Ljubljana related
STA, 31 May 2021 - The Celje vaccination centre has invited all adults to get a Covid-19 jab without prior appointment in a move that has already been hailed in the efforts to push up Slovenia's vaccination rates.
The vaccination centre, operated by the Celje Community Health Centre, has offered slots on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for those wishing to get a Covid-19 vaccine without prior appointment.
On Tuesday, they will be able to get the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab, on Wednesday the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and on Thursday the Moderna vaccine.
This was after last Tuesday, no prior appointment was needed to get the AstraZeneca jab at the Celje vaccination centre, located in Golovec sports arena.
Roman Jerala, a synthetic biology expert at the National Institute of Chemistry who has been involved in the efforts to develop a Slovenian Covid-19 vaccine, hailed the decision to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine without prior appointment as a welcome move in an interview aired by TV Slovenija on the main evening news on Sunday, in particular in light of concerns about the vaccine's safety.
Data from the National Institute of Public Health show that 661,138 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 402,685 have been fully vaccinated, which represents 31.5% and 19.2% of Slovenia's population, respectively.
STA, 28 May 2021 - More than one million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Slovenia as 653,310 people have received a first shot and 381,619 have been fully inoculated, which includes over 19,000 who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab, data from the National Institute of Public Health show.
The figures, available on the cepimo.se portal, mean that just over 31% of Slovenia's entire population has received at least one dose, and just over 18% has been fully vaccinated.
A total of 1,119,480 vaccine doses have been delivered to the country, and 1,015,611 doses have been administered. Over 680,000 of those were shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
Osilnica in the south of the country is the municipality with the highest vaccination rate as more than half of the residents there (51%) have received the first dose and 28% have been fully inoculated.
Meanwhile, only 18% of the population of Juršinci in the north-east got the first shot, while the lowest rate for full vaccination is at Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici and Kuzma, at 9.4% and 9.5% respectively, also in the north-east.
In terms of the first dose vaccinations, the most successful of Slovenia's 12 statistical regions is Zasavje in central Slovenia (34.5%), and Koroška in the north has the largest share of fully vaccinated population (20.3%).
The vaccination rate is the highest in people aged between 70 and 89. More women than men have been inoculated.
Data from the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org show most doses in a single day were administered on 20 May when nearly 30,500 people were vaccinated.
Lots of figures on vaccination in Slovenia, in Slovene but also visualised
STA, 26 May 2021 - Slovenia formally remains in tier yellow of coronavirus restrictions, despite meeting the conditions for the green tier, where most restrictions would be lifted. The current regime will remain in place until 6 June, save for some changes to rules governing the convention industry, the government decided on Wednesday.
Jump to changes at the border…
The Health Ministry's advisory group on Covid-19 led by Mateja Logar, proposed the government not to ease any more measures yet despite the fact that the rolling seven-day average of new cases dropped below 300 on Tuesday, which is a condition for moving to the green tier.
"Given that we are still in the state of epidemic it would be a bit illogical to lift all restrictions," Logar told the STA before the government session.
She said the ministries had been tasked with presenting proposals for easing restrictions while the country is still in the epidemic and afterwards. They are to be discussed by the Covid-19 group on Monday.
National coordinator of the Covid-19 vaccination logistics Jelko Kacin told the press earlier today that there had been some last weekend where many people had gathered and that experts were monitoring the consequences of these events in the regions where they had taken place.
When the incubation period expires for the attendants next week, it will be possible to assess whether new local outbreaks of infections can be expected and how massive they could be, he said.
Kacin did not specify which events may be problematic, but there was significant merry-making in Murska Sobota after the local football club won the first title of national champion.
He said they were still very concerned about what lifting of restrictions in sports could cause.
The plan at the moment seems to be gradual lifting of restrictions. "We will not miss out on anything if we keep the current regime for another weekend," he said.
The government also slightly amended the rules for convention industry, which was allowed to resume on 21 May under the condition that employees are either tested, vaccinated or reconvalescent, and visitors move only in one direction.
While initially the number of persons was limited to one person per 10 square metres, now the number of persons in closed public spaces or open air venues with fixed seats will be restricted to 50% of seating capacity with one seat empty between visitors.
In open-air venues with no fixed seats, the seats will have to be placed one metre apart. In open-air venues with no seats, visitors will have to keep a distance of at least 1.5 metres.
Slight easing of border restrictions, new red list of countries confirmed
STA, 26 May 2021 - The government has amended the decree governing coronavirus restrictions on borders. Effective on 30 May, accompanied children under 15 will not need to have a Covid certificate and the red list of countries will be split to lower- and higher-risk countries, designated as light and dark red.
Children under 15 who cross the border in groups accompanied by teachers or custodians, or who travel with family members who are not required to quarantine, will not have to produce a negative test to avoid quarantine.
Covid certificates from Serbia will be recognised, after the move had been announced by both countries' foreign ministers yesterday.
Since early May, Slovenia also recognises negative PCR tests done in Serbia as well as in all EU and Schengen zone members, Australia, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, the UK, and the US. At airports tests from Turkey are recognised as well.
Covid certificates proving that the passenger has had Covid-19 in the past six months are also recognised from all these countries.
The red list of high-risk countries has been split into light red and dark red.
Countries are placed on the dark red list when the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population exceeds 500, there is increased risk of more virulent Covid-19 variants, or when the number of weekly tests they perform is below 300 per 100,000 population.
Among EU and Schengen zone countries, the dark red lists contains only individual administrative units of France, Croatia, Lithuania, Netherlands and Sweden, plus 38 third countries.
For the light red list, the thresholds are a 14-day incidence of 50-100 and the test positivity rate of 4% or higher, or when the 14-day incidence is 150-500 cases.
The remaining EU and Schengen zone members plus 86 third countries are on the light red list.
It was not immediately clear from the press release after the government session whether the entry requirements for light red and dark red countries will be different.
The news portal 24ur reports they will be the same, adding that the new dark red list was introduced for the sake of having a single standard at the EU level.
STA, 26 May 2021 - A Slovenian citizen attempted to enter Austria at the Lavamünd border crossing near Klagenfurt on Wednesday morning using a fake coronavirus test result, the Austrian police have reported as quoted by the Austrian Press Agency (APA).
The 44-year-old handed to border officials a folder containing a number of test results, including one that was legit and dated 1 March and 13 others that were forged. The man entered the test dates on the fake ones himself, the APA said.
To enter Austria one must show either proof of recovery from Covid-19 or vaccination or a valid negative test result issued either in English or German. Moreover, a pre-travel clearance has to be obtained by registering at https://entry.ptc.gv.at. Those who cross the Austrian border daily have to do this every 28 days.
STA, 25 May 2021 - Slovenia's vaccination centres are receiving fewer anti-Covid vaccines this week than they have ordered because there are not enough at the moment, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has told the STA. This is because supplies by producers other than Pfizer are still rather unreliable.
Slovenia is not ordering vaccines directly from individual producers, but through a joint EU public procurement mechanism.
Once the vaccines are in the country, NIJZ distributes them equally among all vaccination centres based on vaccination priority groups.
This week, vaccination centres will receive all the ordered vaccines for second jabs.
They will moreover receive 70% of the ordered mRNA vaccines, that is by Pfizer or Moderna, which are intended for first jabs of six priority groups. Johnson & Johnson's vaccine supplies are even scarcer, so the centres will receive only 20% of what they have ordered.
NIJZ provided the explanation to the STA yesterday after local community health centres in Ljubljana, Maribor and Koper said they had received much fewer vaccines than ordered for this week.
The Ljubljana vaccination centre received only a third of the amount it had ordered, while the Maribor vaccination centre received around 50%.
Simona Repar Bornšek from the Ljubljana Community Health Centre said they had ordered some 12,000 jabs for this week, but received only 35%, so they will vaccinate only those waiting for their second jab.
"We are some 8,000 shots short, for around three vaccination days," she explained on Tuesday, adding that "things are changing on a weekly basis, so I don't know if we should at all invite people to vaccination if we don't have the vaccines".
STA, 24 May 2021 - Trade shows and events are reopening on Monday after the entire convention industry closed for in-person events at the start of the epidemic in March 2020. Indoor events may be held provided visitors have either recovered from Covid-19, been vaccinated or tested. Moreover, there are other restrictions to be heeded.
Event organisers are required to make sure a one-way flow of visitor traffic is put in place, and staff must get regularly tested.
The number of visitors is capped at one visitor per 10 square metres, with underage persons and those requiring assistance exempt from the cap.
The government decided to reopen the industry with precautionary protocols in place at Thursday's correspondence session.
The cap on the number of persons in indoor stores or other businesses has also been eased - it now stands at one customer per ten square metres and no longer at one per 20 square metres, however shopping centres must still make sure that there is one shopper per 20 square metres in the entire building.
When it comes to pick-up points where prevention measures are in place, food and drinks may be consumed on-site, but only if the customer sits at a table and heeds Covid restrictions such as physical distancing.
Those who have recovered from Covid-19 and have received one shot of a coronavirus vaccine up to eight months after they tested positive or developed Covid-19 symptoms have been included among the exemptions from a rule on regular testing for staff and clients.
STA, 21 May 2021 - A digital green certificate proving a person has been vaccination against Covid, received a negative test result or recovered from Covid will be available to Slovenian residents no later than at the end of June, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said on Friday after the government discussed ongoing activity to issue it.
To receive the digital document, which should facilitate safe travel within the EU, a person will have to have SMSPass mobile identity or a digital certificate.
The document will be created as part of the eHealth system on the basis of data from the central register of data about patients, and available on the zVEM portal.
Healthcare providers which have access to the central register will be able to access it alongside authorised staff at the National Institute of Public Health, who could issue the digital document upon request.
The government tasked the Public Administration Ministry to speed up efforts to enable as many residents as possible to obtain a safe mobile identity.
The ministry must thus enable residents to submit the application form for SMSPass at several points across the country.
Learn more about the SMSPass, in English
Apart from the green certificate, a vaccination booklet proving one has been vaccinated or a doctor's note will also suffice to enable one to freely pass the border.
But since the digital green certificate will be easy to check, resulting in a faster and simpler procedure at the border, the government expects many residents will want to have as soon as possible, UKOM said after the government's correspondence session.
STA, 21 May 2021 - Slovenia recorded 331 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, down significantly from the week before and the lowest weekday figure since Easter. The test positivity rate was 8%. Three persons died, the latest government data show.
Hospitalisations dropped significantly, to 348, but the number of patients in intensive care rose by one to 111.
The 7-day average of daily new cases fell to 372 from 384.
By yesterday over 608,000 people had received a single shot of a coronavirus vaccine, just over 35% of the adult population, and almost 314,000 were fully vaccinated, 18% of the adult population.
STA, 21 May 2021 - Restrictions on public events have been significantly eased even as Slovenia formally remains in tier yellow, after the government decided late last night to loosen attendance caps and open the convention industry.
Starting today, the number of participants at sports or cultural events is no longer capped, it depends on capacity.
Indoors, there must be at least one empty seat between each spectator and masks are mandatory. Outdoors there has to be a metre's distance between them at a minimum.
In libraries, archives, museums and galleries, the limit is one visitor per ten square metres.
As of Monday, the convention industry may reopen. Staff must be tested and visitors are allowed provided they have been tested, vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19.
The limit for visitors will be one per ten square metres.
STA, 19 May - Slovenia remains in the yellow tier of coronavirus restrictions, but a new exemption has been added for crossing of the border and police checks on the border with Hungary will be lifted, the government decided on Wednesday.
Checkpoints on the border with Hungary will be lifted on 22 May after they were already cancelled on the border with Italy and Austria a few weeks ago.
A new exemption for quarantine-free arrival has been added effective on 22 May as those who have recovered from Covid-19 and have had a single shot of a coronavirus vaccine within eight months after infection will be able to enter the country without restrictions right after they have received the jab.
On arrival, such persons will have to show proof of having had Covid-19 and proof of vaccination.
There are also some changes on the red list of countries which are subject to mandatory quarantine.
Albania has been removed from the list and Sri Lanka added, all of Denmark and Slovakia are now red-listed, and there are changes for individual regions of Austria, Czech Republic, Italy and Norway.
