Slovenia bans eating and drinking at outdoor stalls

Christmas fairs must ensure one-way movement of visitors; all suspected Omicron contacts will have to self-isolate

The Slovenian government has introduced additional restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus, including a ban on serving of food and drinks at outdoor stalls, with the exception of roasted chestnuts, STA newswire reports.

The ban follows the advice of the Covid-19 task force which insists that a great number of people mix at the stalls in very close proximity and without masks and the risk for spreading infections there is much higher than in restaurants.

Directing visitor flows at Christmas fairs

Under the new decree, adopted on Friday, congresses and fairs can be held both outdoors and indoors with attendance limited to persons meeting the PCT condition (recovered-vaccinated-tested), who have to wear face masks and keep a distance of 1.5 metres from each other. Event organizers will be in charge of ensuring compliance with the measures.

As for outdoor fairs, including Christmas and New Year's markets, one-way movement of visitors must be ensured, with separate entrances and exits, and the venue fenced off to prevent breaches of access.

Bars and restaurants can serve only seated customers between 5 am and 10 pm. The maximum permitted number of clients must be visibly displayed at the entrance of the establishments.

Home isolation for Omicron contacts

All contacts of persons highly suspected to be infected with the Omicron variant will have to quarantine at home. This rule also applies to those who have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19.

Ski lift rules

With the snow kicking the skiing season in Slovenia into gear, the government has set the conditions for the operation of ski lifts. They will be open only to skiers who meet the PCT condition. Wearing surgical or FFP2 face masks will be compulsory in enclosed facilities and also in outdoor facilities where distancing is difficult to ensure.

Infections subsiding

Covid-19 case numbers in Slovenia show a declining trend, both in terms of the 7-day average of new cases and the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population. 1,116 new coronavirus infections were recorded on Saturday, down 24 percent from a week ago. The PCR test positivity rate stood at 37.4 percent (on Saturday), according to the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

Anti-government protest

Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered on Saturday at the Republic Square in Ljubljana in response to calls over social media for a "people's uprising". The unauthorised rally was organised by the Resni.ca party, Maska dol civil initiative and OPS (Aware People of Slovenia) movement to oppose the latest government decree on additional Covid-19 measures and the prospects of making vaccination mandatory. There were clashes with police and a number of protesters were detained.