Ljubljana related

06 Sep 2021, 22:01 PM

STA, 6 September 2021 - The Ljubljana Administrative Unit has acted upon a proposal from Ljubljana police to ban rallies of the coronavirus deniers who stormed the public broadcaster's headquarters on Friday. It told the STA on Monday the decision on the ban will enter into force when it is handed to the organiser of the rallies on Tuesday.

The Ljubljana Police Department had unsuccessfully sought a ban back in July when a group of protesters already entered RTV Slovenija.

The Administrative Unit explained today it could not grant the request back then because the police had not presented "adequate reasons" to show such rallies would jeopardise lives or health. The police filed another proposal today, this time listing "adequate reasons" for the ban.

RTV Slovenija has meanwhile already filed criminal complaints against all those involved in Friday's incident, and plans to boost security around the broadcaster.

The broadcaster has sent a request to the Ljubljana municipality to purchase the land around the headquarters to erect a security fence.

The group of coronavirus deniers and anti-vaccination protesters managed to get into the newsroom studio before the police intervened and removed them.

Involved in the incident are believed to be a group led by ex-soldier Ladislav Troha and dubbed the Conscious Residents of Slovenia.

Troha could be seen on footage of the incident released by the public broadcaster.

The group has been protesting against Covid-19 containment measures and vaccination in front of RTV Slovenija for several months, harassing staff and demanding air time to be able to present their truth.

As can be seen on the eAdministration website, the group has reported its rallies in front of RTV Slovenija to hold them every day until the end of the year.

Its rallies are dubbed Peaceful Rally for the Liberation, Purification and Revival of RTV SLO and Slovenia.

The police investigation into the incident is ongoing after 44 violations of public law and order, 18 violations of the law on private security and 26 violations of the law on public assembly have already been established.

RTV Slovenija thanked all those who had expressed to it public support while regretting and condemning the fact that some had abused the incident on social media to imply that journalists were to be blamed for it.

06 Sep 2021, 14:18 PM

Časoris is an online newspaper aimed at children. Each week we’ll take an article and post it here as a Slovene-English dual text.

Kdaj se bo pandemija končala?

When will the pandemic end?

Written by Dora Adamič, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

To je vprašanje, ki si ga zastavljamo, odkar smo 11. marca 2020 razglasili pandemijo novega koronavirusa.

This is a question we have been asking ourselves since we declared a new coronavirus pandemic on 11 March 2020.

Čeprav se poleti ukrepi omilijo in nam dajo upanje, da bo morda pandemije kmalu konec, s hladnejšimi meseci znova dobimo nove okužbe in občutek, da se ta ne bo nikoli končala.

Although the measures are relaxed in the summer and give us hope that the pandemic may end soon, with the colder months we get new infections again and the feeling that this will never end.

Pandemija se bo končala, vendar to ne pomeni, da bomo virus iztrebili. Verjetno bo ostal z nami in še naprej krožil med prebivalstvom.

The pandemic will end, but that doesn’t mean we will exterminate the virus. It will probably stay with us and continue to circulate among the population.

Iz prejšnjih pandemij smo se naučili, da bolezni težko iztrebimo. Še posebej, če so tako nalezljive in hitro mutirajo kot koronavirus.

We have learned from previous pandemics that diseases are difficult to eradicate. Especially if they are as contagious and mutate like the coronavirus.

Cepiva so še vedno naše najmočnejše orožje proti novemu koronavirusu.

Vaccines are still our most powerful weapon against the new coronavirus.

Zato se znanstveniki zanašajo na to, da se bo naš imunski sistem sčasoma navadil nanj in zato ta ne bo več tako nevaren. Pri tem seveda močno pomagajo cepiva.

Therefore, scientists rely on the fact that our immune system will eventually get used to it and therefore it will no longer be so dangerous. Of course, vaccines help a lot.

»Če lahko zmanjšamo število umrlih pod določen nivo in nadaljujemo z normalnim življenjem, lahko rečemo, da se je pandemija končala,« pravi raziskovalec dr. Jagpreet Chhatwal.

"If we can reduce the number of deaths below a certain level and continue with normal life, we can say that the pandemic is over," says researcher Dr. Jagpreet Chhatwal.

Vendar je do sedaj cepivo prejelo le 28 odstotkov svetovnega prebivalstva, kar ni spodbudno.

However, so far only 28 percent of the world’s population has received the vaccine, which is not encouraging.

Revnejšim državam primanjkuje cepiv, medtem ko se v ostalih državah dogaja, da jih ljudje, zaradi dvomov v njihovo učinkovitost, zavračajo.

Poorer countries lack vaccines, while other countries reject them because of doubts about their effectiveness.

Tako majhna precepljenost virusu omogoča hitrejše širjenje in poveča verjetnost za nove različice.

Such low vaccination coverage allows the virus to spread faster and increases the likelihood of new versions.

Kdaj bo torej konec pandemije? To bo določila Svetovna zdravstvena organizacija, ko bo presodila, da je virus pod nadzorom in mu bo dala status endemičnega virusa.

So when will the pandemic end? This will be determined by the World Health Organization when it judges that the virus is under control and gives it endemic virus status.

Druga možnost je, da se bo javnost sama odločila, da je konec pandemije, in kljub nevzdržnemu širjenju virusa ne bo več upoštevala ukrepov. Takšen odziv lahko privede do številnih smrti.

Alternatively, the public will decide for itself that the pandemic is over and will no longer take action despite the unsustainable spread of the virus. Such a response could lead to many deaths.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

05 Sep 2021, 12:51 PM

STA, 4 September 2021 - The recovered-vaccinated-tested rule (preboleli, cepljeni, testirani - PCT) will be expanded to a number of activities starting from Monday under a new government regulation that comes amidst rising numbers of coronavirus infections and hospitals filling up quickly with Covid-19 patients. 

The new regulation, which will come fully into effect within seven days, was presented by Health Minister Janez Poklukar on Saturday as he set out various scenarios under which the outbreak could spread, depending on the vaccination rates.

Th PCT requirement is being imposed on all those who come into contact with other persons or are involved in settings or activities where there is a direct risk of an outbreak.

The PCT rule will thus apply to staff in healthcare, public administration, education and training, social care, in-person retail and services, cultural activities, religious education or collective exercise of religious freedom.

Other activities and settings where staff would need to meet PCT rule include indoor sports, taxi services, common working stations, police, security, inspection services, traffic wardens and cabin lifts operators.

The rule will not apply in cases of emergency activities to provide care, public peace and order, medical assistance, rescue and disaster relief.

Exemptions also include children up to the age of 12, parents bringing young children into kindergarten or school, and customers of services and retail establishments.

However, the PCT would apply to inmates in resident facilities such as care homes, prisons, asylum centres and integration houses, or their visitors, including visitors of hospitalised patients, as well as athletes involved in contact sports in- and outdoors and cabin lift passengers.

For those who are not vaccinated or recovered, the testing requirement will also be satisfied with rapid antigen tests or self-testing once a week. Self-testing can take place at home or at work with the cost covered by the employer.

Tests for those who cannot get vaccinated due to their health condition will be paid for by the state. The same applies to voluntary self-testing of older primary school children and secondary school students.

Face masks will be mandatory in all indoor public spaces as well as outdoors when it is not possible to keep a distance of at least 1.5 metres.

There will some exemptions to the mask rule, including children up to the age of 7, pupils in the first five grades of primary school or first two grades of music school, pre-school teachers and pupils and students in dancing and certain music classes and physical education.

Masks will also not be mandatory when the PCT rule is being implemented in public spaces for members of the same household.

Presenting the measures, Poklukar reiterated the importance of vaccination, saying that unless a sufficient share of the population is immunised Slovenia is in for a "tough autumn". The fourth wave is projected to peak in October.

The reproduction number showing how many people on average is infected by each infected person is currently between 1.2 and 1.5. Currently 47% of the population has received one vaccine dose and 43% and 43% have been fully vaccinated.

Should the reproduction number rise to 2, like at the peak of the second wave last year, and given a vaccination rate of 51%, hospitalisations would peak at about 2,900 with 560 intensive cases.

Given a 70% vaccination rate, the figures would drop to 1,600 and 320 respectively, with the same reproductive number, but Poklukar said that ICU cases peaked at 219 in the second wave.

If 70% of the population was inoculated, Covid-19 deaths would be halved, from what projections show would be 1,000 deaths given the vaccination rate of 51%.

"Such a pessimistic scenario can happen unless each one of us acts. Healthcare capacities would be stretched to the limit [...] these are tragedies we can prevent with vaccination."

The minister said the epidemic could be kept under control only if as many people as possible get vaccinated as fast as possible and the reproduction number is kept under 1.4.

In that case, hospitalisations would peak at 400 and ICU cases at 80 given the vaccination rate of 70% or at 800 and 140, respectively, if 51% of the population was vaccinated.

Given the reproduction number of 1.4 and vaccination rate of 70% there would be about 100 fatalities, a figure that would rise to 400 with 51% of the population vaccinated.

All the latest data on covid and Slovenia

04 Sep 2021, 12:19 PM

STA, 4 September 2021 -A group of coronavirus deniers and anti-vaccination protesters stormed the headquarters of the Slovenian public broadcaster last night, managing to get into the newsroom studio before the police intervened.

The incident happened after the group had been protesting against Covid-19 containment measures and vaccination in front of the RTV Slovenija (RTVS) headquarters for four months, harassing staff and demanding air time to be able to present their truth to the public.

"This is an unacceptable attack on the media, journalism and democracy," Manica Janežič Ambrožič, the RTVS news programme editor, said in response to the incident, which happened at around 8:30pm.

"This is a grave attack on our media house and public media outlet, which we condemn in the strongest terms," Andrej Grah Whatmough, RTVS director general, said as he appeared on the late night news show Odmevi.

The scene outside the studios

The incident, which ended after the police removed some 20 maskless protesters from the building, has also drawn condemnation from the Slovenian Association of Journalists (DNS) and the Trade Union of Journalists and from Interior Minister Aleš Hojs.

Grah Whatmough said the management had been trying hard for months to have the situation tackled, but the problem was because the area around the RTVS HQ was a public property and the protesters had a permit to assemble there.

He announced security around the building would be beefed up and was hopeful the authorities in charge would take their complaints more seriously after the incident.

Today, the management issued a written statement denouncing what it said was an unprecedented incident, urging the authorities to act, and pledging to use all "security and legal means to prevent a repeat of such an incident".

The scene in the lobby

The statement says the protesters have been engaging in indecent behaviour on the site for months, "insulting staff and visitors, storming the RTV Slovenija building and disrupting work".

The management has pursued many official avenues to deal with the problem, sending complaints to police and the inspection authorities but "there has been no real response from those responsible".

Similarly, editor Janežič Ambrožič said their warnings since May had not met with response.

"We live in society where violence is only getting worse and it's but a step from harassment on Twitter to a violent house storm," she said, expressing concern that "few budge" in the face of violent scenes seen yesterday.

Information available to the STA indicates the incident involved members of the movement called Aware Residents of Slovenia, led by Ladislav Troha, a former army officer and veteran of the 1991 War of Independence.

The newspaper Večer reported that it was just yesterday that the RTVS works council filed a criminal complaint against the movement because its members have been harassing staff entering the building for months. The council also asked for a restraining order.

The police said it was looking into the incident and would act against violators in accordance with legislation.

In condemning the attack, the DNS association described the incident as the tip of the iceberg in the hate campaign against public media and journalists that was being incited by those in power.

The scene in the studio

Prime Minister Janša, reacting on his Twitter profile, denounced the incident by saying it has nothing to do with freedom of expression.

"It is violence against that freedom. All must be done to condemn and punish every self-willed and violent appropriation of public space and threats on the same terms and everywhere."

Janša posted four photographs with his tweet, one from Friday's incident, one from a protest at a session of the RTVS programme council a few years ago and photographs from protests in Ljubljana and Koper.

He retweeted several other posts, including a tweet by Gregor Perič, the head of MPs of the junior coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), saying it all started with a chainsaw in front of the parliament building, continued with attacks on MPs and now the storm to RTV Slovenija, which he condemned.

Janša also retweeted a post which said "the RTVS news programme has been encouraging for a year illegal neofascist protests, vandalism against public institutions, anti-vaxxer delusions [...] while now they are puzzled as they reap what they sowed".

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, condemning the incident in the strongest terms, tweeted it was partly the result of "what is being generated by Jenull@co., Prebold headteacher@co., and fake news @TarcaRTVSLO@co".

He was referring to Jaša Jenull, a leading face of Friday's anti-government cycling protests, the Prebold primary school headteacher, who is known for his opposition to Covid measures, and the RTVS news magazine programme Tarča.

Hojs said penal and public order legislation would have to be toughened in response to the developments.

03 Sep 2021, 17:02 PM

STA, 3 September 2021 - The national advisory committee on immunisation has advised Slovenian authorities introduce a third jab of anti-Covid vaccines for the elderly at care homes, for people older than 70, and for all residents with chronic conditions. All the others can also get a booster shot if they want, according to the minutes from the group's meeting.

A third shot of coronavirus vaccines was earlier recommended only for those with severely weakened immune systems, because their reaction to the basic vaccination tends to be weaker.

"All the others can also get a third or booster jab if they wish so, although there is no proof for now that a third shot is needed for the other groups," said the advisory committee said.

It recommended the use of mRNA vaccines for the third shot, and at least a six-month break between the basic two jabs and the third one.

The government was meanwhile recommended to change a relevant regulation to say that a person vaccinated with Pfizer's vaccine is protected seven days after receiving the second jab, and in 14 days if vaccinated with all the other vaccines.

Under the regulation in place since 30 August, a person meets the vaccination rule in Slovenia as soon as they are fully vaccinated.

03 Sep 2021, 12:51 PM

STA, 3 September 2021 - During the Covid-19 epidemic, companies received various forms of state aid. Some were not so badly affected and will now have to repay the received subsidies. According to an estimate by the Slovenian Financial Administration (FURS), this amounts to just under EUR 90 million, just over 4% of the total amount paid out.

The first Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the Covid-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy was adopted by the National Assembly shortly after the epidemic was first declared last spring. By February this year, the number of "anti-Covid laws" had risen to eight.

One of the first measures was a partial wage subsidy for furloughed workers. The eligibility criterion was initially set at a 30% drop in income compared to pre-Covid times, and then gradually reduced until the end of June, when the measure expired.

Until the end of June, the Employment Service was also paying out wage subsidies for workers who were quarantined or could not come to work due to force majeure, such as childcare.

So far, the Employment Service has paid out EUR 688.7 million for all these measures. Of these, 31,735 employers received a partial wage subsidy for furloughed workers for a total of 215,055 employees.

Meanwhile, 10,104 employers have been subsidised for reduced working hours for a total of 51,060 employees, while 11,088 employers have received wage subsidies for quarantined workers or those absent due to force majeure, for a total of 56,167 employees.

FURS is responsible for monitoring the job retention subsidies paid out and told the STA that according to their first calculations, the recipients will have to pay back a total of EUR 7.4 million in furlough subsidies and EUR 435,000 in subsidies for reduced working hours.

While virtually all sectors have been affected by the epidemic, the Employment Service received the highest number of applications for furlough and reduced hours subsidies from employers in manufacturing, trade and catering.

In addition to measures aimed to preserve jobs, other forms of support were made available to companies, and a monthly basic income was introduced specifically for the self-employed and certain other beneficiaries.

For all forms of subsidies and aid, the emergency laws set out the conditions under which they could be claimed, which were usually set at a certain proportion of income decline compared to the individual beneficiary's performance in pre-Covid times.

The government has encouraged employers to apply for aid if they are in doubt whether they are eligible, as they would be able to pay it back later without interest.

The same assurance was given in mid-April last year by Ivan Simič, then chair of the government's advisory group and now director of FURS.

"If aid recipients find they have not met the conditions, the law allows them to self-report to FURS within 30 days of submitting their return and pay a refund without interest," Simič explained, adding that interest would only be charged in the case of deliberate misrepresentation.

FURS notes that just over 25,000 different taxable persons will now have to repay the state aid they received, totalling EUR 88.6 million. This is around 4.5% of the total amount paid out, which stands just under EUR 2 billion.

Repayments can be made in several instalments, which is what most recipients choose to do. So far, FURS has received around 4,000 such applications and approved just over half of them, totalling EUR 7.2 million.

This year, FURS inspectors also intend to monitor the payment of crisis allowances, the reimbursement of expenses related to temporary measures in the field of infrastructure and the use of funds received by companies to carry out rapid antigen tests.

01 Sep 2021, 13:36 PM

STA, 1 September 2021 - A new school year is starting today for almost 270,000 Slovenian primary and secondary school children and nearly 30,000 teachers. Classes will be held in person for everyone for now but with safety measures in place, including mandatory Covid certificates for staff. If schools flout the rules, they may be ordered to switch to remote classes.

The third school year marked by Covid restrictions will start the same way the previous one ended, following model B, with an additional requirement for the staff to be either vaccinated, recovered or tested weekly for Covid-19.

Apart from the mandatory Covid certificates for staff, model B entails in-person instruction for all children, mandatory masks and voluntary self-testing for older children, hand sanitising, distancing and extensive airing.

Provided health authorities' recommendations are heeded, all school programmes and activities will be allowed, including school camps and swimming classes, while pupils from different classes will be able to mix for elective subject classes.

However, under a decision taken by the Education Ministry last night and coming into effect today, inspectors will be able to decree classes to switch online for the schools that fail to follow the prescribed measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The coronavirus outbreak this time around is much worse than a year ago with the number of infections increasing by an average of more than 400 a day so concerns are growing how school will proceed beyond the first week.

Facing extensive criticism over a lack of a clear roadmap and instructions, the government has announced new rules can be expected after 6 September depending on the state of the coronavirus outbreak.

But unofficial information indicates the Covid-19 advisory group drawing up a proposal of restrictions to be introduced in various stages of the epidemic does not plan school closures even if the situation deteriorated.

The Education Ministry has set out four different basic models for primary education depending on the epidemiological situation, with the extremes being A under which classes are held for everyone without restrictions, and D where classes are held remotely for all.

Model C envisages a combination of in-class and distance learning, which would kick in should the Covid outbreak worsen after 6 September. However, even under that model primary pupils up to 5th grade plus final year primary pupils would be kept in schools.

Teaching staff who have not been vaccinated or have not recently recovered from Covid-19 will need to undergo mandatory weekly testing, with the possibility of self-testing being introduced after 6 September give sufficient test supplies.

However, as some staff oppose vaccination and even testing, the Education Ministry has sent out a circular warning that unjustified refusal to get tested or wear a mask warrants a disciplinary procedure and as a last resort a dismissal from the job.

And a regulation that the government adopted last night stipulates that the Education Inspectorate will have the power to order schools to switch to remote learning in the event they not comply with Covid-19 restrictions.

The government said this constituted "a zero tolerance approach to schools' failure to create conditions for safe ... learning environments."

The problem of opposition to testing and vaccination was highlighted as the head teacher of the primary school in Prebold questioned coronavirus measures and even the existence of the virus, yet the school council has failed to dismiss him.

It is not clear how many teachers have been vaccinated, but their trade union, SVIZ, has called on Health Minister Janez Poklukar to provide the figures after he alleged the inoculation rate among teaching staff was low.

SVIZ supports Covid vaccination and self-testing, which has prompted some members to quit as an informal union is emerging round the anti-vaccination and anti-testing sentiment.

SVIZ could not get hold of the data on the vaccination rate among teaching staff but says secondary data from some local communities suggests "at least 55% to 60% of teachers are fully vaccinated", which compares to 43% of the total population.

With less than 10% of under 18s fully vaccinated, pupils in the last tree grades of primary schools and secondary students can pick up free antigen tests for voluntary weekly self-testing at pharmacies.

However, no one will check the results with Health Ministry State Secretary Robert Cugelj saying they will "play the card of trust". Also, children in mandatory education cannot be barred from classes if they do not wear masks, yet their parents will be informed of the requirement and cases of such pupils will be referred to school inspectors.

In the face of the many uncertainties surrounding the education process, all stakeholders pledge that their main concern is to keep schools open, especially in view of the impact remote classes have had on pupils' mental health and learning gaps.

The results of a national study into the impact of distance learning are expected to be released later this month.

Even if schools had to switch to distance learning, Arnes, the internet provider for public institutions, says it has upgraded its services and infrastructure so that the process will run smoothly.

Covid-related problems have stolen the limelight from the 21,123 six-to-seven-year-olds who will have their first day at school today. Their parents will be eligible for an extra day of paid leave on the occasion, but they will need a Covid certificate to accompany their kinds inside the school.

In all, school is starting today for more than 193,000 primary pupils and 76,000 secondary students.

To ensure their safety outside of school gates, local communities have teamed up with police, traffic safety promotion groups and insurance companies to come up with innovative ways to boost traffic safety.

Zebra crossings have been repainted and equipped with additional markings as the country's first 3D-zebra crossings have been unveiled in Velenje and drivers are being urged to look out for schoolchildren.

31 Aug 2021, 14:11 PM

STA, 31 August 2021 - The Health Ministry's Covid-19 advisory group on Monday prepared a proposal of restrictive measures to be introduced in various stages of the epidemic. According to unofficial information obtained by the STA, it proposes expanding the tested-vaccinated-recovered (PCT) rule if the situation deteriorates, while school closure is not envisaged.

In line with the proposal, the tiers of restrictions will be based on the number of cases in hospitals and the phases of Slovenia's hospital activation plan, the has STA learned unofficially.

The six-stage strategy for treating Covid-19 patients determines when Covid units will open in Slovenian hospitals.

In the sixth phase, when fewer than 70 patients need hospital treatment, Covid patients are accepted only at the UKC Maribor and UKC Ljubljana hospitals.

In the fifth phase, with fewer than 150 Covid patients, the two hospitals increase the number of beds for Covid patients, and the Celje general hospital and the Golnik clinic start accepting Covid patients.

In the forth phase, which Slovenia is in at the moment, the list of hospitals is expanded to Nova Gorica in the west, Novo Mesto in the east and Murska Sobota in the north-east, and the existing capacities for Covid patients are increased. This phase is envisaged for up to 250 patients.

In the third phase, with up to 500 patients, Slovenj Gradec in the north and Jesenice in the north-west will start accepting Covid patients as well, while other Covid hospitals will increase their capacities.

When up to 700 Covid patients need hospitalisation, the second phase is activated, with capacities further increasing and patients being admitted also in Trbovlje in central Slovenia, Ptuj in the north-east, Brežice in the east and Izola on the coast.

In the ultimate, first phase, with about 900 patients, all hospitals are activated, meaning Topolščica in the north and Sežana in the south-west are added to the list of Covid hospitals.

A total of 926 beds are available in this phase, including 762 regular beds and 164 beds in intensive care.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar confirmed as he visited the Ljubljana Paediatric Clinic today that the advisory group's proposal was based on the number of beds occupied by Covid patients. "The pace of restrictions will be dictated by the occupancy of hospital and intensive care beds," he said.

He would not comment on the proposed measures for each phase, noting they would be presented at a press conference once agreed on.

The latest data on covid and Slovenia

31 Aug 2021, 08:22 AM

STA, 30 August 2021 - Nearly 90% of doctors working at Slovenian hospitals have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, data from the Slovenian Medical Chamber shows. The vaccination rate among other health staff is lower.

Out of 3,571 doctors employed at Slovenia's two medical centres and hospitals 89.4% have been vaccinated.

"The data shows clearly that vaccination is being opted for by people who know professionally the most about the safety and efficacy of vaccination and its significance for society," the Medical Chamber said in a press release on Monday.

Its data shows that all the doctors have been inoculated at the Topolšica hospital in mid north-east of the country, and nearly all at the general hospital in Celje (99.4%).

Over 90% have also been jabbed at UKC Maribor, Slovenia's second largest medical centre, at the Oncology Institute in Ljubljana and the general hospitals in Brežice and Slovenj Gradec.

At UKC Ljubljana, Slovenia's largest medical centre, 87% of over 1,300 doctors working there have been vaccinated.

"The figure includes all doctors, including those on long-term sick leave or maternity leave, whereas in most other hospitals doctors on long-term leave are not included," said the release.

Some doctors are still deemed protected through a recent infection, which is why they have not yet been vaccinated.

Almost two weeks ago, UKC Ljubljana said 75% of its staff have been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, the head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at UKC Ljubljana, said the vaccination rate among nursing staff was on a par with the national average.

Nation-wide, 43% of the population has been fully vaccinated or 51% of the adult population.

30 Aug 2021, 14:05 PM

Časoris is an online newspaper aimed at children. Each week we’ll take an article and post it here as a Slovene-English dual text.

Testi za samotestiranje na voljo v lekarnah

Self-test tests available in pharmacies

Written by Sandra Hanžič,  translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

V teh dneh potekajo še zadnje priprave na novo šolsko leto.

These days, the last preparations for the new school year are underway.

Učenci sedmih, osmih in devetih razredov ter dijaki bodo tudi tokrat imeli možnost samotestiranja na novi koronavirus.

Seventh, eighth and ninth grade students as well as high school students will once again have the opportunity to self-test for the new coronavirus.

Brezplačne teste bodo lahko prevzeli v lekarnah, in sicer s svojo kartico obveznega zdravstvenega zavarovanja, izjemoma pa s potrdilom o vpisu v šolo. Predvidoma bodo na voljo od danes naprej, je napovedal državni sekretar na ministrstvu za zdravje Robert Cugelj.

They will be able to take the free tests in pharmacies, with their compulsory health insurance card and, exceptionally, with a certificate of enrolment in school. They are expected to be available from today, announced State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Robert Cugelj.

Ob testih bodo dobili tudi navodila za uporabo.

They will also receive instructions for use during the tests.

Samotestirali se bodo enkrat na teden, bodisi doma bodisi v dijaškem domu. Vsak bo upravičen do petih testov na mesec.

They will self-test once a week, either at home or in the dorm. Each will be eligible for five tests per month.

Kaj se zgodi, če bo test pozitiven?

What happens if the test is positive?

O tem morajo takoj obvestiti osebnega zdravnika, ki jih usmeri na dodatno potrditev s testom PCR. Dokler niso znani rezultati, morajo ostati doma v samoizolaciji. Če so pozitivni tudi na testu PCR, morajo to sporočiti ravnatelju svoje šole.

They should immediately inform their personal physician, who will direct them for further confirmation by PCR test. Until the results are known, they should stay home in self-isolation. If they are also positive on the PCR test, they must report this to their school principal.

Če je test PCR negativen, gredo lahko v šolo in na druge dejavnosti.

If the PCR test is negative, they can go to school and other activities.

Posebno skrb je treba nameniti ravnanju z odpadki, ki nastanejo pri samotestiranju, je poudaril Cugelj. Odložiti jih je treba v vrečko, jo zavezati, nanjo napisati, da gre za odpadke od samotestiranja, jo hraniti ločeno od drugih odpadkov vsaj 72 ur in nato dati v zabojnik z odpadki.

Special attention should be paid to the management of waste generated during self-testing, Cugelj emphasized. They must be placed in a bag, tied, labelled as self-testing waste, kept separate from other waste for at least 72 hours and then placed in a waste container.

Nacionalni inštitut za javno zdravje bo za dijake pripravil anketo, v kateri jih bodo spraševali, kako učinkovit je ta ukrep.

The National Institute of Public Health will prepare a survey for students asking how effective this measure is.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

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