Slovenia contains Covid-19 with a curfew and ban on public gatherings

The measures enter in force on 20 October

Only days after a set of previous restrictions was introduced to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Slovenia, the Government issued a new decree with even stricter national rules. Yesterday the government announced a temporary restriction on movement of people and the prohibition of gathering of large groups. The measures enter in force  today – 20 October.

Slovenia introduces a curfew

In particular, the new rules in Slovenia prescribe that it is forbidden to:

• Gather in groups of over 6 people, unless the safety distance between them is ensured (does not apply to people from the same household). All events, public gatherings, weddings and religious ceremonies are temporarily prohibited.
• Be outside between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The curfew does not apply to travelling for work, emergencies or other situations of imminent danger.
• Travel outside the statistical regions of the country. Similarly, the ban does not apply to travelling for work or other economic activities, emergencies, health-related issues, etc.

So far, it has not been decided to close hotels, as they are not identified as a source of infection. Neither will be beauty salons or hairdressers, where the access will be restricted, but not entirely barred.

We remind that last week Slovenia announced the highest level of alert in seven out of its twelve statistical regions. The strictest measures were in force only for the seven most concerned territories, the so-called “red zones”.

Now, estimating that about 1% of the Slovenian population is infected with the new coronavirus, the government declared a 30-days of state emergency over the entire Slovenian territory. According to Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, speaking for TV Slovenija, a great number of new infections occurs precisely at private gatherings that take place mostly in the evenings or at night.

Due to the rapid unfolding of events, the state authorities will be reviewing the measures on a weekly basis.