STA, 22 June 2021 - The latest measurements have revealed the Covid epidemic has severely impaired school children's physical efficiency, making 10% addicted to digital devices, and increasing the share of overweight kids by 30%. Experts thus propose several measures to address the issue, such as no more school closures and possibly no homework.

"Zoom-assisted distance learning has increased the time kids sit by 63%, while the share of non-active activities rose by 30% and the share of moderate to intensive activity was at a mere 7%," Gregor Starc, a professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Sport, told the press on Tuesday.

Kids spent time looking at various screens for more than seven hours a day, he said as he presenting the results after two-thirds of the research into physical efficiency of school children has been completed.

He noted that schools in Slovenia had been closed for more than 100 days whereas the WHO had urged governments to close them as the last institutions in the pandemic.

Starc is also very worried that despite the end of the epidemic, the future holds more distance education than before it.

He stressed that schools provided equal opportunities to children regardless of their social status, meaning inequality increased during the epidemic.

Until 2020, the share of overweight school children in Slovenia was dropping 1% a year over the past 10 years.

But now compared to 2019, the share of overweight children rose by 23% at schools which acted upon similar research results from last year when schools re-opened.

The rise in overweight children at schools which did not have the exact data increased by as much as 34%.

The epidemic took the biggest physical efficiency toll on the most physically successful children, pushing them towards those at the bottom.

"The drop in top physically efficient children in 2020 was as much as 31.4%," said Starc.

This was accompanied by other bad habits, with 10% of the children addicted to video games and 8% to social media, said Martin Korošec, a digital marketing expert.

Too much sitting was moreover coupled with unhealthy diet, a lack of socialising and communication and less time for the family, which all affects the development of brain and increases the risk of digital addiction, he said.

Both Korošeč and Starc urged measures at national level as well as broader to contain the negative effects.

Starc stressed that "foremost, schools must not be closed", and Korošec added that "screen time must be limited, including for schooling".

Sport should not be a "burdening school subject", so the idea is that it should become the first subject without marks where only a child's progress is monitored.

"Taking Finland and Denmark as a role model, homework should be abolished so that schoolwork does not eat into a child's spare time," said Starc.

Another measure to encourage physical activity would be introducing subsidies for sport for children who already have school meals subsidised.

Starc said no new gyms are needed as Slovenia is one of the best in this respect, while children can also spend time outdoors regardless of weather if properly dressed.

However, "in three generations, the radius within which children move outdoors without their parents' supervision has narrowed from five kilometres to one".

STA, 21 June 2021 - As Covid-19 vaccine supply in Slovenia has outstripped demand, it is now possible to choose between different jabs while the government is also planning to set up mobile vaccination units to make vaccination even more accessible.

Data from the Covid-19 tracker site shows Slovenia currently has about half a million unused doses of various vaccines, which is more than the number of those who have booked but are still waiting to get the jab.

Jelko Kacin, the national coordinator for vaccination logistics, told the STA another 120,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination arrived in Slovenia today with an additional 120,000 due in a week.

The government is also planning to organise mobile vaccination units, with details to be available after today's correspondence session.

Where Can I Get a COVID Test or Vaccine in Slovenia?

See here for the list of testing sites, with links to your local health centre (ZD - zdravstveni dom), where you should also be able to register for a vaccination

From today, those who have not yet received a shot, can choose between one of the four vaccines available in Slovenia - Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Johnson&Johnson when they apply for inoculation via the e-health portal zVem.

Moreover, some of the vaccination centres across the country already offer a choice of vaccines, and most have made it possible to get the jab without a prior appointment.

The largest vaccination centre, at the Ljubljana fairgrounds, will launch open mass vaccination on Tuesday, offering the Pfizer jab on Tuesday between 3pm and 7:30pm and Wednesday 9am-1pm, Moderna on Thursday at 3pm-5pm and Janssen on Thursday at 5pm-8pm.

No prior appointment is needed, while those interested are asked to book their time slot on the website of the Ljubljana Community Health Centre.

A choice of vaccines is this week also being made available in Maribor, Koper and Murska Sobota, among others.

The offer of a choice of jabs was announced by Prime Minister Janez Janša at the congress of his Democratic Party (SDS) on Saturday as he said the goal was to attain a vaccination rate that would allow a return to normal not just during the summer but also in the autumn.

Data from the National Institute of Public Health shows 799,226 people have received their first dose, and 594,862 have been fully inoculated, the later representing 28.3% of the population.

Apart from Janša, Health Minister Janez Poklukar too asked the population on Sunday to help the country reach herd immunity by getting vaccinated, appealing to everyone "to stand together to defeat not only the virus, but mainly our personal prejudice, misgivings and fears".

STA, 21 June 2021 - As the coronavirus situation in Slovenia is improving, some new rules are kicking in on Monday for the retail and services sectors, for public assembly and religious services.

The latest relaxation affects shop, bar and restaurant opening hours, which are no longer restricted, even as rules on 10 square metres per customer remain in place.

Hospitality is no longer limited to seating or to four persons per table, but tables must be at least three metres apart.

The only restriction regarding opening hours is for night clubs, which are allowed to operate from 5am to midnight after they have been closed throughout the epidemic.

Night club guests will, however, need a Covid certificate that shows they have been vaccinated, tested or have recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months.

The same rule applies to visitors of casinos, hotel guests, visitors to indoor conventions and conferences, and restaurant patrons who wish to eat indoors.

The rule does not apply to persons under the age of 18 if accompanied by parents or legal guardians.

Mandatory testing for employees in many services activities remains in place, while casions can offer only 75% of their gaming facilities.

Masks remain obligatory indoors, all the other sanitation and disinfection rules are also still in place.

A new restriction was meanwhile introduced for public rallies and events featuring more than 100 participants, who need to be vaccinated, tested or reconvalescent.

Persons under 18 years old who attend the event with close family members, caretakers, school or any other institution are exempt from the rule.

Private gatherings of more than 50 people are still not allowed, except for close family members and if safety measures are adhered to.

The government meanwhile increased the number of persons allowed to gather for religious purposes to up to 100 with adherence to all safety measures, including a 1.5-metre distancing.

The latest changes were adopted on Thursday and will be in place until 27 June.

STA, 17 June 2021 - The government has introduced a new restriction for public rallies and events featuring more than 100 participants. In line with the decision adopted on Thursday, participants of such events will need to be vaccinated, tested or reconvalescent [ed. having recovered from COVID] as of next Monday.

The new rule will be in force until 27 June, the Government Communication Office said after today's government session.

Proof of vaccination, negative test result or reconvalescence issued in EU countries, the Schengen zone, Australia, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, the UK and the US will be accepted.

Persons under 18 years old who attend the event with close family members, caretakers, school or any other institution will be exempt from the rule.

The general restrictions for outdoor events remain one person (or more from the same household) per 10 square metres, and at least 1.5-metre distance between participants if they are not from the same household. For indoor events, face masks are obligatory.

Private gatherings of more than 50 people are still not allowed, except for close family members and if safety measures are adhered to.

Meanwhile, the government increased the number of persons allowed to gather for religious purposes to up to 100 with adherence to all safety measures.

STA, 17 June 2021 - The government has decided to lift many existing restrictions in the retail and services sector as of 21 June as the epidemiological situation continues to improve.

The relaxation affects shop, bar and restaurant opening hours, which will no longer be restricted, even as rules on minimum space per customer remain in place.

The only restriction regarding opening hours will be for night clubs, which will be allowed to operate from 5am to midnight after they had been closed throughout the pandemic.

Night club guests will, however, need a covid certificate that shows they have been vaccinated, tested or have recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months.

The same rule applies to visitors of casinos, hotel guests, visitors to indoor conventions and conferences, and restaurant patrons who wish to eat indoors.

Mandatory testing for employees in many services activities remains in place as well.

STA, 17 June 2021 - The government has passed an emergency law to help the embattled tourism sector. The package is worth EUR 243.5 million, with new tourist vouchers accounting for the bulk of new spending. Businesses think the aid falls short.

All adults residing in Slovenia as of 30 June will get a EUR 100 voucher to spend on activities ranging from tourism and restaurants to sports and culture. Those under 18 will get vouchers worth EUR 50. The total value of the vouchers is EUR 192 million.

Last year adults got tourism vouchers worth EUR 200 each and children EUR 50 each redeemable at accommodation providers, a package worth almost EUR 357 million. As of mid-May, EUR 130 million in vouchers had been redeemed.

The second principal measure is a package of furlough subsidies for the sector worth EUR 20m from 1 July, when the national furlough scheme expires, until 30 September, with the option of expansion until the end of the year.

Other measures in the new bill include subsidised holiday allowance, refunds of expenses for the convention industry, and a 25% refund of expenses for film and audiovisual production.

Additional money for the sector will also come from EU funds. Monika Kirbiš Rojs, state secretary at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, told an event today that EUR 127 million in grants would be available for tourism investments under the national recovery and resilience plan.

"We're one of the few member states that decided to invest in tourism and culture. These two industries have suffered substantial damage during the Covid-19 pandemic and had not had sufficient investments in the past. We want to make up for that," she said.

Businesses voiced disappointment with the legislation, noting that they had expected much more given how the sector has suffered through the pandemic.

The Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) said the legislation fell short as several measures that had been discussed with them did not make the cut.

"We appeal to the government to include certain aid instruments that we had been promised," OZS president Branko Meh said in a press release.

The Slovenian Business Club aired similar grievances, stressing that the sector remained subject to certain restrictions that no longer apply to most businesses after it had been shut down longer than any other sector.

"We agree that measures cannot last unreasonably long ... But we must now forget that not all industries and companies are in the same position and have not been equally affected by the epidemic," it said.

Commenting on the criticism, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said it was true that "some of our measures" did not make the cut, but he stressed that the government had to be mindful of the state of public finances.

He also said that many previous measures had significantly helped the industry. "In total, we will have provided nearly a billion euro in aid to the industry," he wrote on Twitter.

STA, 16 June 2021 - The Covid-19 epidemic, which was declared in Slovenia in October, has officially ended, but all existing restrictions remain in place and face masks remain obligatory.

Although the state of the epidemic was not extended yesterday, the same rules will continue to apply for entrance into bars and restaurants, attendance of cultural and sports events and in accommodation facilities, which means guests have to be either vaccinated, tested or have proof they have recovered from Covid-19.

At events with no fixed seats, one person per 10 square metres is allowed, tables in restaurants and bars must be three metres apart and accommodation facilities and events can accept only 75% of guests.

Authorities urge people to abide the rules, act responsibly and also get vaccinated. The country currently has enough vaccine for everyone, and many vaccination centres accept walk-in customers without advance booking.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar said yesterday the threat of Covid-19 was not over yet, urging everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

"The epidemic has shown that vaccination is the most important health measure. Without it we cannot imagine the future," he said, describing vaccination as "a small step for the individual but a huge leap for Slovenian and European society."

Yesterday, 122 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, the lowest number since 7 October. Only four hospitals will be accepting Covid-19 patients this week, while Covid-19 patients will still be treated separately in all emergency centres around the country.

STA, 15 June 2021 - With new coronavirus infections steadily declining, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has relaunched the active tracing of contacts of those who have tested positive, which had been suspended in autumn due to an unmanageable inflow of daily cases.

Between 70 and 100 contact tracers will be available each day, Mario Fafangel, the head of the NIJZ's Centre for Communicable Diseases, told the press on Tuesday.

Those who have been in a high-risk contact with an infected person will be notified via the contact tracing app #OstaniZdrav, by the infected persons themselves, or by the contact tracers at the NIJZ call centre.

"We have three tools and as always, the power of these tools depends on the extent to which people are willing to cooperate," Fafangel said.

He described the system as optimal given the current resources, but said it might be worth considering professional call centres in the event of a new pandemic.

Active contact tracing was abandoned in October, when cases started surging to over 1,000 per day. But as Fafangel pointed out, epidemiologists still called every infected person, the difference is that now the tracing will be expanded to high-risk contacts.

STA, 15 June 2021 - More than half of Slovenian respondents believe that corruption increased in Slovenia last year, shows Global Corruption Barometer for the EU 2021, a survey released by Transparency International (TI). Responses by Slovenian participants suggest the second worst deterioration of the situation in the EU.

Almost a third of European citizens think that 2020 saw a rise in corruption. Meanwhile, only respondents from Cyprus gave a worse assessment of the situation than those in Slovenia as 65% of them think that corruption flourished during the pandemic year of 2020. In Slovenia, the relevant rate is 51%.

Almost two-thirds (66%) of the Slovenian respondents said that citizens feared retaliatory measures upon reporting instances of corruption, which is the third highest rate in this category in the EU, behind Cyprus (76%) and Croatia (72%). This is cause for concern, said the head of TI Slovenija Alma Sedlar.

Almost 84% of the respondents in Slovenia said that corruption within the government was a big or a very big problem. What stands out is an increase in those who think that the Slovenian prime minister or members of his office are involved in corruptive practices (38.6%).

On a positive note, the share of those who believe that citizens could contribute to the fight against corruption has significantly increased, to 66.1%.

For the first time since the start of such polling, the survey focused on various types of personal experience of corruption. In Slovenia, 18% used personal connections to gain access to public services in 2020, the second lowest rate in the survey, which compares to the EU average of 33%. 4.1% of the Slovenian respondents bribed their way to public services.

Sedlar warned that even though Slovenia was a country where bribery was a rare occurrence, the increase in this category did not bode well for the situation, noting that the amount of those with experience of bribery in healthcare more than doubled to 4.6% compared to 2016.

Some 6% of the Slovenian respondents said that they or their acquaintances were asked to do sexual favours in exchange for access to some public services in the past five years, which is slightly below the EU average of 7%.

TI Slovenija pointed out in a press release that "it seems that there is no discussion on reforms to ensure a more effective prevention of corruption in Slovenia". The NGO said that its appeals to provide a more effective protection of whistleblowers, step up efforts to ensure transparency and come up with preventive measures in relation to the recovery plan had been ignored.

The survey was conducted between October and December 2020 among more than 40,000 adults across the EU. In Slovenia, the survey was carried out between 13 October and 19 November 2020 among 1,003 respondents.

Get a PDF of the full report here

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 11 June 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Amateurish vaccination campaign

STA, 11 June 2021 – Mladina, the left-wing weekly, says in its latest editorial that Slovenia is running out of people interested in vaccination against Covid-19 and that the government has failed this key test due to "complete amateurism" in the public promotion of vaccination.

"There are almost no more candidates for vaccination, and we are not even at 40% yet", the weekly says under the headline Failed Vaccination, adding that this is not happening in any other country in Europe.

The government has failed the key test as it had promised a 70% vaccination rate at the beginning of June - this was an exaggeration, of course, because they wanted to get the public going, but no one expected such a poor result.

Mladina adds that the failure comes even though virtually all media have supported the campaign, in addition to the entire political class, public personalities and celebrities, who have been calling on people to get vaccinated.

"What has gone wrong," the weekly wonders, suggesting that the main problem for the government in the promotion of vaccination is "complete amateurism".

"It is already clear that they have created a simple, actually stupid public vaccination promotion campaign, that they have failed to make analyses by individual social and age groups, which is why they address the public as a whole, in the media."

For this reason, Mladina argues that anti-vaxxers and the malicious media are not the main problem of the vaccination fiasco, but "the government simply failing to do its job", which is why the number of vaccinated people is so low.

As one of the top Slovenian communication expert, who wants to remain anonymous because the current government is known for holding grudges, said: "This is so Slovenian: everybody who has power is interfering in everything."

"They always look to blame the people, whom they perceive as stupid and mislead, and who do not want to obey," Mladina quotes the expert, adding that this does not apply only to vaccination.

Reporter: SDS gearing up for election

STA, 7 June 2021 - The right-wing political magazine Reporter argues in Monday's editorial that recent actions by the ruling Democrats (SDS) indicate the party is preparing for an election, be it a snap election or a regular vote.

In a commentary entitled Pre-election Discreditation, the magazine lists two instances that it believes indicate the party is in campaign mode.

First, the SDS has started to demonise the Left, which serves to fire up its own electoral base rather than to reach across the isle.

"If [the Left] became an unacceptable coalition partner for the remaining left parties, the SDS would jump in and forge a grand coalition with them. But this is just wishful thinking by strategists on the right," according to Reporter.

And secondly, Požareport recently singled out two senior SDS MPs, Brako Grims and Jože Tanko, among MPs who may have cast invalid ballots in the recent attempt to oust Speaker Igor Zorčič.

"Just like before any election, a battle for 'electable' districts is already raging in the SDS. Grims and Tanko may be veterans and among the most high-profile MPs, but both are considered 'difficult' persons and some in the SDS would renounce them without feeling bad about it.

"Once discredited, they have fewer arguments for a new bid for a district that practically guarantees SDS deputies they will be elected to the National Assembly," the paper concludes.

All our posts in this series are here