Slovenia announces easing of Covid-19 restrictions

NEWS 22.04.202012:02
Jure Makovec / AFP

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Tuesday announced the possibility of restoring economic and social activities in two weeks' time on the condition the novel coronavirus epidemic continued waning and a mechanism was found to monitor the movement of people in self-isolation.

“This a watershed moment because we have contained the epidemic for the most part even though the virus is still among us and the number of fatalities is unfortunately still rising, however, the successes achieved so far make it possible for us to start easing some of the restrictions,” Jansa said in a video message released by the government.

Jansa said that a decision on how much economic and social life would be restored would be made after an analysis that would take 10-14 days.

The decision will be based on a nation-wide serology testing, to be conducted this week, as well as on a decision on how to monitor persons in self-isolation to prevent the epidemic from flaring up again.

In his message Jansa also said that during the term of his government Slovenia had again become an example of good management of the medical and economic fallout of the epidemic.

He complained that the oppposition had been obstructing his work even though restrictions imposed to curb the epidemic were “justified and effective.”