Over the past 24 hours, 2,646 coronavirus tests have been performed in Slovenia, confirming 884 new cases of infection, and there have been 40 related deaths, the Slovenian government said on Sunday.

The percentage of positive tests is 33.41%, up from previous days.

Since the start of the epidemic, there have been a total of 105,897 confirmed infections, 20,047 cases are currently active, and the average single-day number of infections in the last seven days is 1,346.

There are currently 1,199 COVID patients in hospitals, 203 of whom are intensive care units.

The COVID-19 death toll is at 2,314.

On Saturday, the Slovenian government temporarily relaxed some restrictions but only for the Christmas and New Year holidays, on the condition that the epidemiological situation does not deteriorate in the coming days.

On Christmas and New Year's Day the ban on travelling outside one's municipality will not apply, and up to six people from two different households are allowed to socialise, with the limit not applying to the number of children.

Writing on Twitter, Prime Minister Janez Jansa called on all those visiting other families during the holidays to self-isolate for a week after the visit. He also called on Slovenian citizens to avoid travelling abroad.