On Wednesday in the evening session, the government took several measures to contain the spread of the disease COVID -19. The measures were presented at today’s press conference by the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Mr Zdravko Počivalšek, the Minister of Education Science and Sport, Ms Simona Kustec, the Minister of the Interior, Mr Aleš Hojs, the State Secretary, Ms Tina Bregant, and the Government Spokesperson, Mr Jelko Kacin.
On Wednesday 5,287 tests were carried out with the highest positive results so far, namely 745, which is 14.09 percent. 221 people are being treated in hospitals and 40 people are in intensive care. One patient has died. Among the municipalities, Ljubljana had the most new positive cases with 119, followed by Kranj with 34 and Domžale with 25 cases.
Minister Hojs first introduced changes to the ordinance on the gathering of people. There is still a general restriction on gathering up to 10 people (with some exceptions). Weddings, celebrations and religious ceremonies are no longer permitted in the regions on the Red List. An exception are one-off individual events for which the organisers have already obtained permission from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). However, the exception does not apply to events that recur several times and have already been approved by the NIJZ, such as film screenings.
Another amended decree refers to the prohibition of the transition from the regions on the Red List to the regions on the Orange List, which is also subject to certain exceptions. These exceptions concern going to work, the exercise of individual economic activities such as agriculture, hospitalisation, maintaining real estate, visits to parents in need of care, care and visitation of graves, etc. An exception is also the use of vouchers for holidays booked to date. Transit through the regions on the Red List is also permitted to travel abroad. The right to the exception must be proven by appropriate written evidence.
In the regions on the Red List, wearing of masks in public places and in passenger cars is prescribed by decree, said State Secretary Ms Tina Bregant. Exceptions are children up to the age of 6 years, pupils in primary and secondary schools when they are in class, educators of pre-school children and teachers up to and including the 5th grade when working directly with children.
In the week from 19 to 23 October, the pedagogical procedures will be temporarily adjusted for health reasons, Minister Kustec stressed. As a result, the pupils of grades 1 to 5 inclusive will continue to attend schools. However, distance learning will be performed for pupils of the lower secondary level, from grades 6 to 9 inclusive. In music schools distance learning will be performed. Educational programmes for children with special needs and children in special primary schools will be provided in the school or institution. For pupils with special needs, the educational programme will be carried out in the institution. In vocational schools and in adult education, the education programme will be carried out at a distance. All afternoon and extracurricular activities of pupils in the school buildings are not to be carried out in the following week. The work in the pre-schools remains unchanged.
Measures in the field of economic activity were presented by Minister Počivalšek. In the regions on the Red List it is forbidden to provide services in fitness centres and closed sports facilities, to carry out gastronomic activities in catering establishments, including inns, restaurants, pubs, cafés, pastry shops, bistros and bars. Hairdressing and beauty salons will, however, remain open, but the number of persons is limited to one customer per room. In regions that are on the Orange List, the same rules apply to hairdressing and beauty salons as in regions on the Red List. However, fitness centres and closed sports facilities are also open in these regions, with a limit of 20 square metres.
The ban on closing does not apply to the preparation, delivery and taking away of food and drinks.
The ban also does not apply to catering activities in accommodation establishments where catering activities may be carried out between 6.00 a.m. and 10.30 p.m., but only to guests staying in accommodation establishments. Accommodation establishments include hotels, motels, boarding houses, hotel and apartment hotels, mountain huts and other houses, camping sites, guest quarters of property owners, farms and marinas. Catering in accommodation establishments is allowed only at tables (seated service) with a distance of at least 1.5 metres between persons, except for persons from the same household.