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Slovenia to ban public gatherings of more than five persons
Hospitals making room for potential new coronavirus patients
PM says people's safety, health come first in fight against coronavirus
Slovenia to ban public gatherings of more than five persons
STA, 18 March 2020 - The Slovenian government will ban public gatherings of more than five persons in order to fight the coronavirus epidemic. The relevant decree is expected to be adopted on Wednesday, Defence Minister Aleš Hojs said after the government session.
He said the ban would be modelled on Austria's. It will be policed and fines will be put in place for violators.
Austria banned public gatherings of more than five persons starting on Monday.
People are allowed to leave home for work that cannot not be postponed, to buy groceries and to help others. They may go outdoors, but only alone or with people living in the same household.
Hospitals making room for potential new coronavirus patients
STA, 18 March 2020 - Hospitals around Slovenia are preparing for an expected increase in the number of coronavirus patients who will need intensive treatment, with additional rooms being reserved and transitional units established for those suspected of being infected.
UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest hospital, where 14 coronavirus patients are hospitalised, and a further four undergoing intensive care, is gearing up to receive more patients as people around the country are being tested for the new virus.
The number of beds for intensive care has been increased, and the orthopaedic and dermatology wards are also ready to admit coronavirus patients.
UKC Ljubljana general manager Janez Poklukar has said that the two wards were expected to admit first patients in the coming days.
Transitional units have also been opened in the hospital for patients who are suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, so that potential infection is not spread during the treatment.
In Ljubljana, the four patients in intensive care are in critical condition, while between five and 15 patients are hospitalised in the transitional units at any given moment, Poklukar said.
As the non-urgent programmes have been suspended, the hospital has around 30% of the total staff on hold, who are waiting to be called in in the case of an arrival of a large number of coronavirus patients.
Some employees have also been reassigned to wards where such patients are being treated, said Poklukar, adding that for the time being, there were no major problems with workload or burnout.
Community health centres are also restructuring.
The community health centre in Sevnica, for example, is gearing up to accept potential infected persons, director Vladimira Tomšič told the STA.
In addition to two isolation rooms, basement premises with a total of 12 "boxes" have been added to the mix.
PM says people's safety, health come first in fight against coronavirus
STA, 18 March 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has called on the EU to put people's safety and health first in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. "Measures for the economy are important of course, after all in the long term this is the flip side of the same coin, but for us the immediate priority is people's safety and health," he said.
Speaking at a videoconference Tuesday evening convened by EU Council president Charles Michel, Janša also said that the EU should immediately create stocks of emergency medical and protective equipment.
That way it could immediately help any member state which may soon find itself in a similar situation as Italy several weeks ago, Janša was quoted as saying by his office.
The EU Commission notified the leaders that several public procurement procedures were under way to secure emergency medical and protective equipment. Slovenia is involved in all of them.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen endorsed a proposal to form a central EU registry on the emergency purchasing and distribution of emergency equipment and medicines. The Commission will draw up an appropriate legal framework by the end of the week.
The EU leaders also discussed the introduction of a "coronabond" to finance emergency measures and to address the consequences of the epidemic.
