STA, 16 September - A Covid pass will be required at gatherings of over 50 people, be it organised public events or public indoor or outdoor gatherings, the government decided on Thursday. This means participants will need to be vaccinated, tested or have proof of recovery.

The changes to the decree on temporary restrictions to public gatherings will step into force a day after being published in the Official Gazette.

So far, the Covid pass was required for events with up to 100 participants and at indoor public events regardless of the number of participants.

The government also changed today the rules for exceptions to the quarantine rule following a risky contact for vaccinated persons. Under the new rules, a person vaccinated with AstraZeneca will not be ordered to quarantine after a risky contact if they received the second shot at least 15 days earlier. So far, it was 21 days.

Existing border restrictions were also extended today.

STA, 16 September 2021 - Seven police officers were injured and several police vehicles damaged on Wednesday after an initially peaceful protest featuring several thousand people against the Covid pass mandate turned violent. Nine rioters were apprehended, police said on Thursday. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs described the rioting as "scandalous".

Police broke up the rally after protesters started throwing bottles, rocks and lit torches at police and the Parliament House, breaking a dozen windows on the building. Tear gas and a water cannon were deployed.

Police Commissioner Anton Olaj told the press on Thursday that freedom of expression and assembly was a legitimate right, but it must be exercised without violence.

"We condemn all violence, including the conduct of protesters at yesterday's rally in Ljubljana, where mass violations of law and order occurred."

Olaj said more such incidents were expected. "We are ready and will continue to act as demanded by the law." He stressed that everyone who organises rallies must realise that they will be held accountable in the end, which includes covering the costs.

There has been criticism in the media of how police handled the protests, in particular the low number of officers at the start and the absence of fencing, which is a typical feature of smaller anti-government protests that take place at the same location each Friday.

Tomislav Omejec, the head of the general police sector at the General Police Department, said protection was organised based on the information available at the time, gleaned largely from Facebook posts.

Police numbers were stepped up once nightfall approached and officers protecting the Parliament House detected pressure escalating, he said.

Interior Minister Hojs described the rioting as "scandalous for a democratic society" and a "realisation of left fascism in practice", after yesterday accusing "offshoots" of left parties of being responsible for the riots.

Asked whether he had any evidence for that, he said it would be "difficult to prove directly whether this or that person called anyone, but this is a pattern that we saw last year", he said in reference to violent 5 November protests.

Unofficial information obtained by news portal N1 indicates that many rioters were football hooligans, who joined a rally that featured diverse groups of opponents of vaccination, masks and a wide spectrum of those displeased with the latest Covid pass mandate.

Hojs dismissed reports that the majority of the protesters were peaceful and that only a handful were problematic, noting that such rallies were always potentially risky if organisers allow groups that want incidents to join.

He also drew parallels with the anti-government protests that have been held each Friday for over a year. "If you look at the composition of people who were there yesterday, at least some of them have been regular visitors of Friday protests."

The rally was organised by several large Facebook groups, including a small political party called Resni.ca, whose leader Zoran Stevanovič said in a press release today that the original event had "nothing to do" with the subsequent violence.

"Because the authorities did not know how to divert attention from this public gathering, they activated a group of rioters immediately after the end of the rally to stage a battle with police... Unfortunately, many peaceful participants who were already dispersing suffered the consequences of police repression," he said.

STA, 15 September 2021 - Police used a water canon and tear gas to disperse a group of several thousand protesters rallying against the Covid pass mandate in front of Parliament House on Wednesday.

The protest started out peacefully in the afternoon, but towards nightfall the crowd started to push against Parliament House and several signal torches were thrown at the building.

Police in riot gear reacted by firing gas canisters at the crowd, which soon dispersed into the surrounding streets.

Smaller groups returned to the square and started throwing more torches, prompting the police to deploy a water cannon. Stones were also thrown at police.

The protest was organised by several groups opposing vaccination, masks and the Covid pass mandate that entered into force today.

Pred parlamentom je vroče! pic.twitter.com/G94xgXWoQA

— Radio Študent (@radiostudent) September 15, 2021

Razbita flaša. pic.twitter.com/UywetezwpF

— Radio Študent (@radiostudent) September 15, 2021

The groups are active mostly on Facebook and their spokespersons today decried the latest restrictions and called on the government and MPs to resign.

Ljubljana police estimate the crowd numbered 8,000 people and described the rally as "a mass violation of public law and order".

It said officers were pelleted with torches, granite pavers and other objects.

The police was still in the city around 10pm to disperse individual groups that scattered around the centre.

Police Commissioner Anton Olaj called for tolerance and said on Twitter that violence at protests was "inadmissible".

Interior Minister Aleš Hojs pointed the finger at leftist parties, saying their "offshoots" had organised the rally.

He said on Twitter that this was how "left fascism was implemented in practice".

STA, 14 September 2021 - Slovenia has been recording solid tourism figures this year but the sector is not expected to bounce back before 2023 or, more likely, 2024, Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc said on Tuesday.

Asian guests are unlikely to return before 2023. However, the digital Covid pass will make travel easier for European tourists in that it removes uncertainty in the crossing of borders, Zajc said.

Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) figures show tourist arrivals rose by 28% year-on-year in July and August combined, but this is still 28% below 2019 figures.

In the first seven months of the year, arrivals were down 19% on the year before and 61% lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The projections for autumn are positive and whole-year arrivals are expected to rise by 11% over the year before, mostly due to the return of foreign guests, according to STO director Maja Pak.

The figures were presented at the Slovenia Incoming Workshop, the biggest event for tour organisers in the country. A total of 193 tour organisers are participating, of which 82 from abroad.

STA, 14 September 2021 - A survey UNICEF Slovenia carried out in June among 400 respondents aged 10 to 18 has shown that a lack of quality inter-personal relations during the Covid-19 epidemic has deepened distress of children and youths in Slovenia. Many children and youths do not turn to adults for help and are trying to resolve their problems themselves.

The survey on mental health of children and youths in Slovenia has also shown that the majority felt strained or under stress "often or all the time" in the past year, UNICEF Slovenia said in a press release on Tuesday.

UNICEF Slovenia has been warning for some time that school closure and other measures to contain the epidemic have had a largely negative impact on children, with risks of abuse, violence and poverty increasing alongside inadequate diet, a rise in overweight children, and a considerable rise in psychological distress.

As many as 70% felt unexplained pain in the stomach or chest, did not feel well physically, or experienced sleep disorders, long-lasting sadness and despair. Some of them felt several of these symptoms simultaneously for a longer period of time, and almost 50% reported to be more anxious than before the epidemic.

21% assessed their mental health as poor, 60% are more afraid of the future as a result of the epidemic, and the majority address their issues without the help of others.

The distress of children and youths remains largely overlooked. The pandemic has caused many new instances of distress, while further deepening the existing issues, said family therapist Polona Greif.

"The scope of much of the distress has not yet become fully visible, but will be certainly felt for a long time by both society and by the most vulnerable individuals," she added.

A rise in distress among children has also been noticed at UNICEF's safe points around the country. There are 1,050 safe points in 120 towns, with more than 2,050 trained adults providing protection, help or just a piece of advice.

STA, 13 September 2021 - The Postojna Cave, one of Slovenia's main natural landmarks, which reopened for visitors in June after the longest closure in its history due to Covid-19 restrictions, expects to have around 220,000 visitors this year. The head of the company operating the cave, Marjan Batagelj, expects the pre-pandemic figures to be reached in ten years. 

"If normality in tourism is measured by the number of visitors, nights and revenue, the post-pandemic normality will be reached in ten years," said Batagelj, CEO of Postojnska Jama.

After 307 days of full closure, the company expects around 220,000 visitors this year if no new lockdown is imposed.

Batagelj said this was close to figures recorded about ten years ago. "However, today we are in a much better shape than we were then," he said, adding that comparisons with the pre-pandemic 2019 were not possible.

Postojnska Jama revenue topped EUR 8.4 million at the end of 2020, which means a loss of almost EUR 2.6 million.

Batagelj expects this year's revenue to reach about EUR 10 million, which is comparable to 2010.

The pandemic has also affected the structure of guests.

While in 2019, a third of visitors came from non-European countries, 24% were from neighbouring countries, 22% from big European countries and 7% Slovenians, this year (between June and the end of August), Slovenian guests accounted for 22% of the visitors, 21% were from neighbouring countries, 46% from the main European markets, 8% from other European countries and only 3% were non-Europeans.

Next year, some 429,000 visitors are expected at the Postojna Cave, of whom 11% Slovenians and 18% larger groups.

Slovenians spent EUR 318,000 in tourist vouchers at the Postojna Cave, and this year the figure is to double.

Batagelj expects tourist vouchers to be used also around Christmas holidays, when the living nativity scene is to be set up again after a one-year break.

During the closure due to the pandemic, several major projects were carried out, including a full renovation of the walking path, which cost over EUR 4 million. The renovation of the walking path to Predjama Castle is still under way.

Postojnska Jama also welcomed its 40-millionth visitor today. The figure was expected to be reached last spring, but due to Covid-19 the 40-millionth ticket was sold this year, to Hungarian Barbara Csecsei.

If visitor numbers continue to rise as expected, Batagelj hopes the 50-millionth visitor will be greeted in 2036.

STA, 13 September 2021 - Employees and users of services in nearly all sectors will have to comply with the vaccinated-recovered-tested rule from Wednesday, a decision that government officials say is designed to offer the best possible protection while keeping the economy and society open.

"The epidemic is a dynamic process that requires a lot of adaptation from everyone. I realise these changes are not pleasant for anybody, but unfortunately we have run out of other options," Health Ministry State Secretary Franc Vindišar told the press on Monday.

Under the new regulation adopted by the government on Saturday, all workers and even the self-employed will have to be vaccinated, have proof of recovery no more than 180 days old, or test at least once a week, whereby PCR tests, rapid tests and self-testing are allowed.

For employees, the cost of testing will be covered by employers, who are allowed to sanction those who do not comply in accordance with regulations governing safety at work or employment relationships.

The wide-reaching provision, which takes effect on Wednesday, has been met with resistance by business owners, who say it is unfair that employers should shoulder the cost.

"Employers do not consent to paying for testing, we think the cost should be borne by individuals. Everyone has the chance to get vaccinated, but if they have concern about that, they should pay for the testing themselves," Branko Meh, the president of the OZS chamber of small business, told the STA today.

Similar points were also raised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and the Chamber of Commerce (TZS).

The requirement applies to all users of services as well, only they will have to pay tests out of their pocket. Users of health services will have to show a Covid pass too, but Vindišar stressed that this does not apply to emergency services.

For service users, the weekly self-tests for job purposes will not suffice, so they will have to get a testing certificate from a licenced providers, according to Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc.

There are a handful of exemptions, including for children up to 12, persons who bring children up to grade three to school, those accompanying children up to 15 to the doctor's, and students on public transportation.

The only shops in which a Covid pass is not needed are grocery stores and chemist's, unless they are located in shopping malls, in which case the rule applies to them as well. Compliance will be checked by the businesses individual.

The Social Chamber of Slovenia urged the government to exempt from the rule persons who need care at home, or else at least 30% of them will end up without it. It argues that staff visiting these persons has no authority to check compliance as they enter a private rather rather a public space.

Business owners have long campaigned against having to check their customers' Covid passes, arguing that they have neither the staff nor the authority to do so.

And with the Covid pass mandate expanded to cover virtually all services, mall operators now complain that the new rules are discriminatory.

Toni Pugelj, the director of mall operator SES Slovenija, said the new rules were unacceptable. Business owners will organise and hire additional staff if necessary, but it would make more sense if the PCT rule was universal, which would cause less confusion.

"Or perhaps the government should institute a radical measure such as vaccination," he told the STA.

Zajc said the Covid pass checking should not be a problem: if consumers do not show a Covid pass, businesses may not serve them.

"This is the precondition to keeping the economy open. With a bit of effort this can be controlled. Our neighbours have proved that this is possible and we are no worse than them," he said.

Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik held a meeting with representatives of various inspection services today and told them that inspectors should focus on prevention and issuing warnings rather than fines.

"That way, there will be less non-compliance and it will be easier for everyone to accept and comply with the regulation," he was quoted as saying in a press release by the ministry.

Stern criticism of what they see as "rapidly changing government regulations to contain the spread of the coronavirus" was made by the centre-left opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB).

The LMŠ said such "measures are unrealistic and full of unclarities" and the SAB said the government was not aware of the damage it had caused.

STA, 11 September 2021 - Nearly all employees and users of services will have to comply with the vaccinated-recovered-tested rule, known in Slovenia by its PCT acronym, under a new regulation which the government adopted on Saturday and which becomes effective on 15 September.

The new rules determine that all workers will have to be vaccinated, have proof of recovery no more than 180 days old, or test at least once a week, whereby PCR tests, rapid tests and self-testing are allowed.

The cost of testing will be covered by the state. Employers are allowed to sanction those who do not comply in accordance with regulations governing safety at work or employment relationships.

The requirement applies to all users of services as well, only they will have to pay for testing out of their pocket.

There are a handful of exemptions, including for children up to 12, persons who bring children up to grade three to school, those accompanying children up to 15 to the doctor's, and students on public transportation.

The only industries in which the requirement is waived are grocery stores and pharmacies, unless they are located in shopping malls, in which case the rule applies to them as well.

Compliance will be checked by employers.

The mask mandate has been expanded as well.

Masks have long been mandatory in indoor public spaces and outdoor when it is impossible to have a distance of at least 1.5 metres. Now they are mandatory in cars if the riders come from multiple households.

Children up to age six are exempted everywhere as are persons with special needs who cannot wear masks.

In educational settings, masks are not mandatory for children up to grade five, during sports or music class, for kindergarten teachers, and university teachers when they speak from behind a glass panel.

Public speakers do not need to wear masks if a distance of up to 1.5 metres can be secured, and performers at cultural events do not need them either.

For indoor hospitality, masks are not required as long as patrons are seated.

With the vaccination rate persistently low albeit rising in the recent days, Slovenia has been relying on the PCT rules to stem the surge in infections while keeping businesses open.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 10 September 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Govt acting childishly on epidemic

STA, 10 September 2021 - The government's decision to give up on efforts to systemically stem the spread of the epidemic and instead shift the responsibility for this onto individuals and let the virus run its course is infantile and constitutes a dereliction of duty, says the weekly Mladina in its latest editorial.

"The authorities' decision to call it a day is a decision that will lead to excess deaths and excess cases of long Covid. But this is not something that should be accepted. No authority has the right to say: We have given you the vaccine, you refused to get vaccinated, so we give up."

If you are in a position of authority, you cannot fail to do your duty because you are offended, you must act to the benefit of the people, including those who do not heed your warnings.

The weekly wonders why those who have been vaccinated, those who must not get a jab out of health reasons or have compromised immune systems, and children are now being punished by a lack of restrictions.

Of course, there are some individuals who are doing their best, including the health minister, but this is not enough, says the editorial You Know That They Left Us to the Virus, Right?.

"To give up when one has the power to act means dereliction of duty. Amid a lack of a serious policy on the fight against the epidemic Slovenia has become some kind of a virus minefield. In only three weeks it has climbed to the top of the EU ranking according to the number of infections."

The paper concludes on a more positive note, hopeful that the authorities will realise how irresponsible and dangerous this is and start taking measures, following in the footsteps of more developed European countries.

Demokracija: Media coverage of BSF not surprising

STA, 9 September 2021 - The weekly Demokracija says in its latest editorial entitled Event on the Island (of the Stupid) that the lack of media coverage of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) is shocking but not surprising.

Minimizing and trivialising an event whose attendance exceeded all expectations and showed that a number of leaders very much care about Europe, has been brought to extreme in the "hair-splitting search for criticism and pathological hatred towards Janez Janša".

An incident in which "a few leftist lunatics" unfolded a flag on the staircase under the church on Bled island to protest "against alleged Fascism in Slovenia" was presented almost as a highlight of the forum by mainstream media, the weekly says.

"Many important and ground-breaking things happened. But the mainstream media either deliberately overlooked them or highlighted the people who cried over the fact that Europe does not want to accept thousands of Afghans, who are leaving their wives and children at home and fleeing instead of fighting against the dictatorship of the Taliban."

As expected, also popular was the "'eternal' topic of the leftists" - the rule of law in Slovenia. Reports were also "spiced up" with the "alleged avalanche of European criticism" targeting Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, who reiterated in Brussels that the EU will not open humanitarian corridors and will not be granting asylums to all Afghans.

This was reaffirmed in a joint statement by interior ministers of EU countries, but the highlight of mainstream media reporting was debates of the leftists in the European Parliament, with MEP of the Swedish Left Party Malin Björk becoming a star for wearing a T-shirt with a sign ZLOvenijo ČUTIM.

"That was a disgrace without compare, a gesture unbecoming of an MEP, which in these parts leftists presented as a concern over Slovenia," reads the commentary.

All our posts in this series are here

STA, 8 September 2021 - Touring the western region with his cabinet on Wednesday, Prime Minister Janez Janša responded to the latest surge in coronavirus infections by saying the government was determined not to shut down the economy or public life, repeating his call for vaccination.

Calling at the Idrija-based industrial company Hidria, Janša wished that all municipalities had such a high vaccination rates as Idrija or Vipava where more than half of the population has been fully vaccinated.

While the government is determined not to shut down public life, Janša said people were being ordered to quarantine where new infections appeared, classes were being closed and so might schools, facilities or services if necessary.

Vaccination is the only way to avoid disruption to normal life, he said, adding that it was in the shared interests of the government, opposition, media and each individual to reach such a vaccination rate that the Covid-19 outbreak would not jeopardise public life or the health system.

He noted that vaccination is free and everyone can choose between different vaccines. This was after he posted a message on his Twitter profile saying that some 100 classes had already been quarantined because many were not getting vaccinated out of selfishness.

The Covid-19 tracker site shows 103 classes in primary schools and 50 secondary classes were quarantined on Tuesday, while another 70 primary and 26 secondary classes had remote lessons.

"If it came to Slovenians being the only ones in Europe failing to seize the opportunity, we'll be the only ones whose health system will collapse. The logic is simple. There're no more dilemmas as there were at the start of the pandemic."

However, the prime minister concluded on a positive note: "We'll get over this crisis too as we proved last year we can."

Slovenia logged over 1,000 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the highest daily increase in infections since late April.