Coronavirus infection confirmed in yet another hospital in Slovenia

The general hospital in the northern town of Slovenj Gradec said on its website on Tuesday that 17 members of its staff had been placed in self-isolation as four of them had tested positive for the coronavirus. They would all stay at home until further notice.

"We are checking their possible contacts and testing them to stop the virus from spreading, in coordination with the National Institute of Public Health and the community healthcare centre," the hospital said.

Previous infections were reported in health institutions in Ljubljana, Maribor and the coastal town of Lucija.

Among the first imported cases of coronavirus infection in Slovenia was a doctor from Metlika who had returned from a skiing trip to Italy and transmitted the virus to patients and residents of a local nursing home.

Media also said on Tuesday that all seven migrants who had been detained near Ilirska Bistrica on Monday after illegally entering the country had tested negative for the coronavirus. They all had a high temperature and exhibited symptoms of the disease and were placed in isolation at the centre for asylum seekers in Postojna.

According to Monday's figures, 6,712 tests have revealed 253 cases of infection in the country. Of those, 29 are hospitalised, including 14 in Ljubljana, eight in Maribor and seven in Golnik near Kranj, while 130 are under medical observation in hospitals or at home. Three of the hospitalised patients are in intensive care.