»At this point, I would like to thank all the doctors, nurses, medical staff working at the emergency departments, in the laboratories, to all those who are fighting this danger as primary care physicians, where the capacities in the Slovenian healthcare system are already overloaded but are now facing an additional challenge. We should all be grateful to those who make the necessary sacrifices to hopefully make this battle with the virus as successful as possible,« the Prime Minister Janša said after today’s session of the National Security Council, adding that the outgoing government and the forming government joined forces. »A working communication has been in place since Friday, and I think we are joining forces and working together to ensure that no opportunity to successfully fight the coronavirus in Slovenia is missed.«
SDS President Janez Janša attended today’s meeting of the National Security Council, where certain measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection were adopted. As the Health Minister Aleš Šabeder said in a joint press statement, among other things, measuring the temperature of the passengers at Brnik airport will be introduced, and other measures will follow at the land border.
Larger sporting events will be held without spectators, while schools and kindergartens will be closed if needed. »It is clear that the spread of the virus cannot be stopped in just one day, it will spread, so the real question here is whether we are able to limit and slow it down to such an extent that the danger does not exceed the capacities of the Slovenian healthcare system,« Janez Janša said at today’s press conference after the meeting of the National Security Council.
The outgoing and the incoming government joined forces
Janša said that the situation was covered quite broadly and deeply at the meeting of the National Security Council and that now it was clearer »what we can do in the coming days.« He pointed out that Slovenia is currently in a sensitive political phase. »We have an outgoing government and an incoming government. A working communication has been in place since Friday, and I think we are joining forces and working together to ensure that no opportunity to successfully fight the coronavirus in Slovenia is missed,« Janša said.
According to Janša, after the end of the medical crisis with the coronavirus pandemic, it will be clear which European countries have been able to successfully cope with the coronavirus pandemic and which have not. »Once this crisis is behind us, in Europe and beyond, we will be divided into those countries that have been able to limit the spread of the virus so that it has not exceeded the capacities of their health care systems, and those who have not been able to do it and will, therefore, pay a higher price for it.« Janša also said, that at the meeting of the National Security Council, the situation was covered quite broadly and deeply and that now it was clearer »what we can do in the coming days.«
He thanked the entire Slovenian medical staff
Janez Janša thanked the entire medical staff for their best efforts to curb the pandemic of the coronavirus. »At this point, I would like to thank all the doctors, nurses, medical staff working at the emergency departments, in the laboratories, to all those who are fighting this danger as primary care physicians, where the capacities in the Slovenian healthcare system are already overloaded but are now facing an additional challenge. We should all be grateful to those who make the necessary sacrifices to hopefully make this battle with the virus as successful as possible,« Janša said.
Prime Minister Janez Janša also commented on the journalist’s question regarding his wife’s tweet on Twitter, where she stated that kindergartens and schools should also be closed and asked whether or not he believes that Slovenian National Security Council has taken sufficient measures. »My wife is a doctor, and she writes her own tweets. So, when you have the chance, you can ask her about that.
But of course, this is a topic that was discussed at length at the National Security Council meeting. The decision has already been presented, this is a measure that entails many additional steps and many of these steps have been highlighted today. It is also a measure that entails health risks, especially when done in haste. If we took this measure today and it would be applied tomorrow: where would the children go, if not to schools and kindergartens?
They would probably go to their grandparents, the people that are in the most exposed category, and the question is what about this situation would be beneficial,« Janša said, and then continued: »Opting for this measure means that many of the parents would also have to stay at home, especially with children under ten years old, where no other care could be provided. This entails other consequences, and we need to consider the efficiency of such measures. However, it will very likely be necessary to take similar measures at least for parts of Slovenia, if the spread of the virus goes in the direction that is currently being indicated.
But nothing is certain,« said Janez Janša, adding: »As already stated, the outgoing government is still the government in control, they have the ministries responsible for such judgment calls, and today I was formally at the National Security Council only as an advisor.«
Hearings of future ministers of Janša’s government will be held this week
At the press conference, the Slovene public was also interested in the activities for the formation of Janša’s new government. Janša expects all ministerial candidates to prove themselves at the hearings of individual parliamentary committees.
»The hearings of candidates for ministerial posts in the National Assembly will be starting tomorrow when a number of questions will be raised, and I believe that the media will follow the process with interest. In the end, it will be possible to give a more relevant assessment of the quality of this ministerial team,« the new Prime Minister Janez Janša responded to the question about the activity of the new government.