STA, 28 November 2020 - Slovenia confirmed 1,591 new cases of coronavirus in 6,938 tests on Friday. 43 persons died, the latest government data show.

There were 1,258 persons with Covid-19 in hospital compared to 1,324 the day before, as 113 persons were discharged, of which 194 were intensive care, down from 206.

The figures indicate a test positivity rate of just under 23%, down over a percentage point on the day before.

Slovenia has so far recorded 1,336 Covid-19 deaths. The number of positive tests since the start of the epidemic currently stands at 74,265.

There are currently just over 20,000 active cases in the country, down marginally from the day before, with the number of new cases per 100,000 population over the past 14 days also down slightly, to 960, show Covid-19 Sledilnik data.

The Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS), which has been modelling the epidemic, said the latest figures showed the epidemic had finally started to calm down.

"We hope that with a consistent implementation of 16 November measures, whose effect will become increasingly pronounced in the coming days, we will succeed in decisively bending the curve."

IJS said peak hospital numbers may have been achieved already, while the R-value, which shows how many people one infected person infects on average, had dropped to about one.

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STA, 27 November 2020 - Slovenia logged 1,609 new coronavirus cases for Thursday and 48 more fatalities as the number of Covid-19 patients requiring hospital treatment reached a new high.

Government data show the latest cases come from 6,587 tests, meaning the positivity rate was 24.4%, up slightly from 23.9% the day before when 1,767 came back positive, but down from over 27% a week ago.

Hospitalisations have risen by 22 to 1,324, while the number of patients in intensive care units dropped by nine to 206. On another positive note, 98 patients were discharged home yesterday.

With 48 more patients having died, the country's death toll among patients with Covid-19 rose to 1,293.

Jelko Kacin, the government Covid-19 spokesman, said 37 patients died at hospitals, ten at care homes and one in a facility for people with special needs.

He said 126 residents and 41 staff at care homes newly recovered from Covid-19, while 143 residents and 57 staff tested positive anew, as did eight special needs persons and one employee at the five special social care institutions.

Infections are reported from care homes across the country, including the coastal region, the least affected of all of Slovenia's regions.

The regional civil protection chief Rok Kamenšek reported that the Izola care home had 47 infections as of Thursday, including 12 among staff, and the one in Lucija had 68, including 23 staff.

The coastal region had 466 actively infected cases as of Wednesday, 216 of them in the Koper municipality.

However, the biggest daily increases in infections were in care homes in Krško, Brežice, Maribor and Ljubljana, of between 14 and 11, Kacin said.

Krško, the municipality in the east with a population of over 26,000, recorded as many as 59 new infections, which compares to 141 in the capital Ljubljana (over 295,000) and 81 in Maribor (almost 113,000).

The country has so far confirmed 72,682 coronavirus cases, with 20,268 cases still active. The rolling 14-day average is at 967, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

The regions with the highest infection rates are Pomurje in the north-east and Koroška in the north, with 1,576 and 1,538 infections, respectively, per 100,000 residents.

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STA, 27 November 2020 - Hairdressers and fitness clubs say the government is limiting their business to the greatest extent possible during the lockdown while not offering them enough aid to avoid layoffs and bankruptcies. "We are on the verge of collapse," the two sectors said on Friday, urging dialogue with decision-makers and reopening their businesses.

Both sectors say the aid provided in the stimulus packages so far does not suffice for them to survive, calling for a different approach suited to their specifics.

David Cukjati, the director of Lassana, a leading chain of hair salons in Slovenia, said "the subsidy for furloughed workers covers 80% of the pay and is unreasonably lower than the one for sole proprietors".

Just like in the first wave, they would like to be exempt from paying health insurance contributions and electricity bills, he told the magazine Frizer (Hairdresser).

The sector also expects the coverage of at least part of fixed costs for the period when they are closed if the net loss of revenue amounts to 10%.

Cukjati believes a 40% drop in annual revenue to qualify for fixed costs subsides as set down in the sixth stimulus package is much too high, saying a fair figure would be 20%.

The hairdressers - apart from Cukjati several other representatives spoke to Frizer - also say decision-makers did not consult them a single time during the epidemic or tried to find common solutions to allow them to work.

They stress they cannot offer their services online, and accuse the government of encouraging grey market, which is also less safe and against which the sector had fought for years.

Similarly, fitness clubs - there are over 150 fitness club owners in Slovenia - say that "companies in our sector have already used all their internal reserves".

Fitness clubs largely operate without having permanent employees as they hire freelanced trainers, so pegging aid to the sector to the number of permanent employees is "completely unsuitable", reads today's release from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (GZS) new section for fitness, recreation and regeneration.

FURS data show there are almost 4,000 self-employed trainers in Slovenia who provide services worth EUR 78 million, with one trainer working in several gyms in a day.

Fitness centres thus want decision-makers to help them weather the crisis and start thinking about easing lockdown for them as soon as possible.

The release also stresses the great importance of "having a strong sector of fitness, recreation and regeneration in the period after the pandemic".

The hairdressers point out that instead of the government entering a dialogue with the services sector, the sector is now faced with layoffs and bankruptcies.

"If we had taken foreign countries as an example, we would have services provided in a safe manner instead of businesses being closed.”

STA, 26 November 2020 - Slovenia recorded 1,767 new coronavirus infections in 7,391 tests on Wednesday, which is a drop of 459 cases compared to a spike seen on Tuesday, when 8,063 tests were conducted. 46 people died, three more than on Tuesday while the number of hospitalised patients rose by five to 1,302 and that of patients in intensive care by 13 to 215.

The share of positive tests stood at 23.9% on Wednesday, compared to 27.6% on Tuesday. This share has been relatively flat for roughly a month and so has the curve of daily new cases, albeit with occasional fluctuations.

Slovenia has so far conformed 71,073 coronavirus cases, 20,174 of which are active, according to tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org. The rolling 14-day average per 100,000 residents is 963.

The total death toll so far is 1,245. After peaking at 59 on Tuesday, the number of deaths was slightly lower in the past two days.

Lockdown extended for another week, public transport on hold for two more

STASTA, 26 November 2020 - The government decided on Thursday to extend by a week all of the main lockdown measures, including the ban on gatherings, in-class schooling, movement among municipalities and the 9pm-6am curfew. Public transport will remain closed and the current mask wearing regime, which includes masks outdoors, will stay in place for at least two more weeks.

Also remaining closed for at least one more week are kindergartens, shops selling non-essential goods, cultural institutions, and bars and restaurants, while there are also no changes to the regime at borders. Existing restrictions concerning sport activities will remain in place for at least two more weeks.

Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin told the press the government would adopt a plan on a relaxation of the measures next week, on Thursday at the latest.

Asked about the possibility of partly reopening schools soon, Kacin said the government would examine this next week, taking the epidemiological situation in consideration.

However, he said that reopening of schools would also require reopening public transport, the closure of which has just been extended for a fortnight.

Kacin mentioned the likelihood of facilities that offer individuals services, for instance hair and beauty salons, being among the first to reopen. He argued it was better to "provide these services in salons specially equipped for this and meeting all standards than on the ground - in garages, flats".

The press conference moreover featured the acting head of the Healthcare Directorate at the Health Ministry Marija Magajne, who said the situation in the country and in hospitals did not allow a relaxing of measures yet.

"We are all exhausted...But let's try to hold out for a few more days. We all believe that it will be possible to lift some measures in 10 or 14 days," Magajne said.

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STA, 25 November 2020 - The government has not yet taken a position regarding Italy's appeal to close ski centres around Europe during the December holidays, the Economy Ministry told the STA on Wednesday. The ministry expects the European Commission to send recommendations for the skiing season to member states.

"The government has not discussed this issue or taken a position. We also assume that the European Commission will give recommendations based on the epidemiological situation and recommendations by medical experts, which will be forwarded to all EU members," the ministry said.

According to Italian media reports this week, the Italian government is proposing closing all ski centres in Europe during the Christmas holidays because of the coronavirus pandemic. Reportedly, Italy is striving to achieve this in cooperation with other countries, particularly its neighbours.

The Italian government proposes ski centres open at the end of January, when the second wave of coronavirus abates and a Covid-19 vaccine should be available.

If no restrictions are introduced, especially during the Christmas and New Year holidays, a third wave of the pandemic will follow in January, the Italian government has said.

Bavarian Premier Markus Söder said on Tuesday that the German state planned to have its ski centres closed during the winter holidays, and called on other European countries to do the same.

Austria, which has been saying for months it plans to have its ski centres open while adhering to safety measures, opposes Italy's proposal. Switzerland also plans to carry out the season.

Major ski centres in Slovenia are preparing for the season as well. Some, including Krvavec and Mariborsko Pohorje, have already started making artificial snow and selling tickets.

At a business forum organised by the business paper Finance, ski resort operators said they were worried because it was not possible to get ski resorts up and running overnight and they do not have a date when they might open.

"We're completely helpless at this point, waiting for the state to decide," said Manuela Božič Badalič, the chair of the Association of Slovenian Ski Lift Operators.

She was hopeful they may open on 15 December at the latest since it would be hard to make up for the revenue lost during peak ski season. And even if they open in December, "we would not be talking about profits, its about mere survival."

If ski resorts are required to remain closed, she expects compensation from the state. "We're not in the same position as industry, which can work anyway, we're subject to a complete ban, without revenue and with high fixed costs."

Janez Janša, the director of the company operating the Krvavec ski resort, lamented the lack of a clear Slovenian position regarding the Italian initiative and said he wished there was dialogue with the authorities so that solutions could be found.

STA, 25 November 2020 - Eight airlines - Turkish Airlines, Swiss Air, Air Serbia, Montenegro Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Wizzair and LOT - will receive state subsidies to operate flights to Slovenia. The first instalment of the incentive is worth EUR 985,320, the Economy Ministry said on Wednesday.

Nine carriers had submitted applications, all of which have previously operated flights to Ljubljana. EasyJet is the only applicant to be left out.

Lufthansa will be the biggest beneficiary with EUR 371,040, followed by Air France (EUR 176,160) and Turkish Airlines (EUR 148,530). The remaining five will get under EUR 100,000 each, with Swiss Air eligible for the lowest amount, EUR 22,050.

The ministry said additional clarifications were needed from Swiss Air and Wizzair. They expect the issues will be resolved shortly, but if they are not, the two carriers will not be eligible.

Under the terms of the scheme, the recipients of the subsidies will have to operate scheduled flights to at least one airport in Slovenia twice a week in the 2021 summer season, between 28 March and 30 October.

This is the first of three calls for applications, designed to improve Slovenia's air links in the aftermath of the coronavirus epidemic. Applications for the next two calls will be opened on June and October 2021. A total of EUR 5 million is available for the whole scheme.

The subsidies are capped at EUR 30 per passenger.

STA, 25 November 2020 - Slovenia's daily coronavirus case count rose to 2,226 on Tuesday on a day of the week that typically sees the highest number of new cases. This was as 43 more Covid-19 patients died, bringing the overall death toll to 1,199.

Data released by the government show the latest cases were from 8,063 coronavirus tests, the highest number yet, which puts the test positivity rate at 27.61%, up from 23.27% on Monday and almost 27% on Sunday, but down from nearly 30% on Saturday.

The daily increase in confirmed cases is the third highest on record, equalling that registered on the Tuesday two weeks ago but the positivity rate at the time was 30%.

Hospitalisations at Covid-19 units dropped by two to 1,297, after 113 patients were discharged yesterday, as the number of patients in intensive care also dropped by two to 202.

Addressing the morning government press briefing, Covid-19 spokesman Jelko Kacin said the epidemiological situation "is not yet inspiring hope" but he said the government was determined to set out an exit strategy whereby differences in the infection status of regions are to be taken into account.

Infections are increasing in all regions except for Central Slovenia and the north-western Gorenjska region with Koroška as one of the regions standing out in terms of infections.

The situation has been particularly difficult in the north-east of the country where there has been a surge in Covid-19 patients.

UKC Maribor, Slovenia's second largest hospital, had a record number of admissions at the weekend. From Sunday to Monday 218 patients required hospital treatment, 47 of them intensive care.

"I don't know what exactly to attribute the increase to when it already seemed we are out of the woods, the logical explanation would be St Martin's 10 days ago," said Gregor Prosen, the head of the UKC Maribor emergency department, referring to the celebration of new wine in what is one of Slovenia's main wine growing regions.

Nuška Čakš Jager from the National Institute of Public Health presented the results of a survey among the infected which show the most (25%) reporting getting infected at work, followed by almost as many who do not know where they got infected.

Over 20% got infected from family or household members, and 15% at social and aged care homes, followed by those who reported private socialising as the cause of infection.

According to Kacin, 176 more elderly in care homes tested positive yesterday, bringing the number of actively infected to 2,660, and as many as 114 new infections were confirmed among care home staff for 992 actively infected.

Labour Ministry State Secretary Mateja Ribič said that 24 aged care home residents died yesterday, half of them in hospitals. A total of 580 have died in the second wave.

Slovenia has so far conformed 69,306 coronavirus cases, 20,337 of which are active, according to tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

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STA, 25 November 2020 - Tourism facilities in Slovenia recorded slightly more than 173,000 tourist arrivals in October, which is 63% less than in the same month last year, which is mostly attributed to the coronavirus epidemic and more specifically, the government locking down tourism facilities as of 24 October.

While the number of Slovenian guests increased by 2% to almost 134,000 in October, the number of foreign tourists dwindled by 88% to around 40,000 year-on-year, the Statistics Office said on Wednesday.

Overall, they accounted for more than 543,000 overnight stays, which is 49% less than in October 2019. Domestic tourists generated 25% more stays (412,000), while the number of stays generated by foreigners was down by 82% to 131,000.

Germans accounted for the largest number of overnight stays by foreign tourists (16% or 20,000), followed by citizens of Austria and Italy (13% each), Serbia (10%), Bosnia-Herzegovina (8%) and Croatia (6%).

An increase in overnight stays was recorded only in agritourism farms (up 24% or around 16,000), with 88% of total overnight stays accounted for by Slovenian guests.

Between January and October, slightly more than three million tourist arrivals were recorded in Slovenia, which is 46% less than in the same period last year. The number of overnight stays dropped by 37% to slightly more than nine million.

What is probably a result of free tourism vouchers granted by the government and partial border closure, the number of Slovenian tourists increased by 39% and the number of overnight stays they generated was up by 49% year-on-year.

On the other hand, the number of arrivals of foreign tourists dropped by 72% and the number of their overnight stays was down by 68% compared to the January-October period in 2019.

More details on this data

STA, 24 November 2020 - The director of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) Milan Krek was harassed by the rapper Zlatan Čordić - Zlatko, a prominent anti-masker, and another man on the street on Monday, drawing condemnation both from the NIJZ and the medical profession.

The event "constitutes an attack on an independent, professional public health institution, which is unprecedented," the NIJZ said in a written statement on Tuesday. It said Zlatko and the other man had communicated with Krek in an unacceptable and violent way.

"It is outrageous that something like this happens in a democratic country such as Slovenia," Krek said in a separate statement, adding that many had stopped him on the street before to ask him about the epidemic "but we always had a cultured dialogue, without traces of violence and notwithstanding our opinions, views and positions."

The statement came after Zlatko published a video on Facebook heckling and taunting Krek for several minutes while walking in a street alongside him in Ljubljana. He has since apologised and said it was not his intention to insult Krek in any way.

The incident also drew criticism from the Medical Chamber, which said it rejected "any intolerant communication and actions against health workers".

The head of the government's coronavirus task force, infectologist Bojana Beović, said Krek had dedicated his life to containing the epidemic and under his watch the NIJZ had made strides that had previously been unimaginable. "And then this is the thanks ... I'm at a loss for words."

The Slovenian Journalists' Association said, in reference to Zlatko saying that he was not a very good journalist, that anyone who is not a journalist posing as one was "inappropriate, unethical and damages the reporting profession".

Ljubljana police said they had been informed about the event and were gathering information concerning illegal video recording. They have also initiated proceedings to fine the offenders for breach of coronavirus restrictions.

Zlatko has been a prominent opponent of the mask mandate and recently triggered uproar when he snatched a camera from a Nova24TV crew member at a protest in front of Parliament House.

STA, 24 November 2020 - Bojana Beović, the head of the government's coronavirus task force, has announced that the group will propose the extension of existing restrictions this week. It is not possible to talk about potential changes until the most recent measures show effects, which is expected at the end of this week, Beović told the STA.

Beović said that the novel coronavirus continues to circulate among the population to a great degree, even though some measures, such as the closure of kindergartens, schools etc., have been in place for a month already.

Arguing that it does not help to prescribe measures if these are not observed, Beović said that some countries, for instance Austria, saw the situation calming after a few weeks of restrictions.

This was not the case in Slovenia, which she attributes to a different perception of these measures in our society. Beovič argued this perception was also the result of what she described as an absence of support or the polemics about the measures in the central media.

Beović, an infectious diseases specialist, noted it was obvious the virus was spreading in work environments, since kindergartens, schools and bars are closed. Thus it will also not be possible to advise relaxing measures affecting businesses. For this to happen, companies will need to do their part and prevent the virus from spreading among workers.

She moreover commented on Prime Minister Janez Janša's announced of mass voluntary testing. She said the task force was leaning towards targeted mass testing, meaning tests for high-risk groups. Weekly testing for healthcare workers has already begun, while systematic testing is also planned in care homes.