All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Saška Grušovnik. You can see more of her work here.
Ten new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 89
Ban on travel outside of home municipality lifted as of Thursday
Janša does not expect life to get back to normal any time soon
Poll shows increasing concern about job security
Going to hairdresser's or beauty parlour gets complicated
Ten new Covid-19 cases recorded, death toll up by three to 89
STA, 29 April 2020 - A total of 1,317 new Covid-19 tests were performed in Slovenia on Tuesday, with six new cases recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 1,418. Three persons died of Covid-19 yesterday, bringing the total death toll in the country to 89, the government said on Wednesday.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals was down by five to 75, of whom 25 were in intensive care, one more than on Monday.
A total of 51,607 tests have been performed in Slovenia so far, including 1,258 samples taken in the random testing campaign launched on 20 April. No new infections were recorded as part of the random testing yesterday.
Ban on travel outside of home municipality lifted as of Thursday
STA, 29 April 2020 - The government has lifted a ban on non-essential travel outside the municipality of residence starting on Thursday as Prime Minister Janez Janša announced Slovenia had achieved a turnaround in the fight against coronavirus that allowed it to gradually ease restrictions.
The restriction confining people to their home municipality except to go to work, seek emergency services or offer assistance to relatives was introduced a month ago to minimise the spread of coronavirus epidemic around the country and has been one of the most unpopular government measures, in particular in small and densely populated municipalities.
It was relaxed once already to allow people to do seasonal and maintenance work on property outside their home municipality.
Delivering a video address after a cabinet session, Janša said on Wednesday that the number of active infections had "dropped to the degree that allows us to adopt a plan of gradual lifting of restrictions in the foreseeable future", which he said was an "important stage victory in the fight against the epidemic".
The plan, adopted based on recommendations by health experts, is to be presented tomorrow. Janša said some of the dates in the plan were fixed, while others are merely indicative and necessarily so.
Under previously announced plans, businesses such as hair salons and massage parlours will reopen on Monday along with stores outside shopping centres that are under 400 square metres. Bar terraces will reopen as well. All businesses will have to adhere to strict safety rules.
Janša said the reopening was thanks to people complying with the rules, making Slovenia the most successful neighbour of coronavirus hotspot Italy. Such conduct "prevented hundreds of deaths as a consequence of Covid-19 and a collapse of the health system".
He said responsible behaviour would be required going ahead. "Only by consistently adhering to instructions issued by health professionals can we retain the number of infections at a level low enough to avoid new outbreaks of the epidemic and renewed restrictions."
"Slovenia is currently among the most successful countries in the fight against the epidemic. And this is thanks to you. Due to the rapid preparation of corona legislative packages, it is economically and socially among the least affected. Let's continue down this path," he said.
Janša does not expect life to get back to normal any time soon
STA, 29 April 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša believes that although the trend shows Slovenia has for now managed to contain the coronavirus spread, the crisis is not yet over and utmost caution will be required in the future. Speaking for the Catholic weekly Družina's monthly supplement, he said he did not expect life to normalize any time soon.
The government is considering which measures could be relaxed to still maintain social distancing, but is aware that utmost caution will continue to be needed.
"There is no guarantee that the situation will not repeat in the autumn. This is a reason why it will probably be impossible to return to normal any time soon, social distance and sanitisers at public places etc. will still be needed."
He believes the majority of the people appreciate what his government is doing to contain the coronavirus crisis, but he criticised the opposition for being extremely aggressive during this difficult time.
"I believe the vast majority of people appreciate the selfless work of the government, doctors and nurses, members of Civil Protection, Red Cross, Caritas and other charities which help those in need. We are all making an effort to do what needs to be done in the given situation, so that as a nation we exit this ordeal with the least amount of damage".
On the other hand, the "radical leftist, partly extremist opposition and its media extensions" are throwing a spanner in the government's work, said Janša, who also criticised opposition parties for not taking action in time while they were still in power.
By not taking urgent measures while it still could, the opposition has caused major damage, which can now be seen in "a bigger number of deaths and infected persons and in a significantly bigger economic damage than we would have, had [the former government] taken action in time at least at the end of February".
Janša said he was aware "there are people who will never manage to overcome the hatred in them" and "who will always spread negativism in their environment".
"They will accompany every government measure with loud cries and assess it as a conspiracy against freedom and an attack on democracy, they will label it authoritarian," Janša said, adding that he would not like this attitude to affect his team.
Asked what he would like to be different once the epidemic is over, Janša said "everything we also wanted before the crisis".
"The pandemic as such will not change the human nature, but at least our generation ... can learn from it to be more responsible and contribute to less selfish actions by individuals and states," he told Družina's supplement Slovenski Čas.
Poll shows increasing concern about job security
STA, 29 April 2020 - People are increasingly concerned about job loss due to the coronavirus epidemic. Almost a quarter are afraid they will lose their job, while a significant share have already been made jobless, shows a poll conducted by Valicon.
Valicon has conducted a running survey for over a month to gauge people's sentiment during the pandemic. On 23 March, 15% said they were concerned about their job, by 28 April that share rose to 23%.
In the same period the share of those who reported being made jobless rose from 1% to 5%.
"Even though the share is relatively low ... the linear trend indicates it is growing, which corresponds to some data from other sources," Valicon said in a release on Wednesday.
The situation however appears to be improving for those who have been temporarily laid off. While the share of idled workers stood at 22% at the start of the period and shot up to 32% in the second week of April, it has now dropped to 25%.
What is more, the share of those who were on sick leave or took regular leave in this time declined to 5% from 15% at the start of the period, indicating that more people are back at work.
Overall, 66% of respondents currently work, up from 62% at the end of March.
Valicon conducts the survey on a representative online sample of permanent respondents. The latest poll involved 250 respondents.
Going to hairdresser's or beauty parlour gets complicated
STA, 29 April 2020 - To minimize the chance of infection with the coronavirus as hairdressers, beauty parlours and massage services reopen next week, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has issued a set of quite detailed rules the businesses will have to observe apart from the standard wearing of face masks and gloves.
Clients will have to get an appointment over the phone in advance and the service will have to be provided at the agreed time so that clients do not wait together with other clients. There is an exception for those who accompany children or the disabled.
The businesses are also obliged to check with the client the eve or the morning before the scheduled appointment whether the client is in good health.
If they have signs of a respiratory infection, or live in a household with a person who has such infection, or is self-isolated or quarantined, they must be turned down.
The elderly and people with chronic health conditions are advised not to go to a hairdresser's, a beauty parlour or to have a massage during the epidemic.
Clients and staff must use hand sanitiser and face masks, with the staff also required to wear a face shield apart from the face mask.
Only as many clients are allowed to be at an establishment as can be served at one point in time.
There should be as little contact as possible between the staff and the client, and each work station should be at least two metres from the other one.
Work areas and tools used to provide the services must be disinfected constantly, and fresh air must be let in at least once a day.
Certain services are not recommended; hairdressers should not colour eyelashes, shape eyebrows or style beards.
Clients should wash their hair before coming to the hairdresser's and they will have to have it washed again there.
If they cannot provide for a safe distance, beauty parlours must place a plexiglass with holes for the arms between the staff and the client when doing the nails or removing hairs on legs and arms. The wall must be disinfected after every client.
