive coronavirus test result in isolation either, and that he visited a beauty salon. His test has turned out to be negative.

Koritnik apologised in a written statement today, saying that it was ill-advised of him "not to wait in the car in front of the salon". He claims he did not put anyone at risk or violated the measures and epidemiological recommendations valid at the time.

The minister added that he believed the preventive test was a sign of his responsible behaviour towards his colleagues and all others in his surroundings.

Koritnik said he was following the expert recommendation that a preventive test without symptoms or risky contacts does not require self-isolation.

Kacin also said that Interior Minister Aleš Hojs had been tested today after an infection had been detected among his closest aides.

The test is negative and Hojs returns to his job today, Kacin said, adding that the minister had been in self-isolation while waiting for the results.

MPs meanwhile said later today that missteps regarding compliance with preventive measures could be made by anyone, however decision-makers, putting in place those measures, should respect them and set an example for citizens to follow.

Opposition parties also mostly acknowledged that to err was human, but also went harsher on Logar and Koritnik's conduct as well as on Milan Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health, who recently failed to wear a mask while pumping gas at a filling station.

The Left's leader Luka Mesec was most critical, finding it outrageous that the prime minister did not even apologise, let alone dismiss these officials. He also noted that Janša recently blamed the worsening epidemiologic situation on media and the opposition, urging the government to step down.

Marjan Šarec, the previous prime minister and head of his eponymous party LMŠ, said that such missteps undermined the credibility of the measures and pointed to what he sees as the two-faced nature of the current government, which showed no remorse.

Such missteps should be as rare as possible among public figures, who should be role models for citizens, said Predrag Baković, a SocDems MP. Andrej Rajh of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) pointed out that when such missteps were as a common occurrence as among government officials, the epidemiological situation became alarming.

Meanwhile, the National Party (SNS) head Zmago Jeličič considers reports about the missteps rivalry between various media in catching officials flouting the rules. He also said that SocDems leader Tanja Fajon had not always been wearing a mask, however that had not been in focus on television.

Anja Bah Žibert of the ruling Democrats (SDS) said that the party was heeding the measures non-stop and had never been urging citizens to flout them. Gregor Perič of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) said that such missteps could occur to anyone, however they should be avoided as much as possible.

STA, 26 October 2020 - The Nova Gorica municipality in the west and Slovenian minority organisations in Italy have called on the Slovenian interior and foreign ministries to coordinate anti-corona measures in the border area where cross-border ties are strong with the Italian government and Friuli-Venezia Giulia authorities.

"We would like to see coordination between Ljubljana, Rome and Trieste that would show understanding for people's lives, particularly those of both ethnic communities, the Slovenian in Italy and the Italian in Slovenia, and for the economy in the border area.

"The first wave of infections already showed that the state border in the Goriško area cuts across the Slovenian-speaking area and intense cross-border economy, cultural and social activities," reads the appeal, signed by Nova Gorica Mayor Klemen Miklavič and the heads of the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Association (SKGZ) and of the Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO), Ksenija Dobrila and Walter Bandelj, respectively.

Gorizia Mayor Rodolfo Ziberna has already addressed a similar appeal to the Italian government.

The mayors of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, twin towns, separated by the border, have noted the ramifications of poor coordination between Slovenia and Italy, highlighting that citizens do not see the need for restrictions within the community since both the spread of coronavirus and preventive measures are similar on both sides of the border.

Today's appeal points out that even if unilateral measures by Ljubljana or Rome are taken in good faith, they pose a risk of casting doubt on support for turning the area into the European cross-border region.

Moreover, border restrictions interfere with day-to-day activities and urgent errands in the cross-border urban centre of Gorizia and Nova Gorica as well as weaken economic and other ties between the twin towns.

Both towns were relatively successful in tackling the first wave. They are doing relatively well in stemming the second wave as well, with Gorizia being even more effective at the moment. The Italian town is thus surprised over Slovenia's border restrictions in the area.

Nova Gorica and the minority organisations have thus called for measures that would not result in economic damage or hamper the progress of long-term development in the cross-border region.

Miklavič added that the government had taken into account the nature of cross-border regions when imposing movement restrictions. There will be no physical barriers at small border crossings or between the twin towns as a result.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia

STA, 24 October 2020 - Slovenia is conducting intense preparations for its EU presidency in the second half of 2021, which is expected to foreground economic recovery after Covid-19, the EU's resilience to crises and the bloc's expansion as priorities.

Foreign Ministry State Secretary Gašper Dovžan told the STA that "it is increasingly clear to the government what will be doable during the presidency" and what Slovenia can contribute. Things will also depend on how much is done by Germany and Portugal, which will precede Slovenia at the helm of the EU Council.

The second aspect, one where preparations still have a bit to go, is the coordination with the next trio of presiding countries - France, Czechia and Sweden. It is in Slovenia's interest that things that successively presiding countries have in common and are feasible be put on the list of priorities and that a kind of common thread is secured for two trios, Dovžan explained.

The draft of the priorities, which is being debated continuously by a taskforce, will be finally out only at the end of June next year, but it includes economic recovery and development after the pandemic. It will be key to use the envisaged funds as wisely as possible so that a green transition is secured, the official said.

The other priority task of Slovenia's presidency will be strengthening of the EU's resilience to different kinds of crises, which includes pandemics, cyber attacks and migration.

"This is something that is a challenge for all of us and we see that the level of the EU's autonomy needs to be raised here," said Dovžan, the no. 2 official responsible for the presidency project after Foreign Minister Anže Logar.

Another priority will be preserving the focus on EU enlargement. "The crisis we are witnessing has also shown how dependent we are on neighbours and from the standpoint of practical solidarity and security we need to strengthen efforts for the enlargement process to continue," he said.

The programme of the presidency will also depend on the programme of the European Commission for next year, which was adopted this week but is now subject to coordination among EU institutions. Dovžan said Slovenia needs to see what concrete legislation is expected to be on the table during its presidency.

The Commission has already taken the initiative with the financial framework of the EU, the recovery fund, migration and climate change, he added.

The priority tasks will also determine where the country will need the most staffing support during the presidency. Given the Commission's programme this will be finance, interior affairs and climate change. The latter will mostly require people with broad horizontal knowledge, the state secretary argued.

There is a general need for people with very good horizontal knowledge who "can step in in different areas and fill the gaps that are also being created by the pandemic".

Dovžan expects that candidates will also apply that already have some experience, as well as driven young people willing to learn fast.

Asked whether the staff will be ready for the task by July next year, he said that nobody included in the project will be alone.

"This work is done in groups, so we feel the train has not departed yet," Dovžan said, mentioning reassignments within the system and a strong push toward being ready as much as possible by 30 June next year given the circumstances.

He explained that about 61% of the planned 350 fixed-term hirings for the presidency project have been completed by mid-September. The number of total hirings planned has not been changed for the time being.

"We want to see now how many people are hired by 10 November and then we will decide if the posts left unoccupied at individual ministries will be used to directly strengthen the permanent representation in Brussels," Dovžan said.

He explained that the pandemic and the problems with travelling made it likely that the presidency will be focused in Brussels more than expected. There is also the infection and self-isolation factor, which leads to sudden shortages of staff, which is why it is necessary to have extra capacities, the state secretary said.

He added that the situation has also led to a decrease in the planned informal events related to the presidency in Slovenia. While the idea was to organise more than 300 such events, the plan is to reduce this figure by around 20%.

STA, 25 October 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša's endorsement of US President Donald Trump for a second term has sparked an acrimonious Twitter exchange with Michael Carpenter, the foreign policy advisor to Trump's Democrat challenger Joseph Biden.

"Lol, Trump picks up an endorsement from Slovenia's prime minister, previously indicted and convicted on corruption charges. But don't worry, Slovenian friends, in 11 days we'll be sending demagogic populism packing," Carpenter tweeted, adding the Slovenian word for shame, 'sramota' at the end.

Lol, Trump picks up an endorsement from Slovenia's prime minister, previously indicted and convicted on corruption charges. But don't worry, Slovenian friends, in 11 days we'll be sending demagogic populism packing. Sramota. https://t.co/0e9J41kTRy

— Michael Carpenter (@mikercarpenter) October 23, 2020

This was after Janša joined leaders of the likes of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in endorsing Trump.

"We respect difficult, tragic personal life of Joe Biden and some of his political achievements years ago. But today, if elected, he would be one of the weakest presidents in history," Janša tweeted on Friday.

In response to Carpenter's tweet Janša denounced it as blatant lie on Twitter on Saturday.

"Yes, I was not only wrongfully convicted, but also sent to prison 3 times starting with 1988 trial in front of Yugoslav communist military court. But all cases were dismantled by Constitutional or other courts. It is A.D. 2021. You can easily check the facts online," Janša tweeted.

Well, Mr. @mikercarpenter from @PennBiden:
1. all of us outside #US will of course respect the decision of US voters whatever they decide. Hope you will do the same (there are some doubts watching your supporters in Baltimore)1/5

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) October 24, 2020

"Despite that, you are blatantly lying. Now I see why @realDonaldTrump calls you the #Swamp. Even if this is an influence of yours "slovenian friends", it doesn't excuse you. Hope US administration will newer again shame itself by such "career" diplomat."

Janša also said that "all of us outside #US will of course respect the decision of US voters whatever they decide. Hope you will do the same (there are some doubts watching your supporters in Baltimore)".

Carpenter's tweet invited both negative and positive reactions. Dan Fried, a former as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, tweeted that it was not wise for a country to take sides in another country's democratic elections.

Reporting on Janša's endorsement of Trump, the Associated Press wrote that right-wing conservatives in Eastern and Central Europe, like Orban, Serbian President Aleksanda Vučić and Janša, "have sometimes copied Trump's style of leadership".

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 23 October 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Calls for solidarity with social victims of the crisis

STA, 23 October 2020 – The left-wing weekly Mladina says in its latest commentary that the numbers showing the social crisis brought by coronavirus are as horrifying and painful as the numbers of the infected, hospitalised and deceased. It adds that one must not express solidarity to patients without expressing solidarity to people who have been impacted in other ways.

"We cannot build the fight against the epidemic on the daily count of the infected, hospitalised and deceased. Of course, these numbers are important...but betting on these numbers distorts the picture. Other numbers hidden behind these numbers."

Under the headline In the Name of the Coming Weeks, Grega Repovž, the editor-in-chief of the left-leaning weekly, adds that the entire industry of socialisation, entertainment and recreation was halted last week in order to reduce the number of persons affected by coronavirus.

"The number of people without income, without means of subsistence drastically increased this week. These numbers are as horrifying and painful," Repovž says, adding that solidarity should also be expressed to these people.

The government has failed to prepare itself for this form of crisis in the past months, and now this problem may be solved only with humaneness and love. "This sounds cheesy and cheap, but it is not. If we want to solve what is coming, we badly need sentient people at all levels."

Repovž wonders whether Slovenians are aware at all how terrifying a social bomb is ticking as the "state has failed, and municipalities are pretending they have nothing to do with it," as there are no funds to finance rents and there is no additional welfare.

He also notes that it was politics which has taken the decisions which now reflect in all these numbers, and that society only followed it by default as it has limited power in the relation with politics.

"Politics is now telling us that it is best for us to point fingers at each other. Let's not fall for this trick. They are doing this in order to mask their own responsibility," concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: Mainstream media promoting resistance against government

STA, 22 October 2020 – The right-wing weekly Demokracija says in Thursday's commentary that Slovenian mainstream media encourage opponents of restrictive measures while promoting resistance against the government.

"The epidemiological situation in Slovenia is progressively worse while the media mainstream promotes the conduct of [rapper Zlatan] Čordić and company who encourage boycotting masks and the application for tracing infected persons, and promote resistance to the centre-right government in these difficult times," says the editorial Born (and Raised) for Violence.

"It seems (and it is probably not far from the truth) that they genuinely want the virus to murder as many Slovenians as possible so that they can point their fingers at the faces at Gregorčičeva Street."

"And when someone from the government reacts, condemns their behaviour, they scream about attacks on media freedom and stories about the establishment of totalitarianism on the sunny side of the Alps are flying around the world, travelling to all possible and impossible addresses of (ideologically kidnapped) international progressive (media) associations."

The paper notes that these media are, however, not reporting on last week's attack on the Nova24 cameraman. "This would not be in line with political correctness and the maimed ideology of liberal democracy. It is allowed to beat the conservative-oriented (rightist, if you will), until exhaustion, is it not?"

According to the commentator, it is perhaps time that "good and peace-loving people no longer (just) pass olive branches. And that the principle Vim vi expellere licet [it is permitted to expel force with force] is not just dead ink on paper."

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, 16 October
        ROME/TRIESTE, Italy - National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič held talks with the presidents of both chambers of the Italian parliament, the chairs of several parliamentary commissions and a Foreign Ministry state secretary. The focus of the talks was on reform of Italian electoral legislation. This was also the main topic of what was first official visit of Foreign Minister Anže Logar to the Slovenian community in Italy.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša said that fake news in the sense of denial of the danger of the new coronavirus, spreading in Europe mainly through social media and in Slovenia also through mainstream media, was what was forcing Europe and individual countries to take harsher measures than would otherwise be needed.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Putting 38% of Slovenian territory under Natura 2000 protection was "a shot in the knee", PM Janez Janša told the press after an EU summit that had climate goals as one of the items on the agenda. He said that the European average for the area, where it is forbidden to produce energy from natural and sustainable sources, is 18%.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) said "appalled by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša's latest attack against the Slovene public broadcaster STA". This comes after Janša's Twitter post on Thursday calling the STA a "national disgrace". "This demonising of public service media and journalism must stop," said the EFJ.
        LJUBLJANA - Almost 900 new coronavirus were confirmed, a new daily high. The figures come to a positivity rate of roughly 16%.
        LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Ministry defended the national energy and climate plans in the face of a review from the European Commission, saying that in some areas Slovenia's goals were even more ambitious than the bloc's commitments. The ministry also said the Commission highlighted some positive aspects of the plans adopted last February.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council warned that the budget expenditure planned for the next two years is too high, while also saying that the divergence from the fiscal rule was understandable and could be allowed, considering the coronavirus pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protesters returned to bicycle protests yesterday. Police said a few hundred gathered and 33 violations of the ban on gatherings in public were recorded.
        TORONTO, Canada/GRAZ, Austria - Magna International, the Canadian-Austrian automotive multinational, announced it would start producing Fisker Ocean, an electric SUV, in 2022. According to unofficial reports by the Austrian Kleine Zeitung, the car would be assembled in Magna's plants in Graz, Austria, and in Hoče, near Maribor.
        LJUBLJANA - The second Slovenia-wide digital radio network, a technology known by its acronym DAB+, was launched. The new multiplex carries the signals of regional and local radio stations, and stations serving the Italian and Hungarian minorities.
        LJUBLJANA/SLOVENJ GRADEC - The Association of Journalists and Commentators expressed concern over "a renewed abuse of the wheels of the judiciary" after Bojan Požar, author and proprietor of the news portal Požareport, received a suspended three-month prison sentence for defamation and insult due to an article in which he alleged that Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič and his former aide Matjaž Štandeker had bribed bankers.

SATURDAY, 17 October
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has condemned a terrorist attack in a Paris suburb in which an assailant beheaded a teacher. "We need to enforce zero tolerance for terrorism and street violence across #EU," Prime Minister Janez Janša said on Twitter.
        LJUBLJANA - The share of coronavirus tests that came back positive exceeded 19% for the first time on Saturday, as 726 cases were confirmed in 3,765 tests.
        LJUBLJANA - The Association of Journalists and Commentators (ZNP) condemned an incident that occurred during a 16 October protest in Ljubljana and involved the rapper Zlatko grabbing the camera from a Nova24 cameraman. It said this was an "attack on journalistic freedom and consequently on freedom of expression." The Slovenian Journalists' Association condemned all forms of violence, both verbal and physical.
        WROCLAW, Poland - Slovenian writer Goran Vojnović was awarded the Angelus Central European Literary Prize, conferred to works by Central European writers translated into the Polish, for his 2013 novel My Yugoslavia. The annual award is conferred by Wroclaw to writers who take up the most important topics for the present day.

SUNDAY, 18 October
        LJUBLJANA - The government officially declared a coronavirus epidemic for the entire country starting on 19 October. meaning that the national protection and rescue plan was activated. The epidemic was declared for an initial period of 30 days. Prime Minister Janez Janša called for responsibility and solidarity in the face of the pandemic in a video address to Slovenian citizens. He said a challenging period of cold weather was ahead, which required effective measures.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 537 new coronavirus cases in 2,637 tests. The positivity rate exceeded 20% for the first time. The 14-day cumulative rate of infection per 100,000 people reached 339 compared to 317 the day before.

MONDAY, 19 October
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor delivered a video address to the people underlining that at the time of crisis, community closes its ranks. "We have to be courageous and determined but also tolerant and patient. This is particularly important for politics. It must make an honest effort for mutual respect and cooperation," he said.
        LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus infections reached 794 in 4,326 tests. Two more people died, brining the death toll to 192. About 1% of Slovenia's population is infected with Sars-CoV-2 based on the test positivity rate, the head of the government task force Bojana Beović said.
        LJUBLJANA - Facing criticism from the opposition in parliament about the government's response to the Covid-19 epidemic, Prime Minister Janez Janša assured MPs that Slovenia had prepared well for the second wave. He said the second wave of the epidemic would eventually pass and that only then it would be possible to make comparisons with other countries.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša presented the government's plans regarding the distribution of EU and state recovery funds. He said investments were in the healthcare system and infrastructure, which would include two new infectious disease clinics and nursing hospitals in all regions.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar hosted his counterpart from North Macedonia Bujar Osmani for talks that focused on preparations for an intergovernmental conference at which North Macedonia expects to start EU membership talks. Logar expressed the belief that the talks would start during Germany's presidency of the EU.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor stressed at a virtual summit of the Three Seas Initiative that this platform offers a unique opportunity to change this part of Europe into a modern, sustainable and innovative society. He added that the initiative must not be understood as a grouping of certain EU members countering other members. Foreign Minister Anže Logar took part in a ministerial panel devoted to smart money.
        LJUBLJANA - The Nova Gorica Administrative Court was reported to have annulled the dismissal of former director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Darko Muženič. The court's decision is final, so there is no possibility of an appeal.
        LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana's city councillors adopted a statement condemning any activities or gatherings of paramilitary or nationalist groups in the capital. The opposition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) protested, unsuccessfully proposing that the item be removed from the City Council's agenda.
        LJUBLJANA - Chief supervisor of telco Telekom Slovenije Aleš Šabeder and supervisors Barbara Cerovšek Zupančič and Bernarda Babič resigned, citing the current situation in the five-strong supervisory board. Šabeder expects the remaining two supervisory board members to follow suit.
        LJUBLJANA - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek signed a set of amendments to Slovenia's association agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA), which he said constituted an important step towards full-fledged membership. The minister expects cooperation with ESA to deepen further.
        
TUESDAY, 20 October
        LJUBLJANA - A temporary 9pm-6am curfew entered into force across Slovenia to limit the spread of coronavirus. The ceiling for gatherings was lowered from ten to six people and a blanket ban on movement among statistical regions put in place, albeit with exceptions related to work, emergency situations and services, family assistance and farm work.
        LJUBLJANA - A record 1,503 Sars-CoV-2 infections were confirmed as the test positivity rate exceeded 25%. Covid-19 hospitalisations rose by 20 to 333.
        TALLINN, Estonia - FM Anže Logar met his Estonian counterpart Urmas Reinsalu as he started a three-day tour of the Baltics, with the pair expressing the wish for closer cooperation on the bilateral and EU levels in digital services.
        LJUBLJANA - The centre-left opposition parties called on the government to mend its ways, which they argue are the reason for what they see as a "fatefully low level" of public trust in measures and recommendations aimed to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country.
        UDINE, Italy/BILBAO/Spain - Slovenian cyclist Jan Tratnik (Team Bahrain McLaren) won the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia between Udine and San Daniele del Friuli to become only the fifth Slovenian ever to win a stage at the prestigious road race around Italy, while his more celebrated compatriot Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma) won the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana.

WEDNESDAY, 21 October
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's coronavirus tally soared to another daily record as 1,663 infections were confirmed from a record 6,215 tests, a positivity rate of over 25%. Hospitalisations increased to 357, with 62 patients in intensive care.
        LJUBLJANA - Anže Erbežnik ended up two votes short of appointment as Constitutional Court judge in a 44:35 secret ballot at the National Assembly. The result was the same for the nominee for Banka Slovenije vice-governor Arjana Brezigar Masten, who also needed the absolute majority of all votes. The coalition said this was not an indication of disunity in its ranks.
        LJUBLJANA - MPs passed changes to the integrity and prevention of corruption act which the government argues strengthen the preventive and supervisory role of the anti-graft commission. They also aim at clearly delineating the powers in prosecution of corruption between the commission on the one hand and the police and prosecution on the other.
        RIGA, Latvia - Foreign Minister Anže Logar continued his three-day tour of the Baltics by meeting his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkevičs for talks that focused on the importance of coordinating measures to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. They called for a joint EU approach in coordinating these measures but noted that this was largely within the purview of national governments.
        VILNIUS, Lithuania - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya as part of his visit to Lithuania. He said that Slovenia advocated dialogue between all political stakeholders, called for peaceful talks, and expressed support for the efforts made as part of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) and Council of Europe.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly unanimously passed amendments to the environmental protection act designed to tackle the long-running problem of packaging waste and to transpose EU directives in the field. Under the amendments, packaging waste treatment companies will need to accept all waste from waste collection utility companies based on a fee paid by the companies that produce such waste.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed an amendment to the motorway tolling act that creates the legal basis for the e-tolling of cars. The new system is to become operational by the end of next year and drivers will be able to buy "electronic vignettes" via an app, online or at service stations.

THURSDAY, 22 October
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will put in place new restrictions to limit the spread of coronavirus. Non-essential shops will be closed, as will hotels, kindergartens and student dormitories, Prime Minister Janez Janša announced. The measures, entering into force on Saturday, will initially be in place for a week and will then be re-evaluated.
        LJUBLJANA - The government asked parliament to activate Article 37a the defence act which gives members of the Slovenian Armed forces certain police powers on the border. The proposal, which the government says is primarily needed because of the additional burdened placed on police by the epidemic, needs a two-thirds majority.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke via videoconference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They discussed the Covid-19 situation in Europe, the EU presidency trio's activities and the situation in the Western Balkans. Janša said that Germany had offered emergency medical equipment should Slovenia require it.
        VILNIUS, Lithuania - Foreign Minister Anže Logar wrapped up a three-day tour of the Baltics by meeting Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Antanas Linkevičius. Cooperation between the countries at bilateral, European and multi-lateral levels being on the agenda, in addition to the situation in Belarus.
        LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin had an informal videoconference with his German and Portuguese counterparts, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Joao Gomes Cravinho. The talks focused on European defence policy.
        LJUBLJANA - Singer-songwriter, musician and poet Vlado Kreslin is the recipient of this year's Ježek Award, an accolade celebrating creative and witty radio and television oeuvres and achievements. Kreslin is instilling a spirit of freedom, solidarity, tolerance and joie de vivre in Slovenia's cultural sphere, the judging panel has said.

STA, 23 October 2020 - Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anže Logar tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a routine test on Friday, the Foreign Ministry has announced, adding that he is not displaying any Covid-19 symptoms.

Following recommendations from the public health authorities, Logar and his closest aides who have been in contact with him will self-isolate for the next ten days, the ministry added.

Logar is Slovenia's highest-ranking official to have tested positive for the novel virus after the infection has so far been officially confirmed in two MPs and the Maribor mayor.

The news comes after the foreign ministers of Austria and Belgium, Alexander Schallenberg and Sophie Wilmes, both announced on Saturday to have tested positive.

Schallenberg's spokesperson said the minister might have caught the virus at the 12 October session of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, which was also attended by Logar.

The Slovenian foreign minister wrapped up a tour of the Baltic countries in Lithuania on Thursday after he had already visited Latvia and Estonia in the previous two days.

Also today, Tadeja Šuštar, an MP for the coalition party New Slovenia (NSi), announced she had tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.

In post on her Facebook profile the MP said she had taken a self-pay test as a precaution after receiving an alert from the coronavirus exposure app.

Her deputy faction said other NSi MPs were not self-isolating because they had strictly followed all precautionary measures while in contact with Šuštar, including wearing face masks and social distancing.

Despite the infection, the second after Social Democrat (SD) MP Gregor Židan tested positive while on holiday almost two weeks ago, the National Assembly continued proceedings as per usual today.

More Top Officials Caught Breaking Rules

STA, 23 October 2020 - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik and the public health chief Milan Krek are the latest officials to have been exposed by the media for apparently flouting coronavirus precautions.

According to a report by the commercial broadcaster POP TV, Koritnik visited a beauty salon while waiting for his coronavirus test result, which later turned out to be negative.

Meanwhile, Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health, was spotted filling up at a service station in Ljubljana without wearing a face mask on Thursday, TV Slovenija reported.

Krek confirmed the incident, explaining that he was tired and was not jeopardising anyone.

Koritnik told POP TV that he got himself tested on Thursday as a precaution after infections were confirmed at his ministry in the past week.

Since he did not have any direct contact with infected persons, he was not advised to self-isolate. As a rule those who get tested are advised to behave as if they were infected.

Koritnik's negative test result did not come back until Friday morning. Having a day off the day before, he visited a beauty salon, where POP TV said he also broke the government decree because five people were inside the salon at the same time.

"The premises are large, I was there with my life companion," Koritnik said in response.

The incidents follow after photos emerged of an unmasked National Council President Alojz Kovšca during a visit to the Slovenian minority in Hungary, and an unmasked Education Minister Simona Kustec attending a sports gala event.

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