STA, 2 July 2020 - Croatia, France and Czechia will be removed on Saturday from the green list of countries considered epidemiologically safe by Slovenia, government coronavirus spokesperson Jelko Kacin said on Thursday. Belgium and the Netherlands will on the other hand be green-listed. Kacin also announced efforts to serve quarantine orders already on the border.

Being put on the yellow list means that most foreign citizens arriving in Slovenia from these countries need to subject themselves to a two-week quarantine, while this does not apply to Slovenians [ed. or those with a residence card] returning from yellow-listed countries.

Kacin said that the SarS-CoV-2 situation was improving in some countries, in particular in western Europe, with the the number of infected persons falling below 10 per 100,000 inhabitants. This is why Belgium and the Netherlands will be put on the green list.

However, there are also countries where things are deteriorating, which is why the government is to decide at today's correspondence session that Croatia, Czechia and France be put on the yellow list, effective Saturday.

Kacin said that Slovenians returning from Croatia will not have to go into isolation, but he stressed they would be asked at the border if they are really returning from Croatia and not from other Western Balkan countries that are on the red list and entail quarantine in Slovenia also for Slovenian citizens.

"There has been too much misleading. Police will get instructions and our travellers should get ready to reveal a little more about where they have been," Kacin said, explaining it will also be necessary to provide evidence.

He again urged against travel to Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Kosovo, where the virus is spreading fast. "Everywhere where they had elections and election rallies, the number of infected persons is rising," he added.

As for Croatian citizens planning a holiday in Slovenia, Kacin said that bookings made before Saturday will allow a holiday without quarantine.

Kacin moreover announced the government would examine today the border regime with a focus on putting in place conditions for the effective serving of quarantine orders and strict controls at entry points into Slovenia.

"The government will do all it can so that these quarantine orders are served already on the border to prevent delays and have everybody informed - the National Institute of Public Health, the Health Ministry, the health inspection and, if needed, the police as well," Kacin said, explaining those affected will have to drive directly to their quarantine location.

Referring to administrative rules that have been preventing an effective serving of quarantine orders and thereby enforcement, he said "it will no longer be the case that the quarantine passes before people even receive the order". He added the relevant ministries and other institutions have until Saturday to organise and adapt.

Kacin said more oversight will also be necessary at health institutions and nursing homes and that instructions will be sent out on Friday on how to avoid infections there.

He did not directly comment on Moravče Mayor Milan Balažic issuing today a decree that prohibits any public gatherings as well as private parties or Church mass in this municipality north-east of Ljubljana.

He said the government is trying to prevent the entering of the virus from abroad, expecting the measures to be effective and thus eliminate any need for individual mayors to take action. "But if such gatherings are really happening in their territory, we understand people's concern," Kacin added.

STA, 2 July 2020 - Out of 1,198 coronavirus tests conducted on Wednesday, 21 came back positive, the highest daily figure since 16 April when Slovenia recorded 36 new cases. Nine persons were in hospital, one more than the day before. None required intensive care, show latest government data.

There were no Covid-19 fatalities recorded yesterday. The national death toll thus remains at 111.

The total of estimated active cases is 122, according to the national Covid-19 tracker site data.

On Wednesday, five new cases were confirmed in Ljubljana, five in Ravne na Koroškem (N), four in Dravograd (N), and one each in seven other municipalities.

In the past week, Slovenia saw 87 new cases. A total of 140 infections were confirmed in June, whereas only 34 in May, show the Health Ministry data as reported by public broadcaster RTV Slovenija.

The government's chief Covid-19 advisor Bojana Beović told Radio Slovenija today that the bulk of new cases continue to be imported, although the virus is also spreading within the country, the source of which cannot be established.

"Those who bring the infection from abroad, generate additional cases here, in the family, working environments. It's a cause for great concern," she said.

Beović said that those who were getting ill with Covid-19 in the past few days "were mostly not members of high risk groups. However, recently a more severe case has emerged as well".

The virus has been spreading among the younger generations mostly - on Wednesday, six infections were confirmed among people aged 15-24, seven among those aged 25-34 and three among those aged 35-44.

However, Beović warned that the young could develop a more severe form of the disease as well, not to mention that they could pass the virus on to older relatives.

Eva Grilc of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) also expressed concern over the developments today.

The NIJZ has detected two hotspots so far; one each in the Štajerska region in the north-east and Koroška region in the north.

The Štajerska hotspot has been triggered by imported cases from Serbia, whereas the Koroška one is a result of imported infections from Bosnia-Herzegovina, reads a NIJZ press release.

Meanwhile, Mateja Logar of the UKC Ljubljana clinic for infectious diseases told RTV Slovenija that the situation was very serious for the virus had been spreading within the population and the cases were no longer merely imported.

"It is no longer possible to always know from whom the person contracted the virus," she said, adding that contact tracing had been thus made more difficult.

In recent days, an adult working at a kindergarten in Oplotnica near Maribor tested positive. The kindergarten has implemented all the required precaution measures and informed the parents of the developments, said the municipality.

The infected person as well as 18 children who were in contact with her have been quarantined.

According to a media report, another infection at kindergarten was confirmed in a student who was helping at a kindergarten in Ljubljana.

The student stayed at home as soon as it turned out she might be infected, while 21 children and two employees were sent into a two-week quarantine.

The total number of infections confirmed so far in Slovenia stands at 1,633, after one of the previous cases has been removed from the case count since further testing failed to confirm the infection.

Poll shows growing concern as Covid-19 count increases

STA, 1 July 2020 - A recent poll by Valicon shows a significant change in public opinion as the number of confirmed daily Covid-19 cases has increased again in Slovenia, with the share of concerned people increasing and reaching the level from the end of April.

While in mid-June the share of concerned respondents was 47%, at the end of June it was again at 67%, which is the highest share recorded since the end of April.

Valicon attributes the growing concern to concern about the family and personal health, which is again getting into focus.

Perhaps the most telling information is that "concern that the situation could last for a long time" has given way to concern for the economy, the pollster said on Wednesday.

What is even more drastic is the assessment of the developments, as 55% of the people polled said the things were turning for the worse, which compares to only 11% two weeks ago.

The current situation is normal or rather normal to less than a quarter of the 529 participants in the latest #Newnormality poll between 24 and 29 June, down from two-fifths from mid-June.

Some 35% said that the situation was "acceptable and bearable", up five percentage points, while the share of those who think that the circumstances are unpleasant was up by ten points to 34%.

There is also a shift in the perception of the government's anti-epidemic measures. The share of those who think they are too strict was down by 11 percentage points to 22%, the lowest since the end of March.

The share of respondents who think the measures are not strict enough was meanwhile up from 14% in mid-June to 32%, the highest share since the end of March.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia

STA, 30 June 2020 - Contrary to previous announcements, Slovenia has decided not to delist Croatia as a Covid-19 safe country based on new assessments and steps taken by the country.

Jelko Kacin, the government spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday that even though the number of infections per 100,000 residents in Croatia has exceeded ten a day over the past fortnight, which merits the removal from the list, Slovenia believes Croatia will succeed in slowing down and eventually stopping the spread of infections in the coming days.

This is based on new assessments and Croatia's decision to close night clubs, venues that Kacin yesterday described as a major cause for concern.

"Based on an agreement between the countries' national [public health] institutes and a talk between both prime ministers, the Croatian government decided to adopt Slovenian action patterns and close night clubs as well as cancel such (massive) events," said Kacin, adding that Slovenia had hence come to a conclusion not to delist Croatia "at the moment".

He pointed out that Slovenia had given Croatia a chance to stem the spread of the infections by imposing the measures and thus lead by example among the Western Balkans countries.

Nuška Čakš Jager, the deputy head of the Centre of Infectious Diseases of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ), earlier told the press that Croatia recorded 10.77 infections per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.

Kacin pointed out that both countries kept regular contact on a daily basis, highlighting that removing Croatia from the list remained an option. Slovenia will keep closely monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country in cooperation with health experts, said the government spokesman, adding that the coronavirus spread trends were checked twice a day.

Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, who announced his resignation at the press conference, meanwhile said that the government had decided to keep Croatia on the list for now because the removal would "not change a thing for Slovenian citizens".

If Croatia was put on the yellow list, the Slovenian citizens would still be able to return to Slovenia from Croatia without having to quarantine, whereas Croatian citizens wanting to enter Slovenia would face different requirements. Only in case of exceptions they would not be required to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The situation will be re-assessed at the end of the week, Hojs added.

Statements by Croatian and Slovenian officials however indicate that things are not clear-cut at present.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović told the press he had no knowledge of any promises to Slovenia to close night clubs, nor of any decision by Croatian authorities to do so.

He acknowledged, however, that such a possibility was on the table if night clubs became coronavirus hotspots.

And Slovenian Health Minister Tomaž Gantar told Kanal A in the evening that the decision not to delist Croatia was not prudent and was difficult to understand. "I don't know at which level the decision was taken," he said.

Hojs also commented on the EU list of Covid-19 safe third countries, saying that Slovenia would append a special statement to the document in which the country would state that it reserved the right to keep forming its own green, yellow and red lists.

Member states are expected to lift restrictions on the external border as of 1 July in case of certain third countries based on the list, however Hojs pointed out that the list was merely a set of guidelines and that it was up to individual EU countries to decide upon opening borders to third country citizens.

The EU has set down an average of 16 infections per 100,000 residents over a fortnight as a limit for declaring a country Covid-19 safe.

The NIJZ plans to keep the standard of 10 infections per 100,000 residents for Slovenia will not lower its standards, said Kacin, adding that the final decision on categorising countries according to their epidemiologic situations would be up to the government.

Among third countries that are expected to see lifting of border restrictions on the EU external border on 1 July are also Serbia and Montenegro, the two countries that have been put on the Slovenian red and yellow lists, respectively.

STA, 29 2020 - Various Slovenian cultural NGOs, institutions, festivals and artists are joining forces in a campaign called We are #Open (#odprti) for Culture, a joint platform aimed at raising awareness about the importance of culture. A series of events and action projects will highlight the role of creative endeavours in tackling current and future issues.

At today's press conference marking the launch of the campaign, Matevž Čelik Vidmar, the head of the Architecture and Design Museum (MAO), presented a study by the Centre for Creativity that stresses the role of culture in societal development as well as sustainable economy and dealing with the current burning issues.

"Culture and creative professions are those that could introduce new ideas into society and could be a laboratory for innovative concepts to find a way out of the crisis we are facing right now," he said.

Tibor Mihelič Syed, director of the Ljubljana SMG theatre, said that the joint project would in the long run strive to raise awareness about the role of the cultural, arts and creative ecosystem.

Apart from highlighting that cultural venues are reopening after the corona crisis, the campaign will also pursue long-term goals, such as creating a positive brand reminding the public that culture does not equal useless spending of public funds but is a set of positive values, said Tomaž Simetinger of the Slovenian Cultural Associations Union.

The first part of the campaign, #openstage (#odprtioder), will include some 100 free-of-charge events, taking place during the Slovenian Cinematheque summer open-air cinema between 1 July and 31 August. Museums are joining the action with extended opening times during summer and special events.

The programme, available on odprti.si web page [ed. at the time of writing the webpage was up, but there was no programme – you can follow #odprtioder on Twitter here, and the more general #odprti here], will feature various genres and strive to attract people who were not interested in such events prior to the corona crisis, said Uroš Korenčan, the head of the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre.

The efforts will strive to make a positive change not only in Ljubljana, but also in other Slovenian cities and towns, including Koper, Murska Sobota, Novo Mesto, Nova Gorica, Kranj and Celje. The campaign will try to actively involve other cities as well, leaving no one behind, said Inga Remeta, the head of the Asociacija NGO.

STA, 29 June 2020 - The government lowered the number of persons allowed in public gatherings from 500 to 50 in a correspondence session on Monday. The only exception will be official events licensed by the National Institute of Public Health. The government also indicated stricter oversight of quarantine orders.

 Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin told the press before the government session today that several coronavirus hotspots had emerged recently as a result of parties and other gatherings where social distancing rules had not been observed.

Despite lowering the cap of total attendees, the government will allow the possibility of gatherings of up to 500 people in cases where organisers are able to guarantee social distance and get the go-ahead from NIJZ, like events with seating order and stewardship services. Kacin said that this exception would apply to any rallies.

He was reserved in his answers about parties, but said that "the analysis of the patient's age clearly shows where they socialised. The young socialised at private parties which were also attended by guests from abroad."

The commercial broadcaster POP TV meanwhile reported of a lively night life in Ljubljana. While night clubs remain closed, bars are open late into the night, hosting large numbers of patrons.

When asked what the new restriction would mean for weddings, Kacin said the decision was in the hands of couples. They should decide whether the event can be carried out in line with the restrictions.

He also suggested that vulnerable groups should not attend and that the number of people be kept under 50. "A wedding with an infection is not a lovely thing to remember."

Kacin also said that better oversight of those sent into quarantine is a must in order to contain the spread of the virus.

He was critical of the Health Ministry, saying that quarantine oversight, in the purview of the Health Inspectorate, was "absolutely inadequate".

The speaker said that no inspector should be on vacation. "Oversight is needed now, to see who obeys by their quarantine orders, or else, our hospitals will be bursting at the seams come August," Kacin said.

He also said that a special Covid-19 expert task force had explicitly said that oversight must be boosted, with Kacin expressing hope that Health Minister Tomaž Gantar heard the plea.

The Interior Ministry has offered the Health Inspectorate support in oversight and no health inspector should find themselves in a situation where they do not have police support but need it, said Kacin, but did not mention any specific problems.

Four new coronavirus cases in Slovenia on Sunday

STA, 29 June 2020 - Four new coronavirus infections were confirmed in Slovenia on Sunday, when 300 people took the test. Eight Covid-19 patients were in hospital, none of them in intensive care. No deaths were reported either, the government said on Twitter today.

The latest cases bring the tally of active cases to 89, out of the total of 1,585 so far confirmed.

One of the four new cases was confirmed in Ljubljana and the other three in Ravne na Koroškem. Ljubljana now has 17 active cases and Ravne four, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

As many as 64 new cases were confirmed in the past seven days.

Those included two pupils in two different classes at Škofljica Primary School, the municipality just south of Ljubljana.

Information on the school's website shows the school had been notified of the infections Thursday, a day after the end of school year, whereupon it alerted all the parents.

Headteacher Roman Brunšek told the STA today that the infected pupils were from the same family and that their classmates had been ordered to self-isolate, as were the teachers who had been in contact with them for a while.

Meanwhile, news broke in the evening that at least three Covid-19 cases were discovered today among employees of the UKC Maribor hospital.

While the reports have not been confirmed yet, some media reported that three employees of the hospital's emergency ward have all the symptoms of the disease and that intensive contact tracing is under way.

So far 111 Covid-19-related deaths have been confirmed in Slovenia.

There are presently 6,380 people in quarantine in Slovenia, while 7,190 quarantine orders have been issued since the beginning of June, the Health Ministry told the STA.

Quarantine orders can be issued for healthy individuals who have been in close contact with an infected person. Moreover, people entering Slovenia from red-listed countries are also subjected to two weeks of quarantine.

STA, 28 June 2020 - Due to a growing number of confirmed new coronavirus cases in Slovenia in the past few days, the government will hold a session on Sunday evening to discuss a bill that would implement emergency measures dealing with the potential second wave of infections.

Unofficial sources say that the measures will be primarily aimed at preventing large gatherings, reported Radio Slovenija.

The government will hence likely amend the ban on public gatherings. Currently, events and assemblies are capped at 500 persons due to coronavirus contagion risk.

Milan Krek, the head of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ), told Radio Slovenija that tightening the ban would be one of the key measures that "reduce risk of the new emergence of infections turning into an epidemic wave".

The daily record of confirmed infections with the novel coronavirus dropped to almost zero in mid-May, however the number of cases has been increasing since mid-June. On 22 June, more than ten cases were confirmed in a single day for the first time since 29 April, show NIJZ data.

Nine new cases were confirmed on Saturday after conducting 625 coronavirus tests, with three cases detected in the coastal Koper municipality.

Govt may be forced to de-list Croatia as Covid-19 safe country

STA, 29 June 2020 - The Slovenian government will be forced to de-list Croatia as a Covid-19 safe country on Tuesday if the number of infections there exceeds 10 per 100,000 residents, government spokesman Jelko Kacin announced on Monday. He said that given the coronavirus curve of the last two weeks, this was expected.

Croatia will in that case be placed on the yellow list, meaning that a warning of the danger will be in place for all Slovenians already in Croatia, those planning to go there, and those returning from the country.

They will be urged to keep safety distance while in the country and contact their doctor if they notice any symptoms of Covid-19 when they return to Slovenia.

Kacin noted that Croatia, which has seen a surge in the number of new infections recently, had decided to lift a ban on nightclub partying, a move Slovenia had not opted for even after the epidemic was declared over.

Kacin said a number of Slovenians had bought tickets for a beach party on the island of Pag.

Slovenia is monitoring the situation very closely, he said, adding that there had also been reports of some problems with counting the new cases in Croatia.

"I think there is plenty of reasons for concern and of course to also take action," he told the press.

The two countries' prime ministers, Janez Janša and Andrej Plenković, have already talked about the issue and would further discuss it over the phone later today, Kacin said.

Slovenia expects Croatia to take certain measures to curb the spread of the virus, including close nightclubs and cancel outdoor parties.

As for other countries in the region, Kacin said the number of infections had been rising drastically in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from which 15 cases had been imported to Slovenia.

The outbreak appears to have peaked in North Macedonia, but no infection has come to Slovenia from there, since this was the first country placed on the red list.

In Serbia, many people were infected at a football match, probably more than official figures suggest, commented Kacin, adding that 16 cases had come to Slovenia from there.

Montenegro currently has two major hotspots, one of them being the result of the match in Serbia. The problem with Kosovo, which is also seeing a surge in new cases, is that relatively few tests are conducted there, Kacin noted. Six cases have been imported to Slovenia from there.

In Albania, the number of new infections is also on the rise.

Meanwhile, Kacin highlighted Greece as a stable and safe country.

Out of the total 44 imported cases in June, one each also came from Croatia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Sweden, US, Austria and Germany.

Slovenia places countries on the so-called red list when they have had more than 40 new daily infections per 100,000 inhabitants for the past two weeks. A 14-day quarantine is obligatory for citizens coming from those countries.

Countries seeing more than ten new daily infections per 100,000 residents over the past 14 days are struck from the green list of Covid-19 safe countries and placed onto an intermediate list.

STA, 28 June 2020 - Out of 625 coronavirus tests conducted on Saturday, nine came back positive, show latest government data. There were no Covid-19 fatalities. Seven persons are in hospital care, with none requiring intensive care.

One Covid-19 patient was released from hospital yesterday. A total of 298 persons have been discharged from hospital so far.

Three new cases were recorded in the Koper municipality on Saturday (a total of eleven active coronavirus cases there), whereas Škofja Loka (6), Škofljica (5), Grosuplje, Kanal, Maribor and Ravne na Koroškem each saw one new case, according to the official data.

A total of 1,581 coronavirus infections have been confirmed so far in Slovenia. The national death toll remains at 111.

Milan Krek, director of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ), told commercial broadcaster POP TV on Saturday evening that the recent new cases in Slovenia were dispersed across the country - a situation that is a result of most of them being imported from the Covid-19 risky countries, and has not been triggered by the in-country spread of the virus.

Krek added that the current epidemiologic status in Croatia was grave and that stricter measures would have to be implemented if the situation did not improve there.

STA, 24 June 2020 - The government decided on Wednesday to reintroduce the obligatory use of protective masks in closed public spaces and on public transport. The disinfecting of hands is also compulsory again, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said, explaining the measures, in force from Thursday, are a result of an increase in recorded Covid-19 cases in recent days.

The minister told the press that 20 new infections had been confirmed in Slovenia between 20 and 24 June.

He announced that the obligatory wearing of masks, which he said had contributed to better results in the past, would be reviewed every two weeks.

The government will continue monitoring the epidemiological situation in Slovenia as well as abroad and introduce additional measures on borders if this proves necessary, Gantar added.

Due to new restrictions on borders in recent days, quarantine has been imposed in around 2,700 cases, the minister moreover explained.

Slovenia expanding list of Covid-19 risky countries

STA, 24 June 2020 - The government is removing Montenegro, Luxembourg from the list of Covid-19-safe countries from which arrivals face no restrictions, while adding Albania and Portugal to the list of countries from where entry into Slovenia entails a mandatory two-week quarantine.

New restrictions for all four countries apply from Thursday, the government spokesman Jelko Kacin told reporters after today's government session, which comes after Slovenia has seen an increase in new coronavirus cases imported from abroad, mostly from the region of the former Yugoslavia.

Kacin said Montenegro and Luxembourg are being removed from the "green list" of epidemiologically safe countries from which entry into Slovenia is restriction-free.

The number of new daily infections per 100,000 residents in those two countries over the past 14 days has exceeded 10.

Albania and Portugal are being moved to the red list of countries from which entry into Slovenia entails a 14-day quarantine, except for some exceptions.

The red list includes countries which registered more that 40 new daily infections per 100,000 residents for the past fortnight.

"The Foreign Ministry strongly advises against any travel to the red-labelled countries," said Kacin, adding that if travel was absolutely essential for business or other reason utmost caution should be exercised and the stay as short as possible.

The government took the decisions after getting acquainted with the assessment of the epidemiological situation in the EU and its neighbourhood, drawn up by the National Institute of Public Health.

Kacin said that while everyone decided for themselves where to go and at what risk during their free time, the government was keen for as few as possible travellers or tourists to venture where it was not safe.

"I'd strongly advise against any travel to Latin America, and the situation is also deteriorating fast in Africa," said Kacin, who believes people follow exactly where to go and where they must not.

Commenting on the change of regime for certain countries, Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said: "If a country is green today, it won't be red tomorrow, but we'll always go via a transition."

"This should give enough time to citizens in that country or abroad, if they follow at least a bit so they know there can be change, but in no case from today to tomorrow so that anyone would be caught off guard. That is not our intention," he said.

According to Kacin, the government also decreed today that the proof of a negative coronavirus test which foreigners need to present to enter Slovenia should not be older than 36 hours.

So far such certificates needed to be not older than three days. The change is to avoid abuse that has happened, said Kacin.

A list of quanrantine countries, not yet updated and in Slovene (but easy to Google Translate) is here

STA, 23 June 2020 - Slovenia saw a surge in coronavirus cases on Monday, when 13 out of 984 tests came back positive. This is the highest number of new daily infections since 24 April, when 15 new cases were reported.

Six out of 13 infections were imported - three from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one each from Serbia, Croatia and Kosovo, Mario Fafangel, the head of the centre for contagious diseases at the National institute for Public health (NIJZ), told the press today.

Five other cases were related to the imported ones, one is still being investigated and in one case the source of infection is not known.

Fafangel stressed that Slovenia's epidemiological situation, with 14 cases confirmed this week, was still good compared to those in other EU countries. He assured the public that the imported infections were under control.

If the number of infections starts rising rapidly, various measures will be proposed, he said.

Slovenia had 25 new infections confirmed between 15 and 21 June, of which 11 were imported and 10 were related to those cases. Nobody got infected in their local environment in the country.

Five Covid-19 patients were is hospital yesterday, one in intensive care. One person was discharged from hospital and no new deaths were reported, the government said on Twitter.

So far, 94,165 tests have been conducted and 1,534 infections confirmed. A total of 109 people have died of the disease, the last one on 1 June.

Fafangel said today the surge in the number of new cases was not the second wave of the epidemic but oscillation. With the curve flattening, the situation seemed very promising, but now the figures are being kept at a stable level.

"All countries are trying to keep the situation under control at the global level, because it is not enough if only one country is taking measures," the NIJZ official said.

Government spokesman Jelko Kacin said the government would discuss the potential new measures tomorrow.

New infections were confirmed in nine Slovenian municipalities on Monday. Mostly one case was recorded in each municipality, except in Pivka were two cases were recorded, which Kacin linked to a party.

Fafangel said the number of hospitalised persons remains low because the demographic structure of those infected was different than during the epidemic. While back then, the patients were mostly elderly, now they are active people who travel.

STA, 22 June 2020 - The Education Ministry is working on a number of possible scenarios for schooling regime in the next school year, Minister Simona Kustec told the press on Monday, saying everything would depend on the epidemiological situation. But school will definitely start on 1 September, she stressed.

Addressing the press after the first hundred days in office, the minister of education, science and sport said that active and intensive preparations for autumn were under way.

"We don't yet know what the epidemiological situation will be then but we must not be caught off guard," she stressed, noting that the models of education the ministry was working on were being formed based on experience gathered in the hundred days of remote learning.

The goal is to have as much schooling as possible conducted at school, Kustec said, noting that the final details were being ironed out regarding the possible models of schooling.

School principals were informed of this today, while a detailed presentation of the models will be sent to them at the beginning of July.

The decision on how school will actually start in September will be made in the last week of August, she said.

According to Radio Slovenia, the ministry is also working on a model envisaging a combination of remote learning and education at school for secondary schools under which a group of students would go to school for a certain period of time, while the other group would study from home, and then they would switch.

Most secondary school students finished this school year from home because of restrictions in public transport and student dorms, and it is assumed that those restrictions would remain in place in the autumn as well.

Kustec said the period between 16 March, when schools were closed, and 18 May, when the first three grades of primary schools returned to school, had been most "unusual".

But despite the peculiar circumstances, pupils and students will finish the year by meeting their obligations. "This process was a great challenge and we were successful because we joined forces, and together we understood what needs to be done and how to keep our lives going," she said.

Kustec and President Borut Pahor thanked everyone involved for their efforts in a video address on Sunday, with the president saying that this experience would be a story to tell children and grandchildren.

Looking into the future, Pahor said that undoubtedly new technologies would be even more important in the learning process than they were now. "But there is also no doubt that in the future school, teachers and learning will be more than just that."

He said school was also friends and crushes, teachers who guide their students, and parents and family members, who celebrate their successes and stand by their side in difficult times.

Kustec noted that EUR 18.8 million had been allocated to those affected by the coronavirus crisis in education as part of the three government-sponsored stimulus packages. Eight millions were spent on student bonuses, and another eight to help teachers in private and public kindergartens, student dorms and those employed in sport, she said.

Four days after the epidemic was declared on 12 March, 190.156 primary school children and 72,783 secondary school students switched to remote learning in Slovenia. After more than two months, the first three grades of primary schools returned to school on 18 May. Ninth-graders followed a week later and the remaining primary school children returned to school at the beginning of the month.