The Government’s priorities are citizens’ health and safety, the pupils of the first three grades of primary school and the full opening of kindergartens

Health, the return of the pupils of the first three grades of primary school to classrooms and the opening of kindergartens for all children remain the key priorities of the Government. The Government will prepare a proposal for a model on how classes in schools could resume and submit it to the principals of primary schools for discussion next week.

On the basis of the opinion of the expert group for the containment and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government decided to extend the closure of schools and kindergartens for seven days until 18 January 2021.

At today’s press conference, all three presidents of the coalition parties will discuss the Government’s priorities, taking into consideration both the importance of health and the opening of schools.

At midnight on Saturday, 9 January, an amendment to the ordinance on state border crossing will enter into force, which will introduce the option to prove that a person does not have COVID-19 with both rapid antigen tests and PCR tests, explained Minister Hojs. Anyone who does not present this proof will have to go into quarantine, which can, however, be lifted if the person takes a test within five days of the decision being issued. The five border crossings and the Jože Pučnik Airport that have been offering rapid tests will therefore no longer continue to do so.

It was decided that cableways will stop operating on Saturday, said Minister Vrtovec. The reasons for the suspension are the country’s unfavourable epidemiological situation and the potential additional strain on hospitals due to skiing injuries. For the purposes of professional sports, cableways may continue to operate.

At today’s session, the Government also decided that the Ordinance on the temporary prohibition of offering and sale of goods and services to consumers in the Republic of Slovenia, which will enter into force on 9 January and remain in place up to and including 15 January, will, for the time being, continue to prohibit the offering and sale of goods and services directly to consumers, but keep the existing exceptions that are strictly necessary to meet the basic needs of society and are essential to ensure safety and health. Furthermore, the Government decided to add the following exceptions:

• land surveying services,
• construction works in or on uninhabited construction sites, houses or apartments, provided that the implementation of such works ensures that there is no contact with consumers,
• pedicure, and
• cleaning services.