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
Only one new coronavirus infection, no new deaths
Four more border checkpoints open for commuters
Sports making comeback, great deal of improvisation still involved
Bar tables no longer limited to members of same household
Poll: People in favour of restrictions easing, still cautious
Western region warns about Covid-19 impact, minority affected too
Only one new coronavirus infection, no new deaths
STA, 7 May 2020 - The coronavirus epidemic in Slovenia keeps flattening out, with only one new case confirmed on Wednesday out of 1,055 tests conducted, bringing the national case count to 1,449. No new deaths have been reported.
Fresh data from the government show that one more Covid-19 patient was discharged from hospital yesterday, leaving only 52 hospitalised with the novel disease.
Only 13 remained in intensive care units, one fewer than the day before.
Covid-19 has so far claimed 99 lives in Slovenia. Almost 80% of the casualties are care home residents, the newspaper Dnevnik has reported.
Data obtained by the paper from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), show that 78 care home residents with Covid-19 have died as of 4 May. Ten of them died in hospital and 68 in the home.
The institute only provided cumulative data, while unofficial data obtained by Dnevnik from those reported by the NIJZ to civil protection teams, show that by 4 May a total of 425 coronavirus infections have been confirmed in 17 old-age facilities, 320 of them were residents and 105 staff.
In six homes infections have been confirmed only in staff.
The figures mean that 22% of the total of confirmed cases in the country as of Monday (1,445) were elderly care home residents, along with the staff the proportion is almost 30%.
Four more border checkpoints open for commuters
STA, 7 May 2020 - The government has decided to open several new border checkpoints with Italy and the railroad crossing in Šentilj, on the border with Austria. The decision was made at a correspondence session on Thursday so as to make it easier to help jump-start the economy on both sides of the border as the coronavirus crisis eases.
Under the decision, people commuting across the border, whose with fields on the other side and those with immediate family members on the other side of the border will be able to cross to and from Italy at border crossings Predel, Erjavčeva Street in Nova Gorica and Neblo.
Moreover, the government decided to reopen the railway checkpoint in Šentilj, north of Maribor, as Slovenia is about to restart public transport in Monday.
A number of border crossings have been closed since mid-March, when Slovenia declared Covid-19 epidemic. At the moment, people are able to cross the border with Italy at Vrtojba, Fernetiči, Škofije, Rateče, Robič and Krvavi Potok, with the latter two open only during the day.
On the border with Austria, the check points Trate, Radelj, Svečina, Kuzma, Gederovci, Šentilj, Gornja Radgona, Karavanke, Vič, Holmec and Ljubelj are open, with the latter two operating only during the day.
Only three crossings are open on the border with Hungary, the shortest border Slovenia shares with a neighbouring country: Pince, Dolga Vas and Hodoš.
Crossing into Croatia is possible through the checkpoints in Sečovlje, Dragonja, Sočerga, Podgorje, Starod, Jelšane, Babno Polje, Petrina, Vinica, Metlika, Slovenska Vas, Obrežje, Rigonce, Orešje, Bistrica ob Sotli, Imeno, Rogatec, Dobovec, Gruškovje, Zavrč, Ormož, Središče ob Dravi, Gibina and Petišovci.
However, only people with special permits, allowed to work on fields on the other side of the border, commuters and those with immediate family members may cross the border without having to go into quarantine. All other passengers are required to self-isolate for a week.
A special regimen is in place for transit transport.
Sports making comeback, great deal of improvisation still involved
STA, 7 May 2020 - While the detailed practice protocols for many sports, for instance swimming and in particular team sports, are still pending, Slovenian athletes are returning to training en masse after the government on Wednesday permitted controlled practice sessions and individual competitions without spectators.
Although it is not yet clear when football competitions will resume, the return to ball training is being hailed across the board among Slovenian football clubs, even if some are still struggling with the improvisation necessary to secure proper protection.
Some are having to do without foreign players and coaches who are stranded abroad or in compulsory quarantine, one example being Sežana's coach Mauro Camoranesi, who has problems getting back from Argentina.
"We're working hard on somehow getting him a flight from South America, but we probably won't be able to count on him for a while longer. The fitness coach will run the practice sessions until his return - for a while he will also have to do without six players who remain quarantined. The boys will practice in groups of four," the club said.
A similar approach will multiple groups has also been adopted by other clubs, which say they are determined to observe the protective measures.
"We opted for even sticker measures than proposed by the Public Health Institute. We briefed the players on the details in a video conference, secured disinfectants, we will take the players' temperature before practice, they will get their own accessories to take home with them, they will not be allowed to touch the ball with their hands or heads. Health comes first," the management of the Ljubljana club Bravo said.
Some athletes already returned to training a while ago, with the Track and Field Association for instance drawing up guidelines as soon a the government lifted the ban on certain individual sports for recreational purposes in mid-April.
Slovenia's triple jump record holder Marija Šestak told the STA that a lot of improvisation had been involved as well, with fitness gear for instance being moved outdoors.
She however warned that serious training had not been possible for more than a month, "which is why an immediate return to competitions should not be expected, not least because of excessive risk of injury".
The government decree also allows for training in contact sports, provided there is no change in training partners, and in sports with two-members teams, which is great news for the 470 class sailing duo Tina Mrak and Veronika Macarol that will be aiming at top spots at the Tokyo Olympics.
Many issue however remain open, for instance swimming pool regimes, the joint use of indoor halls and in particular of equipment, for instance in gymnastics.
"Disinfecting the floor and the goals after each training is still much easier than for instance cleaning gymnastic apparatus. We're waiting for instructions by producers on how to go about disinfection, how alcohol impacts the equipment ... We don't want to ruin it," explained Andrej Kastelic of the city-owned sports facility operator Šport Ljubljana, most of whose 100-plus facilities remain closed for now.
Bar tables no longer limited to members of same household
STA, 7 May 2020 - The National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ) has made changes to its guidelines for bars and restaurants, which have been allowed to serve guests outside since Monday. The rules no longer stipulate that only members of the same household may sit at the same table, however guests at the same table must now sit 1.5 metres apart.
The rule that only members of the same household may sit at the same table had caused dismay among bar proprietors, who said it was impossible for them to know whether the guests are indeed from the same household.
Now, people who are not from the same household may sit at the same table, but they must keep a distance of at least 1.5 metres. The same distance is advised in general for all guests and serving staff.
Bars and restaurants are also advised to limit the number of people sitting at the same table.
While the update is likely to appease bar owners to a certain extent, some of the rules they have criticised in recent days remain in place.
The Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS), which represents thousands of proprietors, has criticised the requirement that cutlery must be wrapped in plastic or a paper towel.
Another major target of criticism is the requirement that restrooms must be disinfected every hour. Bar owners say they should have discretion to disinfect the premises as needed.
Poll: People in favour of restrictions easing, still cautious
STA, 7 May 2020 - The public's concern about the coronavirus has dropped under 60% for the first time since the middle of March, when the epidemic was declared. The uneasiness about the threat of the virus culminated at 86% in the week after the epidemic was declared and dropped to 57% this week, the latest survey by Valicon shows.
The decline is faster than in the previous weeks, which Valicon says might be attributed to a significant easing of restrictions this week and to the encouraging results of the nationwide Covid-19 testing, released this week.
Almost 90% of those polled support this week's reopening of bars and relaunch of many other services, but are still prudent in using them.
A fifth of all respondents had been eagerly awaiting the relaunch of services such as bars, hairdresser's or churches, and have already used at least one such service.
Still, 39% are reserved; while in favour of lifting the services restrictions, they intend to wait at least until next week before using any.
Almost a third are in favour of the easing but believe it is being done without a proper plan, whereas 3% are against it altogether.
Asked to describe their feelings as more services are becoming available, most of those polled (31%) cited caution, followed by approval (21%) and joy (14%).
Eight percent said they felt uncertain and 2% afraid, while 11% said they were indifferent.
Almost four in ten believe the restrictions still in place to contain the virus are too harsh, which is the same at two weeks ago but 6 percentage points more than last week.
The rise could be, according to Valicon, a result of people using some of the services again available and of the nationwide testing, which showed the virus is much less spread than some have thought.
Market research agency Valicon carried out the latest instalment of its special coronavirus survey among 502 adults between 5 and 7 May.
Western region warns about Covid-19 impact, minority affected too
STA, 7 May 2020 - Nova Gorica Mayor Klemen Miklavič has warned about the extreme economic as well as social ramifications of the Covid-19 epidemic for the western Goriška region, caused mostly due to restricted links between Slovenia and Italy. Warnings about the crisis taking a toll on the Slovenian minority in Italy have emerged as well.
"Due to Goriška's dependency on the Italian market, suppliers and consumers, who have experienced a significant drop in their spending power, the region's companies will be faced with the worst crisis in the past three decades.
"The local authorities predict that a lot of companies will go bust, leading to a spike in unemployment. Other companies will have to search for new markets, suppliers, business partners and consumers. We're looking at a high unemployment rate and social struggles," said Miklavič following Wednesday's visit of the Italian Ambassador to Slovenia Carlo Campanile to the town of Nova Gorica.
Tourism and casino business have been hit the most among the economic sectors, including restaurants, accommodation facilities and shops. Given the region's excessive reliance on the gambling business, Goriška is teetering on the precipice of an economic crash, he added.
The mayor would like to see some changes in that respect in the future, such as creating new jobs in entrepreneurship, most notably in high-tech companies providing jobs for the young.
Slovenia's leading gaming company HIT has estimated that its gross realisation between January and April has already dropped by as much as 35% compared to the same period in 2019. The figure keeps increasing with every month the company's casinos stay closed.
The majority of Hit staff works in the region, 1,300 out of a total of 1,700 employed, with only some 100 currently not being on furlough. The casinos have been closed since mid-March. Rumour has it that the company is to slash its workforce by some 400 and even go as far as to close down one of its casinos permanently.
Miklavič has called on the government to prioritise providing aid to the region, including in development investments and tax reliefs, to mitigate the fallout, reduce dependency on the Italian market and support new businesses.
Apart from economic repercussion, restrictions on the border with Italy have also have had a strong social impact.
Bojan Brezigar, a former editor-in-chief of the minority newspaper Primorski Dnevnik, told the STA on Thursday that it was unacceptable that the border with Italy was more hermetically sealed than that with Austria or Croatia during the coronavirus pandemic.
Brezigar said that the Slovenian minority in Italy was upset by Slovenia's attitude regarding the matter as well as by the attitude of some mayors of regions bordering on Italy.
"We are saddened by Slovenia's attitude regarding the border as well as that by its institutions and mayors of towns near the border, including Koper, Sežana and others. The border was open, a fact that meant a great success for us," he said, adding that the strong community there, including the locals who used to cross the border daily or at least regularly, has now been without the option for two months.
He believes that the government has thus shown its true colours about the issue. Brezigar has reiterated that the minority means mostly a budget problem for Slovenia and not a development issue.
The minority representative and former lead editor of the daily, published in the Slovenian language in Italy's Trieste, deems the situation an issue of responsibility and political sensitivity, urging the government to take into account the troubled situation of the minority.
He pointed to the erection of a fence between Nova Gorica and Gorizia, the border towns which have been cooperating closely, highlighting that the Gorizia area was considered one of the Italian regions hit the least by the virus.
Slovenia reintroduced border checks on the border with Italy on 11 March due to the coronavirus outbreak. Only seven entry points have been set up to enable crossings that are warranted. Upon entering Slovenia, all persons need to be quarantined for a week. Public transport between the two countries has been suspended as well.
