The epidemiological situation in Slovenia has deteriorated over the past few days and in the past 24 hours there have been 111 new cases of coronavirus detected, according to the data released in Ljubljana on Wednesday.

However, the number of hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 is not increasing and there are currently 27 of them. Also, there has not been one fatality for nine days as a consequence of COVI-19. However, the share of positive tests of 6.1%, in the past 24 hours is worrisome.

In the past seven days, the average was 58.3 new cases of the infection and the 14-day incidence rate now is 39.8, while the number of active cases has increased to 838.

Epidemiologist's statement causes confusion

A member of the government's COVID response team, epidemiologist Milan Krek, today recommended that Slovenians shouldn't travel abroad after 15 August, which baffled the general audience.

“I recommend that anyone travelling abroad for their vacation should return by 15 August,” Krek, the head of Slovenia's public health institute, told the press conference, warning of the rapid spreading of the Delta variant and the need to accelerate inoculation.

This triggered off numerous reactions as he did not specify which tourist destinations should be avoided nor whether he was recommending that all Slovenians, including also people who had been vaccinated, should stay at home.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar said later that Krek wanted to warn that no country, even those that have a large share of their population inoculated, have not reached a sufficient collective immunity that could protect the population from the more contagious variants and that Krek's warning should be interpreted as a preventative measure.