By: J.S., STA
Movement will once again be allowed throughout the country from Monday, after the government decided to abolish municipal and regional restrictions which have been in place for months. However, night curfew will stay in place between 9pm and 6am, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs told the press after the government session on Thursday.
Hojs, addressing reporters on Thursday as the government lifted a series of coronavirus restrictions, said it would be possible to cross the border with Austria, Hungary and Italy via all border crossings rather than designated checkpoints from Saturday.
Slovenia is also adding a new list of high risk countries to the red Covid country list to comprise countries in the EU and Schengen area whose epidemiological status is poorer than Slovenia’s. Hojs listed as those currently including Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Arrivals from those countries will have to produce a negative coronavirus test, however from Saturday it will also be possible to cross the border with a positive PCR test dating at least 21 days but no more than six months back, or with a doctor’s note proving the person has recovered from Covid-19 that should be no older than six months.
Also valid will be negative tests issued by labs in third countries approved by the National Institute of Public Health, while only doctor’s notes from EU and Schengen countries will be valid.
Those immunised against the virus who produce proof they have received a second jab will also be allowed to cross without restrictions.
Slovenia imposed systematic internal Schengen border checks first on 11 March on its border with Italy, which saw a rapid spread in coronavirus. Later checks were imposed on all internal borders.
Health checks on the external Schengen border with Croatia had been introduced in late February 2020.
With the easing of the first wave of coronavirus, Slovenia was one of the first countries to scrap mandatory quarantine for arrivals from EU and Schengen area countries on 14 May.
The border regime started to be restricted again in early autumn, depending on the coronavirus status of the country arrivals came from. Those from red-listed countries faced mandatory quarantine or a negative test. From late October to early December almost all of Europe was on Slovenia’s red list.