STA, 27 October 2020 - Monday's tally of new coronavirus infections in Slovenia reached 1,499 as 5,756 tests were carried out. Five Covid-19 patients died in hospital, while there is no data yet for care homes, coronavirus spokesperson Jelko Kacin told the press on Tuesday.

The number of active infections was at 16,347 on Monday, when 85 new patients were admitted to hospital, data on the national tracker site shows.

There are 560 coronavirus patients currently in hospital, up from 523 the day before. As many as 86 are in intensive care, up four, of whom 57 on a ventilator, the same as the day before.

Over the past two weeks, 780 people per 100,000 residents fell ill with coronavirus, up from 727 yesterday, according to covid-19.sledilnik.org.

Since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Slovenia on 4 March, almost 25,580 infections have been confirmed.

The tracker site shows that 256 deaths have been recorded since the start of the epidemic, but it also says that only five people died yesterday.

The latest data presented at today's news conference is meanwhile 13, so the final death tally should be 264.

Kacin said the situation at hospitals was serious, with the number of hospitalisations doubling in slightly more than a week and expected to keep rising for a while.

UKC Ljubljana, the largest hospital in the country, has 140 Covid-19 patients, of whom 29 in intensive care, said Mateja Logar from the Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

The hospital has been expanding the number of its coronavirus beds, but they will eventually be forced to stop expanding as they are bound to run out of staff, she explained.

She said that Covid-19 patients are in hospital an average 10 to 14 days, but several weeks in intensive care.

Logar urged people to help stop the spread of the virus by observing all the restrictive measures, just like they did in spring. "Only in this way will be make it."

Patients in intensive care are 65 years old on average, the youngest being only 42.

A 33-year-old patient is being treated in an ordinary Covid-19 department, while there are also two children and a pregnant women who need air support to breathe.

A quarter of Slovenians distrustful of anyone regarding coronavirus

STA, 27 October 2020 - A third of Slovenians think that government measures equally take into account health and the economy, whereas almost a third believe that health is overly in focus at the cost of the economy, shows a survey by Mediana. A quarter said they trusted no one regarding information about coronavirus, whereas a quarter trust expert Bojana Beović.

More than 20% believe that the measures are too focused on boosting the economy at the cost of public health. The responses are similar to those given in a July survey featuring the same questions.

Some 82% think that the coronavirus crisis will have serious economic consequences and around 77% believe that teleworking will be on the rise.

When it comes to grave financial impact on individuals, 40% think that they will experience them personally. Almost half say that Slovenians will start turning to local producers more, almost a 10% decrease on July.

A quarter has zero trust in anyone regarding coronavirus information. Among experts, Bojana Beović, the government's main Covid-19 adviser, enjoys most trust - a quarter of Slovenians trust her. Some 15% trust doctors and epidemiologists, whereas the government's spokesman Jelko Kacin enjoys trust of almost 15%.

He is followed by Milan Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health (some 12%), Prime Minister Janez Janša (about 9%), infectologist Mateja Logar (6%), and Health Minister Tomaž Gantar (5%).

At the bottom of the ranking are the media, the government and trust in oneself.

The online survey was conducted between 2 and 4 October among 505 adults.

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STA, 26 October 2020 - A survey has shown that a vast majority of Slovenian companies are considering increasing the share of work conducted from home also in the long-term, meaning in post-corona times. The poll also showed companies are more optimistic than during the spring coronavirus wave.

The study, carried out in September and October by consultancy Kearney in cooperation with AmCham Slovenija, had 96% of the polled companies saying they fully or partially agree that work from home will remain more frequent also in the long-term.

The second poll of this kind, following the one in the spring, moreover showed companies are more optimistic in their forecasts than during the spring coronavirus wave, AmCham Slovenija said on Monday, while noting that the survey had been completed before the epidemic and lockdown had been declared for the second time.

According to the survey, companies on average expect revenue to fall by 3% this year compared to 2019, which compares to a 15% drop forecast in the spring. The expected drop in employment fell from 6% to 3%, and the expected drop in investment changed from 13% to 4%. The pollsters believe most companies took the likelihood of a second wave into account when making these forecasts.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has encouraged managers to develop new competences for facing the challenges on the market. More than half of the companies polled report of partial or significant changes in competence and the manner of operations.

Most companies are pursuing measures that strengthen labour process flexibility and digitalisation. Listed the most frequently among measures that had positive effects were flexibility measures (64%), business digitalisation (40%) and internal debureaucratization (32%).

Work from home turned out to be a positive measure for more than a third of the companies involved in the survey. 37% reported greater productivity, 54% raised satisfaction levels and more motivation among staff.

"Six months into the pandemic companies entered a 'new normal'. This means that most of them did not return to the old tracks but are changed today because of the measures introduced and better equipped for the current and potential next crisis waves," Marko Derča, a Kearney partner, wrote.

As many as 84% of the companies strongly agree that there will be more work from home in the future long-term, which is a 31 percentage points increase compared to the spring survey. Another 12% agree with this partly.

Almost two thirds or 65% expect a further strengthening of digital forms of work within organisations, which is marginally more than in the spring. Companies from the manufacturing sector moreover highlighted a greater focus on robotisation and automation (44%).

Also, 82% of the companies polled expect a rise in sales through web channels and the same share expects more intensive use of digital tools in their communication with clients.

The study involved 48 companies, all members of AmCham Slovenija. More than two thirds deal with professional and business services.

STA, 26 October 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša said after holding talks with Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik, who had not waited for their coronavirus test results in isolation, that he was not asking them to resign, as the government was working around the clock and was thus making mistakes.

"I demand from no one to resign. The government works 24 hours a day and also makes mistakes. This happens in particular because each minister is performing a dual job," Janša said on Monday in an answer to a question from POP TV.

The prime minister also said in a tweet, to which he attached a screenshot of journalist questions, that the job of a minister was stressful and that they did not receive bonuses. "These are received by those who, without masks on their faces, criticise from a full studio someone without [a mask]".

Logar's positive test was confirmed on Friday after he was routinely tested as he returned from abroad, while the media report that he met in the National Gallery its director Barbara Jaki while waiting for the test results.

According to government Covid-19 spokesman Jelko Kacin, Logar was scheduled to be present at the event after the testing.

Immediately after being informed about testing positive, he stopped all his activities, and the entire office of the foreign minister stopped its activities as well, he added.

Kacin also said that Logar had not had any symptoms and that he had been routinely tested. "No one had expected that he would be positive, but it turned out that he was. He has been in isolation since," he added.

The media have also reported that Minister Koritnik did not wait for his preventive coronavirus test result in isolation either, and that he visited a beauty salon. His test has turned out to be negative.

Koritnik apologised in a written statement today, saying that it was ill-advised of him "not to wait in the car in front of the salon". He claims he did not put anyone at risk or violated the measures and epidemiological recommendations valid at the time.

The minister added that he believed the preventive test was a sign of his responsible behaviour towards his colleagues and all others in his surroundings.

Koritnik said he was following the expert recommendation that a preventive test without symptoms or risky contacts does not require self-isolation.

Kacin also said that Interior Minister Aleš Hojs had been tested today after an infection had been detected among his closest aides.

The test is negative and Hojs returns to his job today, Kacin said, adding that the minister had been in self-isolation while waiting for the results.

MPs meanwhile said later today that missteps regarding compliance with preventive measures could be made by anyone, however decision-makers, putting in place those measures, should respect them and set an example for citizens to follow.

Opposition parties also mostly acknowledged that to err was human, but also went harsher on Logar and Koritnik's conduct as well as on Milan Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health, who recently failed to wear a mask while pumping gas at a filling station.

The Left's leader Luka Mesec was most critical, finding it outrageous that the prime minister did not even apologise, let alone dismiss these officials. He also noted that Janša recently blamed the worsening epidemiologic situation on media and the opposition, urging the government to step down.

Marjan Šarec, the previous prime minister and head of his eponymous party LMŠ, said that such missteps undermined the credibility of the measures and pointed to what he sees as the two-faced nature of the current government, which showed no remorse.

Such missteps should be as rare as possible among public figures, who should be role models for citizens, said Predrag Baković, a SocDems MP. Andrej Rajh of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) pointed out that when such missteps were as a common occurrence as among government officials, the epidemiological situation became alarming.

Meanwhile, the National Party (SNS) head Zmago Jeličič considers reports about the missteps rivalry between various media in catching officials flouting the rules. He also said that SocDems leader Tanja Fajon had not always been wearing a mask, however that had not been in focus on television.

Anja Bah Žibert of the ruling Democrats (SDS) said that the party was heeding the measures non-stop and had never been urging citizens to flout them. Gregor Perič of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) said that such missteps could occur to anyone, however they should be avoided as much as possible.

STA, 26 October 2020 - The Nova Gorica municipality in the west and Slovenian minority organisations in Italy have called on the Slovenian interior and foreign ministries to coordinate anti-corona measures in the border area where cross-border ties are strong with the Italian government and Friuli-Venezia Giulia authorities.

"We would like to see coordination between Ljubljana, Rome and Trieste that would show understanding for people's lives, particularly those of both ethnic communities, the Slovenian in Italy and the Italian in Slovenia, and for the economy in the border area.

"The first wave of infections already showed that the state border in the Goriško area cuts across the Slovenian-speaking area and intense cross-border economy, cultural and social activities," reads the appeal, signed by Nova Gorica Mayor Klemen Miklavič and the heads of the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Association (SKGZ) and of the Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO), Ksenija Dobrila and Walter Bandelj, respectively.

Gorizia Mayor Rodolfo Ziberna has already addressed a similar appeal to the Italian government.

The mayors of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, twin towns, separated by the border, have noted the ramifications of poor coordination between Slovenia and Italy, highlighting that citizens do not see the need for restrictions within the community since both the spread of coronavirus and preventive measures are similar on both sides of the border.

Today's appeal points out that even if unilateral measures by Ljubljana or Rome are taken in good faith, they pose a risk of casting doubt on support for turning the area into the European cross-border region.

Moreover, border restrictions interfere with day-to-day activities and urgent errands in the cross-border urban centre of Gorizia and Nova Gorica as well as weaken economic and other ties between the twin towns.

Both towns were relatively successful in tackling the first wave. They are doing relatively well in stemming the second wave as well, with Gorizia being even more effective at the moment. The Italian town is thus surprised over Slovenia's border restrictions in the area.

Nova Gorica and the minority organisations have thus called for measures that would not result in economic damage or hamper the progress of long-term development in the cross-border region.

Miklavič added that the government had taken into account the nature of cross-border regions when imposing movement restrictions. There will be no physical barriers at small border crossings or between the twin towns as a result.

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STA, 26 October 2020 - Despite slowed down testing on Sunday, Slovenia registered 1,116 new coronavirus cases as over 30% of the tests returned positive results, the highest rate yet. The country reported seven more Covid-related deaths in hospitals.

Presenting fresh data at Monday's press briefing, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said the number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 has risen to 523, from 508 the day before.

The number of those in intensive care units rose by 11 to 82.

7-Day Ban on Movements Between Municipalities Starts Tuesday

The latest infections bring the national coronavirus case count to over 24,000, of which 15,247 are active cases, according updated data on the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

The Covid-related death toll has increased to 251.

The rolling 14-day average of cases per 100,000 residents is now 727, according to the tracker site, which shows 1,130 new cases for Sunday, after Kacin previously reported 1,116.

A total of 3,682 tests were performed on Sunday, which compares to 5,776 on Saturday and 7,025 on Friday, when daily case tallies hit 1,675 and 1,961, respectively, the latter a record high.

Kacin said the situation was worst in the north-western region of Gorenjska, where 43% of all tests were positive. The region has 1,265 infections per 100,000 residents.

Ljubljana recorded 190 new cases on Sunday, where the rate of infection is now 0.705%. Higher rates are reported by the municipalities of Odranci (3.467%) and Kuzma (3.748%) in the north-east, and Železniki (2.657%) and Škofja Loka (2.042%) in the north-west.

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STA, 25 October 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has announced a ban on movements between municipalities will be imposed for the whole country starting from Tuesday in response to the surge in coronavirus. [Ed. Assume this means from midnight Monday]

"The restriction will be initially in force for 7 days for the whole country, and will be eased gradually by regions that will first curb the epidemic," Janša said on his Twitter profile.

"Let's do everything to limit contacts to the minimum and so that restrictions can be lifted as soon as possible. Protect lives, health and prosperity," reads Janša's tweet with the hashtag We Can Do It.

Janša said that exceptions to the ban outside the municipality of residence would as those valid during a similar ban in spring.

The exceptions are thus expected to be similar as for the ban on movements between regions already in force and include commute to work, travel for the purposes of business, farming, access to health services and pharmacies, caring for or assisting a close relative, and seeing to a property.

In justifying the ban, Janša noted that the numbers of Covid-19 patients are rising, so additional measures were being imposed from the government plan to control the epidemic.

Janša referred to an earlier announcement by Health Minister Tomaž Gantar that more tan 700 beds for Covid-19 patients would soon be ready with talks under way to secure a further 300 if necessary.

"Activities to secure healthcare capacities continue uninterruptedly. Including in spas and hotels. No need for tents and fairgrounds," Janša said.

The latest government data show that there are currently 508 patients hospitalised with Covid-19, including 71 in intensive care units.

Slovenia reported 1,675 new coronavirus cases for Saturday for the total case count of 22,952, as the number of active cases increased to 14,288. The death toll increased by six to 241.

The spring ban on movements between municipalities has been challenged at the Constitutional Court, which has given its clearance for the measure.

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STA, 25 October 2020 - Slovenia saw 1,675 new coronavirus cases for Saturday as a record 29% of all tests returned positive results. Hospitalisations exceeded 500 and another five patients with Covid-19 died, fresh government data show.

The daily tally is just 286 below Friday's absolute record of 1,961, but on fewer tests performed, at 5,776, compared to 7,025 on Friday as the positivity rate climbed further.

The country's total case count has now neared 23,000, at 22,952, as the number of active cases increased to 14,288, data from tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org show.

The death toll has risen to 241, after the government reported on six deaths for Saturday, up from five initially reported by the Health Ministry.

The rolling 14-day average of cases per 100,000 residents has increased to 682.

With another 89 admissions, Covid-19 hospitalisations rose to 508, despite 23 patients discharged home. The number of those requiring intensive care rose by eight to 71.

As hospitals are becoming stretched with Covid-19 patients, most non-urgent medical services were suspended today under a decree issued by the Health Health Minister Tomaž Gantar the night before.

UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest medical centre, already suspended most non-essential services on Friday, while it is expanding Covid-19 units and beds.

UKC Ljubljana director general Janez Poklukar has announced an expansion to the Peter Držaj Hospital in the Šiška borough as the fourth location for Covid-19 patients after the departments of the infectious diseases, orthopaedics and a former paediatric hospital.

As on Sunday, UKC Ljubljana is treating 121 patients with Covid-19, of them 25 in intensive care,
infectiologist Mateja Logar said.

Considering the growth in infections reflects the situation ten days ago, Logar could not say yet how effective the latest restrictions will be. "Let's hope the situation will stabilise, bottom up next week," she said.

"Our estimate is that one in 50 residents is positive, so the likelihood of us getting infected is greater," Logar said, urging on everyone to abide by preventive measures and not to meet the extended family or socialise outside their family bubble, even while visiting graves for All Saint's Day.

The Covid-19 tracker site shows that most of the latest cases, 227, were recorded in Ljubljana, followed by 91 in Kranj in the north-west, and 51 in Domžale, just to the north of Ljubljana.

Ljubljana now has 1,919 active infections for a per capita infection rate of 0.65%; Kranj has 717 active cases or 1.26% of its residents infected and Domžale has 543 active infections (1.48%). The infection rates in some of the smaller municipalities are higher.

Non-essential medical services suspended

STA, 25 October 2020 - Most non-essential medical services will be temporarily unavailable as of Sunday under a decree issued by the Health Minister Tomaž Gantar late on Saturday that focuses health resources on the battle against Covid-19.

While some hospitals, including UKC Ljubljana, the largest hospital complex in the country, have started suspending non-essential services in recent days, this decree now applies to health providers nation-wide.

It stipulates that all services except oncology, services for pregnant women and newborns, vaccination and work medicine are suspended as of today.

This includes all preventive services with the exception of cancer screening programmes, prevention for pregnant women, new mothers and newborns, preventive checks for children under a year old, preventive services concerning occupational medicine, and services whose suspension would have a direct negative impact on a patient's health.

Hospitals will adjust the number of specialist examinations and suspend all but the most urgent surgeries.

The decree stipulates that health providers at the primary level must provide sufficient capacity for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. If they cannot do that alone, they may join forces with other providers.

In a second decree, the minister determined that medical interns and speciality trainees must be included in the provision of services necessary to battle the Covid-19 epidemic.

Both decrees enter into force today and the minister will check every 14 days whether the measures are still needed.

Slovenia recorded nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the last day for which data are currently available. There were 449 Covid-19 patients in hospital yesterday, including 63 in intensive care, according to data tracker Covid-19 Sledilnik.

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The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 23 October 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Calls for solidarity with social victims of the crisis

STA, 23 October 2020 – The left-wing weekly Mladina says in its latest commentary that the numbers showing the social crisis brought by coronavirus are as horrifying and painful as the numbers of the infected, hospitalised and deceased. It adds that one must not express solidarity to patients without expressing solidarity to people who have been impacted in other ways.

"We cannot build the fight against the epidemic on the daily count of the infected, hospitalised and deceased. Of course, these numbers are important...but betting on these numbers distorts the picture. Other numbers hidden behind these numbers."

Under the headline In the Name of the Coming Weeks, Grega Repovž, the editor-in-chief of the left-leaning weekly, adds that the entire industry of socialisation, entertainment and recreation was halted last week in order to reduce the number of persons affected by coronavirus.

"The number of people without income, without means of subsistence drastically increased this week. These numbers are as horrifying and painful," Repovž says, adding that solidarity should also be expressed to these people.

The government has failed to prepare itself for this form of crisis in the past months, and now this problem may be solved only with humaneness and love. "This sounds cheesy and cheap, but it is not. If we want to solve what is coming, we badly need sentient people at all levels."

Repovž wonders whether Slovenians are aware at all how terrifying a social bomb is ticking as the "state has failed, and municipalities are pretending they have nothing to do with it," as there are no funds to finance rents and there is no additional welfare.

He also notes that it was politics which has taken the decisions which now reflect in all these numbers, and that society only followed it by default as it has limited power in the relation with politics.

"Politics is now telling us that it is best for us to point fingers at each other. Let's not fall for this trick. They are doing this in order to mask their own responsibility," concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: Mainstream media promoting resistance against government

STA, 22 October 2020 – The right-wing weekly Demokracija says in Thursday's commentary that Slovenian mainstream media encourage opponents of restrictive measures while promoting resistance against the government.

"The epidemiological situation in Slovenia is progressively worse while the media mainstream promotes the conduct of [rapper Zlatan] Čordić and company who encourage boycotting masks and the application for tracing infected persons, and promote resistance to the centre-right government in these difficult times," says the editorial Born (and Raised) for Violence.

"It seems (and it is probably not far from the truth) that they genuinely want the virus to murder as many Slovenians as possible so that they can point their fingers at the faces at Gregorčičeva Street."

"And when someone from the government reacts, condemns their behaviour, they scream about attacks on media freedom and stories about the establishment of totalitarianism on the sunny side of the Alps are flying around the world, travelling to all possible and impossible addresses of (ideologically kidnapped) international progressive (media) associations."

The paper notes that these media are, however, not reporting on last week's attack on the Nova24 cameraman. "This would not be in line with political correctness and the maimed ideology of liberal democracy. It is allowed to beat the conservative-oriented (rightist, if you will), until exhaustion, is it not?"

According to the commentator, it is perhaps time that "good and peace-loving people no longer (just) pass olive branches. And that the principle Vim vi expellere licet [it is permitted to expel force with force] is not just dead ink on paper."

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STA, 24 October 2020 - Friday was a day of grim records in Slovenia's fight against the coronavirus. A record 7,025 tests were performed, with a record 1,961 coming back positive, pushing the positivity rate to a record 27.91%. Moreover, 19 people with coronavirus died yesterday, the highest daily death number yet.

While 17 people died in hospital, two more died in nursing homes, the Health Ministry said. This brought the total coronavirus death tally to 235.

The government initially said that 1,963 cases had been confirmed, this was later corrected by spokesman Jelko Kacin, who tweeted that 1,961 had been confirmed. He also said that they were still collecting information on deaths from nursing homes.

The number of active cases climbed to 13,021, according to tracker Covid-19.Sledilnik. 449 were in hospital, with 63 requiring intensive care, the Health Ministry said.

By far the highest number of active cases has been reported in Gorenjska (979), followed by Koroška (704) and central Slovenia (631), data from Covid-19.Sledilnik show.

Kacin also tweeted that the number of tests performed continues to increase and that the pressure on labs is immense. So far, 21,274 have been confirmed since testing began in spring.

Milan Krek, the director of the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ), told the STA today the high figures do not come unexpected, while Bojana Beović, the head of the government Covid-19 task force, told Radio Slovenija they would climb higher still.

Krek said NIJZ had prepared for the second wave, increasing its capacities, so that epidemiologists are now able to call over 1,000 people a day.

Meanwhile, Beović said manner of testing may change in the future due to the high number of positive tests, "because this is impossible work", while hospitalisations provide an insight into what is happening.

She said the task force was not considering additional measures at this point because restrictions put in place recently should have to suffice.

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STA, 23 October 2020 - With a week-long closure of preschools starting on Monday and many parents trying to figure out how to combine work and childcare, Social Affairs Minister Janez Cigler Kralj said on Friday that the parents taking work days off to mind their children will be eligible to a compensation amounting to 80% of their salary.

Moreover, Education Minister Simona Kustec, said at the same press conference that parents would not be paying for childcare while their child was not in kindergarten.

She also appealed to mayors to make childcare available for parents who must work and have no other childcare possibility, adding that mayors understood the needs of their communities best.

Kustec expressed belief that people were aware of the severity of the situation and that only those in jobs that are vital to the state and the society would opt to bring their child to kindergarten.

Kindergartens and mayors will decide how they will be checking whether the childcare is really necessary for an individual child.

The minister said the decision to close kindergartens was made due to the doubling in the number of coronavirus cases among staff.

Kindergartens are to remain closed next week, during the autumn holiday for primary and secondary schools.

When asked whether children would return to brick and mortar schools after that, Kustec said this would be decided towards the end of next week. This is also when it would be decided whether kindergartens will reopen.

Asked about subsidised school meals for poor students, Kustec said that most children had access to these in the past week, when student beyond grade 5 of primary school had already been remotely schooled.

If the lockdown will stretch out for a longer period, then a system solution will have to be found for this issue, the minister said.

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