Ljubljana related
All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here, the photo at the top of this story and the video in the middle are by Saška Grušovnik, and you can see more of her work here
STA, 14 April 2020 One more death related to the coronavirus epidemic was recorded on Monday, bringing the overall death toll to 56. The increase in the number of infected persons appears to be slowing down, as only eight new cases were recorded yesterday for a nationwide total of 1,220.
The government also tweeted that 541 Covid-19 tests had been performed on Monday to bring the total number of tests to 35,946.
The situation in hospitals remains stable, with the number of hospitalised patients increasing by eight compared to Sunday to 103. This is still well below the late-March peak of nearly 120.
The number of intensive care cases was up by one to 35; the peak was 37 on 10 April. No Covid-19 patient was released from hospital yesterday.
Easing of Lockdown Expected Next Week, Details Thursday
STA, 14 April 2020 - There had been indications that Slovenia may start relaxing lockdown measures this week, but the government's chief medical advisor for the coronavirus epidemic said on Tuesday that the easing would not start before next week.
Bojana Beović, who heads the Health Ministry's medical task force for coronavirus, said the easing would depend on when the health authorities determine that the epidemic is tailing off.
While data on new infections over the Easter weekend is encouraging, it is premature to say whether the epidemic is "being gradually extinguished," she said.
Apart from a convincing slow-down in the epidemic, one that has lasted for at least a few days, other conditions that would need to be fulfilled for a relaxation include a sufficient availability of testing to detect as many cases as possible before they could break out into new hot spots.
Beović said that Slovenia lacked infectious disease experts to detect every new case or outbreak, analyse and contain it, so "we're placing much hope in modern technology that will be able to alert us of contacts".
Speaking of a mobile contact tracking app designed to notify individuals that they have been in contact with an infected person, Beović said the app would not collect any other personal data as the authorities were aware of the importance of personal data protection.
Asked which portions of society would open first, Beović said nothing had been decided yet but the first segments to reopen were likely to be activities that involve no or minimal contact between people.
Government coronavirus spokesman Jelko Kacin said the government was considering at least partial lifting of the ban on movement between municipalities and allowing certain sports activities, but only after the conditions allowed that.
"We're also considering outdoor sporting activities that allow a safe distance between those engaged (...) it could be tennis, badminton, golf, cycling," Kacin illustrated.
"However, any larger public events, sporting or other, are not to be expected anytime soon," he said, adding that he was not listing relaxations of any particular restrictions, merely offering a line of thinking what could happen.
The government will decide on concrete relaxation of measures on Thursday.
While the number of officially confirmed coronavirus cases in the country rose to 1,220 as of Monday, Beović said rough estimates put the actual number between 3,000 and 4,000. A study will try to estimate the number of infected who have not seen a doctor based on a population sample.
All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here
STA, 14 April 2020 - Tourism is among the industries hit particularly hard by coronavirus. Slovenia is in a precarious position. Not only is it next door to one of the main coronavirus hotspots in Europe, it also relies on foreign guests for three-quarters of arrivals. The Slovenian Tourist Board expects the sector to experience a 60-70% contraction this year.
Previous economic crises have been brutal on tourism, but the sector has been able to recover fairly quickly. The coronavirus pandemic is different.
"The virus has spread to all continents, it is present in all countries in Europe. The impact of the crisis on life, the economy, jobs and in particular tourism is more intensive than in previous crises," Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) director Maja Pak told the STA.
While the situation remains uncertain and it is difficult to gauge the impact of the pandemic on tourism, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated at the end of March that international travel would decline by 45% in the event strict lockdown measures last until June. If the recovery is pushed forward to autumn, the decline will be 70%.
The STO estimate is even more pessimistic: Pak expects a 60-70% contraction in demand if the relaxation of lockdown measures starts in June, if not, the figure is likely to be higher.
Maja Uran Maravić, an associate professor at the Faculty of Tourism Studies in Portorož, agrees with the estimate given the estimated 30% contraction in the first quarter compared to a year ago.
"The decline will probably be around 70% assuming hotels start opening at least by 1 June," she said.
After the sharp decline, the recovery is expected to be long. Pak expects it will take several years, depending on how successfully the virus is contained, when borders reopen, and when tourism providers are allowed to operate again.
A lot will also hinge on how successfully the tourism industry adapts to the "altered consumer behaviour and the new situation post-crisis", according to Pak.
"Distance, which will be the new standard for a long time, will affect revenue and slow the recovery."
Slovenia recorded 6.2 million tourist arrivals and 15.8 million nights last year. According to Tanja Mihalič, a Ljubljana School of Business and Economics professor who specialises in tourism, it may take until 2023 or 2024 before Slovenia returns to these levels.
It may take even longer before revenue from foreign guests returns to the level recorded last year, according to Mihalič, who noted that the situation might even escalate into a price war.
On the upside, Slovenia is relatively well accessible by car from the countries from which the majority of foreign guests come, and its seaside might benefit from the misfortune of major seaside destinations such as Italy or Spain.
Regardless of the pace of recovery, tourism is likely to be different than it was before the crisis, requiring far-reaching adjustments by players in the industry.
As Mihalič noted, the trends included smaller groups, a focus on hygiene, and greater demand for tourism products that involve less interaction between people. "Companies with automated receptions and services and card access to facilities and services will have an advantage," she said.
Pak highlighted Slovenia's established position on the market for green tourism and niche products, which she said was a great asset going into the recovery phase.
The STO is also counting on domestic guests, who accounted for roughly a quarter of all guests last year, with Pak noting than after past crises Slovenians tended to value the safety of spending holidays in their country. Moreover, it will take a while before global travel returns to pre-corona crisis levels.
However, Maravić says that there are simply too few domestic guests to offset the decline in foreign visitors. "But if even domestic guests do not show up, our tourism will be ravaged if the borders stay shut."
All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here
STA, 14 April 2020 - Companies which have suspended their production due to the coronavirus epidemic are gradually restarting operations and joining those that have only partly shut down or have not closed shop at all. As of Tuesday, a number of major businesses will be active again.
Household appliances maker Gorenje, owned by China's Hisense, temporarily shut down its operations on 23 March. The company's plant producing washers and dryers started its operations last Friday and other production lines in Velenje are expected to restart today.
Adria Mobil, which shut down on 18 March, saw its support services and management resume their work last week. Assembly lines will start running again on Tuesday, with the company introducing flexible working hours to prevent crowding.
Elan, another company that suspended production in mid-March, is sending more than half of its workforce back to work and adopting similar measures of reorganizing shifts to ensure that as few people as possible are working in the same place.
Revoz, the Renault-owned car assembly plant, had considered reopening as well but then extended the shutdown by another week. Restarting operations on 20 April is still questionable though and depends on a number of factors, including the resumption of public transport services, component supply and the developments in France and Spain, a Revoz unionist said on Thursday.
Despite restrictions imposed to stem or at least slow down the spread of Covid-19, it has been business as usual for many major companies, such as food and infrastructure businesses, as well as drug makers Lek and Krka, steel maker Sij, electric motor manufacturer Domel, tool maker Unior and aluminium producer Impol.
Some companies have merely reduced the scope of their operations, including aluminium producer Talum, glassworks Steklarna Rogaška, shoe maker Alpina and Hidria, which mostly manufactures hi-tech products for the car industry.
Another major company, household appliances maker BHS Hišni Aparati, plans to increase production to full capacity this week after it decided to restart three assembly lines in early April.
There has not been a single coronavirus hotspot in any of the companies that have continued to operate through the epidemic. This is one of the reasons why the government is planning to gradually ease restrictions in certain services this week.
All our stories on coronavirus are here
STA, 13 April 2020 - Janez Janša’s government has successfully tackled the coronavirus epidemic during its first month in office, according to analysts Rok Čakš and Aljaž Pengov Bitenc. There have also been some problems, however. Čakš notes that communication has occasionally been poor, while Pengov Bitenc argues some measures have been misguided.
The government was formally endorsed by the National Assembly on 13 March, the day after a coronavirus epidemic was formally declared in Slovenia. The same evening it held its maiden session, and since then it has mostly had to deal with mitigating the consequences of the epidemic.
Čakš, the editor-in-chief of the conservative news portal Domovina.je, says that the government has done a good job. There has been some improvisation and there have been some mistakes, but this is understandable considering the situation, he told the STA.
He thinks it key that it has managed to limit the spread of Covid-19 and flatten the curve of the epidemic, though he points out that this is also thanks to the people, who have been good about complying with government measures.
Čakš notes that communication with the public has been a soft spot. "Ministers would appear in the public with diverging, occasionally even conflicting messages. Information about the first anti-corona package ... was incomplete and chaotic.
What is more, there have been a lot of warnings being issued, but "fewer encouraging, laudatory tones," which Čakš thinks equally important.
.@VladaRS se je sestala na svoji konstitutivni seji. pic.twitter.com/E07cOCkvVh
— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) March 13, 2020
Pengov Bitenc, aka Pengovsky, a high-profile blogger and podcaster, notes that Slovenia has never had a government working in such a situation before, rendering it difficult to make comparisons. He says the government has done a good job managing the epidemic and deserves praise for that.
On the other hand, he says that it is unclear as yet which measures were necessary and which were not, noting that some had been adopted because it was possible, not because it was necessary.
One such measure is restriction of movement to the municipality of residence, a measure which was based on reports about visits to tourist places that had not been borne out by the actual numbers on the ground.
Even more problematic has been the attempt to expand police powers via the fiscal stimulus act, which he said showed that the government "can no longer be looked upon with the admiration it may have earned with the management of the actual epidemic".
Pengov Bitenc sees these attempts as casting doubt on the government's commitment to democratic principles.
"It is interesting to observe how this government is spectacularly squandering the potential capital that it did accumulate, or could have accumulated, with a successful management of the epidemic - be it towards the citizens or partners in the EU and elsewhere in the world."
The government has been the subject of criticism over a letter it sent to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights about the limiting of free and independent journalism in Slovenia.
In response to the Council of Europe's warnings about pressure on the media under the new government, the government argued the current situation was caused by "the majority of the main media in Slovenia having their origin in the former communist regime".
Pengov Bitenc sees the letter as disgraceful, but even though it has been disavowed by the junior coalition partners, he does not think it will undermine the coalition. It is, however, a lesson for the partners and may shake the coalition if such conduct continues.
Čakš thinks that the move by the "Democrats (SDS) or those who decided to react to an admittedly one-sided depiction of the media situation in Slovenia ... was rash and does not have a beneficial impact on relations in the coalition".
"[The relations] may deteriorate more precipitously if the leading coalition party lets itself be dragged even deeper into a senseless and fruitless confrontation with some journalists and media who are highly critical of the government."
Čakš thinks Prime Minister Janša should be capable of "overcoming old grudges, perhaps c,lose Twitter every now and then and focus his energy on essential matters. After all, the citizens expect him to lead the country, not to act as commentator on social media."
He is however more critical of the media outrage about the expansion of police powers, given that the government had been willing to heed the criticism and had dropped the most contentious portions of the proposal.
"Taking issue with such a pared-down article [of the fiscal stimulus act] should be seen purely in the context of the opposition's political struggle against the government, which is not letting up even in this critical situation."
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Xenia Guzej. You can see more of her work here.
Two Covid-19 deaths, seven new infections on Sunday
New shipment of protective equipment from China delivered
Two Covid-19 deaths, seven new infections on Sunday
STA, 13 April 2020 - Slovenian health authorities reported just seven new coronavirus infections for Sunday, the smallest increase since 8 March, for a total of 1,212 nationwide. The number of fatalities rose by two to 55.
The small increase in infections indicates the epidemic is plateauing in Slovenia, which is also borne out by hospital statistics.
There were 95 Covid-19 patients in hospital yesterday, compared to a late-March peak of nearly 120. The number of intensive care cases declined by one to 34; the peak was 37 on 10 April.
However, the moderate increase in infections is also strongly affected by the weekly pace as the number of tests at the weekend is usually half the weekday total.
Only 554 tests were thus performed on Sunday, compared to a weekday average of 1,000-plus.
New shipment of protective equipment from China delivered
STA, 13 April 2020 - A new shipment of protective equipment from China was delivered to the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport on Monday. The 20 tonnes of protective masks, glasses and suits for medical staff, and protective gloves has been delivered for the Commodities Reserves Agency.
The delivery was made by Public Digital Infrastructure, a company owned by gaming millionaire Joc Pečečnik, under a EUR 30 million-plus contract with the state, TV Slovenija reported.
Pečečnik said this was not the last delivery. He said that it was still difficult to secure sufficient quantities of equipment even though the situation was calming down.
Prime Minister Janez Janša wrote on Twitter that "the week after the holidays will be calmer" now.
The shipment follows the delivery of some 27 tonnes of equipment on Friday after Slovenia and China established an airbridge of sorts with the help of the Commodities Reserves Agency, the Slovenian embassy in Beijing and Hisense, the Chinese owner of Slovenian home appliances maker Gorenje.
Along with ramped-up domestic production, the supplies have been enough to end severe shortages that Slovenia, like most countries around the world, had experienced in the early staged of the coronavirus pandemic.
Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek has said Slovenia is now in a position where it can choose what it will buy.
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Xenia Guzej. You can see more of her work here.
STA, 12 April 2020 - The coronavirus death toll in Slovenia has reached 53 as three COVID-19 patients died on Saturday. The number of confirmed infections increased by 17 to 1,205, show the latest government data.
A total of 572 tests were conducted yesterday, a figure which is significantly lower than the number of tests performed in previous days. So far, 34,851 tests have been performed.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital totalled 95 on Saturday, one more than on Friday. Meanwhile, 35 were in intensive care, two fewer than the day before.
So far, 150 persons have been released from hospital, two of them yesterday, said the Government Communication Office.
Slovene businesses are hurting. Local entrepreneurs remain helpless as the coronavirus pandemic decimates countless industries and sectors. Eateries, boutiques, artisans, and others are taking a big hit throughout Slovenia, especially those without robust e-commerce strategies. It’s become clear that not all businesses are prepared to cope in this climate.
Here in Slovenia, I witnessed my consulting work dry up and my own pipeline take a nosedive, while at the same time, an American friend experienced similar revenue challenges at his business. We realised something needed to be done to help sustain local communities, and Z Ljubeznijo (With Love) was born.
Today’s COVID-19 crisis requires all of us to adapt. Z Ljubeznijo is on a mission to help manage uncertainty for local business owners, their families, and our community. Z Ljubeznijo exists to provide an immediate revenue stream to hundreds of talented artisans creating incredible products here in Slovenia.
Social distancing doesn’t have to decrease human contact. Launched in April 2020, the idea behind Z Ljubeznijo is simple: we've created unique, giftable boxes filled with hand-picked, Slovenian-made products for your friends, colleagues or a loved one. Inside each box is an assortment of handcrafted goods such as coffee, apparel, chocolate, candles, mugs and even vouchers to local experiences. Pricing starts at just €29 per box. It will also be possible to request customised boxes for healthcare workers and bulk orders for your employees to ensure a sense of togetherness while working from home.
The response has been overwhelming. Local heroes such as Nina at Cuckoo Cups, Alex at Črno Zrno, Katja at Wowbow, Kate at Pure Glass and Sam at Breg Designs have all joined this project. Other local businesses are getting in touch daily. We’re in this together, and together we are stronger.
If you like the concept - and if you want to show your support - go ahead and gift a box at Z Ljubeznijo to someone special you can’t touch right now...except with a thoughtful gift box. You can even put in a personalised note! And if you would like to become a partner, please fill out your details here or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our list of partners is growing fast, but we want to include as many local Slovenian artisan companies as we can.
If you’d like to share the story of a Slovenian project with our readers, then please get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Aleksander Sandi. You can see more of his work here.
Five new Covid-19 deaths confirmed, death toll up to 50
Persons entering Slovenia to be quarantined for a week as of Sunday
Report: EUR 900m in aid available in second stimulus package
Five new Covid-19 deaths confirmed, death toll up to 50
STA, 11 April 2020 - Another five Covid-19 patients died on Friday to bring the death toll related to the coronavirus epidemic to 50. Another 1,232 tests were performed yesterday and 28 new infections confirmed, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 1,188, show the latest government figures.
A total of 94 Covid-19 patients were in Slovenian hospitals yesterday, 12 fewer than on Thursday. The number of patients who require intensive care was meanwhile up by one to 37.
A total of 11 persons were released from hospital care on Friday, bringing the overall number to 148.
Persons entering Slovenia to be quarantined for a week as of Sunday
STA, 11 April 2020 - Persons entering Slovenia as of Sunday will be subjected to a week-long quarantine at home or at a location agreed with the civil defence, and then tested for the new coronavirus, says a government decree which shortens such quarantine from two weeks. Cross-border workers, cargo vehicle drivers and transit passengers will be excluded.
Under the decree, if a person declines to be tested after a seven-day quarantine or if test cannot be performed, the quarantine will be automatically extended for a week.
If the test is negative, the quarantine ends, but the person will need to immediately inform the health authorities about possible Covid-19 symptoms. This also applies for the duration of the quarantine.
If the test is positive, the person will be treated under the standard procedure for such cases. The quarantine will also be extended if the results are not available on the day of the testing, but only until the results are known.
Persons who have permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia will be quarantined at home or, if this is not possible, at a location agreed with the civil defence. They will have to cover the costs of the quarantine.
Persons who do not have permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia will need to provide an address where they will be accommodated and quarantined, otherwise they will not be allowed to enter the country.
Foreigners who are coming to Slovenia to work will be ordered quarantine at the address stated by the employer, which they will need to prove at the border.
Employers will need to provide foreign workers with adequate conditions for the quarantine, as well as with food and security. Their accommodation must meet the recommendations issued by the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ).
Slovenian citizens who state that they are infected or that they have apparent symptoms of Covid-19 upon entering Slovenia will be instructed to immediately contact the health authorities. Foreigners will not be allowed the enter the country in such cases.
The decree does not apply to cross-border daily migrant workers and weekly migrant workers who work in Austria, and for persons attending a funeral of a close relative in a neighbouring country.
Also excluded are drivers of cargo vehicles who transport goods to and from Slovenia or across Slovenia, persons who will travel through Slovenia in a single day, and persons who possess diplomatic passports.
The measure does not apply to persons providing urgent services, members of rescue and protection services, health workers, police officers, firefighters and persons participating in humanitarian convoys.
Also excluded are citizens of Slovenia, Austria, Italy and Hungary who own or lease land plots located on both sides of the border and who perform agricultural work on such land.
Head of the Koper unit of the NIJZ Milan Krek told the press today that the current measures had prevented a steep increase in the number of infected persons, which would overburden the healthcare system and cause excessive number of deaths.
He added that Slovenia had been handling the epidemic very well, much better that many countries, but that the situation was not stable yet and that people should stick to the expert recommendations.
"We need to hold on for a few more days in order to stabilise and ease the epidemic," Krek said, adding that it was risky to soften the restrictions before the epidemic was stabilised.
Report: EUR 900m in aid available in second stimulus package
STA, 11 April 2020 - The government met on Saturday in Brdo pri Kranju to discuss guidelines for additional measures to mitigate the effect of the coronavirus epidemic on the economy. The public broadcaster TV Slovenija has reported that the package will include EUR 900 million in loans, guarantees and guarantee schemes.
The second stimulus package looks to ensure liquidity of the economy and features necessary corrections and amendments to the first, EUR 3 billion package, passed on 2 April.
TV Slovenija reported late on Friday that the measures had already been drafted, saying that companies would have EUR 900 million on their disposal in the form of loans, guarantees and guarantee schemes.
The package reportedly includes quick and favourable loans secured with state guarantees, and loan guarantee schemes intended for boosting liquidity, provided by the SID Banka bank, the Slovenian Enterprise Fund and the Regional Development Fund.
SID Banka has also proposed that a new fund worth EUR 1 billion be established to tackle liquidity issues, the public broadcaster said.
Measures to help the tourism sector, which has been severely affected by the pandemic, would reportedly be in force until the end of the year. One of the proposed measures is deferral of refunds to passengers and guests in relation to cancelled trips.
According to the unofficial proposal, tourism and hospitality companies will have more than EUR 100 million in favourable loans.
What is more, the state is to help businesses pay rent for commercial premises by subsidising up to 70% of the amount or enabling them to defer rent payment.
According to TV Slovenija, the timetable sets the deadline for the passage of the second package at 30 April.
Prime Minister Janez Janša said in a video address after the session that the government had been acquainted with relevant reports from the five task forces and decided to put all measures for securing liquidity of the economy into one package.
The measures will start to be prepared immediately after Easter holidays, and the government will be able to discuss it together with amendments to the first package on 20 or 21 April, he added.
"No vulnerable group will be excluded," Janša, said, adding that due to the complexity of the matter, specific legislative projects had been divided into three parts.
One of them is amending the infectious diseases act, one of the basic legal tools to fight the epidemic, as it has been established that it needs several changes and amendments and that some provisions are outdated.
The Ministry of Health has been tasked to draft changes by the end of next week, Janša said, adding that some of the provisions would be changed based on the experience gained in the fight with the coronavirus epidemic.
The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 10 April 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here
Mladina: Mystery of Janša’s attack on Čeferin after mild criticism of govt
STA, 10 April 2020 - The latest editorial of the left-wing weekly Mladina reflects on what it sees as a rage reflex that seems to be triggered in PM Janez Janša by even a hint of criticism. It looks at the attacks mounted against Aleksander Čerefin after the Slovenian UEFA head said he was tired of hearing the constant apocalyptic coronavirus comments by Slovenia's leading officials.
The weekly paper's editor in chief Grega Repovž argues that Janša's comment about greed causing football matches not being cancelled also after the WHO had declared an epidemic, made during Tuesday's special address to the nation, was a jab at Čeferin meant to suggest UEFA could have prevented the fateful 19 February Milan match between Atalanta and Valencia.
Repovž points out that a potential cancellation of the match had been in the domain of Italian authorities, which had recorded three coronavirus cases in the county by that point.
While also highlighting other demonstrably false statements made by Janša in a part of the address targeting the former government, Repovž says the criticism by Čeferin, who just argued he would prefer a less bleak and more encouraging tone from Slovenian officials, should have been easy to swallow for those in power.
"But no, no. Janša cannot allow that. An attack followed. A fierce attack. Janša's propaganda machinery jumped first, followed by his twitter trolls. There was no mercy," Repovž says, adding that this was still not enough for Janša to later at least hold back in his address to the nation.
"What kind of person do you have to be to accuse somebody of what Čeferin was actually accused of by Janaša, through his media directly and in his speech indirectly? What to think of a man who has so much power and responsibility, but invests so much energy and anger into a single critical remark and even brings it up in an address to the nation," Repovž wonders in the commentary entitled Rage.
Demokracija: Beware of WHO's Advice!
STA, 9 April 2020 - The right-wing weekly Demokracija rebukes the World Health Organization (WHO) for its action in the Covid-19 crisis. "Even if it was probably set up with good intentions, the WHO has turned in a politicised and corrupt organisation."
The WHO first long insisted on the stance that "general use of protective masks is not necessary", but then made a U-turn this week, starting to support the countries which encourage their citizens to wear them.
Editor-in-chief Jože Biščak finds it hard to believe the medical reasons have changed in the meantime, saying WHO staff simply want to keep their well-paid jobs, blowing hot and cold depending on where money comes from.
It recalls several cases of its "odd" action, ranging from a cheap purchase of malaria vaccine, which caused thousands of child deaths in Africa, to its complete inefficiency in fighting tuberculosis, Ebola and Covid-19, wondering if it was deliberate.
When some started warning that flights from China to Europe should be suspended, the WHO said there was no evidence the virus is transmitted with contact among people.
"When the moment of truth came, it was already too late. The number of victims is nearing 100,000 and the number of those infected goes into millions."
Demokracija blames "the belated and totally misplaced reaction" to the virus spread on the WHO and its national offices in the form of public health institutes, in reference to Slovenia's National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).
"So when you listen to the WHO advice in the next crisis, mind your money and use common sense if you want to do best for you and your family.
"When the WHO is giving advice, people are often dying, which Spain, Italy and France are realising as they mourn their deceased." The situation would be similar in Slovenia if the new government had not taken the necessary measures and advised people, unlike the NIJZ, to wear masks.
All our posts in this series are here
COVID-19 & Slovenia, Night 10 April: Numbers; Acute Phase Note Over; Trust in Traditional Media; PPE
All our stories on coronavirus are here, while those covering covid-19 and Croatia are here. We'll have an update at the end of the day, and if you want newsflashes then we'll post those on Facebook
We can’t have pictures of COVID-19 every day. So instead we’ll try and show the works of Slovenian artists. Today it’s Xenia Guzej. You can see more of her work here.
Two new fatalities bring coronavirus death toll to 45
Slovenia successful in tackling coronavirus but acute phase not over yet
Survey shows high level of trust in conventional media during epidemic
Large shipment of protective equipment delivered
Two new fatalities bring coronavirus death toll to 45
STA, 10 April 2020 - Slovenia recorded two more Covid-19 fatalities on Thursday, bringing the death toll of the coronavirus epidemic to 45. The number of infected persons rose by 36 to 1,160, show the latest government data released on Friday.
The number of Covid-19 patients who require hospitalisation dropped slightly to 106, of whom 36 were in intensive care, two more than on Wednesday.
Nine were discharged from hospital, for a total of 137 persons who no longer require hospital treatment.
Slovenia has so far performed over 33,000 covid-19 tests.
Slovenia successful in tackling coronavirus but acute phase not over yet
STA, 10 April 2020 - Bojana Beović, an infectious disease specialist, has told the weekly Mladina that Slovenia was yet to exit the acute phase of the coronavirus epidemic. However, the Italian scenario is very unlikely to unfold as hospitals have admitted much fewer Covid-19 patients than had been projected.
Beović, who heads the Health Ministry's medical task force for coronavirus, said that the effectiveness of the latest preventive measures would be clear after this weekend, and "only after that can we talk about an exit strategy."
Slovenia has "caught the last train in preventing an exponential growth of infections" and the number of severely ill patients in Slovenia will apparently not exceed the capacity of the country's healthcare system.
Beović also said at a press conference today that, considering that the daily number of new infections was dropping, the epidemic had probably reached its peak, but that more would be known after the Easter holidays.
She called on people to refrain from contacts for another week or two, noting that the epidemic wave ended only when an infected person passes the infection to under one person on average.
Beović proposed in the Mladina interview that, in the next phase, the younger population should be allowed to get infected under controlled conditions to gain herd immunity. But she stressed that it would be hard to contain the spread of the virus between generations.
"The risk of doing something like this is too high at the moment. It is true, though, that in the long run, while a vaccine is not yet available, such tactics should be chosen."
Beović was also asked about this at the press conference, saying that if a vaccine or effective medication was not available soon, this was the only option, which would actually be implemented once kindergartens and schools reopen.
Slovenia plans to shortly start examining the presence of antibodies which show that a person has recovered from the infection. But the epidemic needs to last longer for such research to produce quality results, and it would be good to also have a quality test for antibodies, Beović told Mladina.
As for the criticism in the public about the perceived excessiveness of the measures and pessimism of the government, she said that "it is better to stay on the side of caution" and that the trend should first turn downwards before one could speak about optimism.
Beović noted that there were no official guidelines for the treatment of Covid-19 because of the lack of reliable data, while there were some reports about successful application of blood plasma of persons who had developed antibodies.
She personally expects the most from the antiviral drug remdesivir. "If this does not prove to be effective, we can say that we will remain in the dark."
The epidemic has exposed care in nursing homes as the biggest shortcoming in the healthcare system, as these are equipped more like hotels, while what their residents need is something like a nursing hospital.
She also stressed that it was important to restart the healthcare system, "otherwise it will not be possible to eliminate all the backlog in examinations and surgeries in the foreseeable future."
Survey shows high level of trust in conventional media during epidemic
STA, 10 April 2020 - Slovenians mostly have no issues trusting conventional media, meaning TV, radio and printed media reports, during the coronavirus epidemic, shows a survey released on Friday by pollster Mediana.
More than half the respondents (51%) said they trust or fully trust TV reports, while 8% said they do not trust them at all. The shares for radio reports were 48% and 8% respectively, and for printed media 40% and 7%.
A lower level of trust was recorded for online news portals, which also had the highest share of undecided respondents. Trust or full trust was expressed by 25% and no trust at all by 30%.
There is even more scepticism towards social media, where the share of those fully trusting the reports was 4% and of those not trusting them at all 44%.
The survey was carried out between 3 and 5 April through online polling. It involved 703 respondents aged 15 to 75.
Large shipment of protective equipment delivered
STA, 10 April 2020 - More than twenty tonnes of protective equipment, including face masks for medical staff, was delivered from China to the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport on Friday morning, one of the largest such shipments since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
The 1.1 million FFP2-type masks, which are crucial for frontline staff, along with almost 16,000 protective uniforms for doctors and 1.7 million gloves was delivered from Chengdu aboard an Airbus A330.
The equipment was ordered by the Agency for Commodity Reserves via Public Digital Infrastructure, a company owned by gaming millionaire Joc Pečečnik, and is part of a large, EUR 30 million-plus order the company has received.
Prime Minister Janez Janša, sharing photos from the airport on Twitter, said that "the holidays will be calmer" now.
Late in the evening, another seven tonnes of protective equipment will arrive at Ljubljana airport from Qingdao, China, the Foreign Ministry said, adding that this will be the first of several special transport flights organised by the Agency for Commodity Reserves.
The plane will bring more than 1.1 million of protective face masks and other types of protective equipment donated by Chinese cities twinned with Slovenian cities, Slovenian and Chinese companies, the Association of Chinese Businesses in Slovenia, the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Slovenian community in China and a number of individuals.
The Foreign Ministry thanked those involved for their donations, adding that the plane will also carry protective equipment Slovenia bought in China.
