Prime minister Janez Jansa focused on measures that will need to be taken to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, when he presented the ministerial team before today’s vote in the National Assembly. He announced that the first session of the newly-appointed government would be an hour after it was confirmed in the parliament.
Jansa said that his explanation will not be the usual explanation of the proposed team, nor will there be time for a more detailed presentation of the measures from the coalition agreement, since today “we are all dealing with a much more urgent matter”. He announced, however, that in view of the changed macroeconomic projections, the government will be forced to prepare the budget rebalance as soon as possible.
He announced some measures to control the epidemic, and was critical of the measures taken so far and their implementation. Thus, some of the measures that were formally adopted were never implemented: “There was no medical control at Joze Pucnik Airport today, it is probably the only airport in Europe without this.” According to him, the coordination did not work, and Slovenia did not do what it was obliged to do.
Jansa said that from now on, there is a need for consistent, effective, hourly coordination, not only in Slovenia but also between neighboring countries and within the EU.
He stressed that there comes a time when three things will be crucial. The first is the ability to change habits for at least a while. “To what extent we will be able to drastically change our habits will depend on how successfully we slow down the spread of the virus in Slovenia,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of the initiative of each individual, and above all of the decision makers. He also urged all residents to limit their social contacts.
Another key issue is, in his words, increasing the capacity to detect new infections, although we have already missed the right moment. The third key issue, however, is the care of the seriously ill, he stressed.
“The health system has capacity issues and problems with its organization already in a normal situation. It is already bursting at the seams, and in the coming days it will be much worse,” he warned. He said the reorganization has already begun, and he hopes it will be completed in time.
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The team, which will be voted on today by the members of parliament, has been preparing measures all day, even though it has no official authority yet. “If you approve the team, next week there will be a proposal for an emergency session of the National Assembly for the adoption of emergency laws,” Jansa said. At the same time, he called for preventive measures “to keep the financial and economic system from crashing”.