Testing before infection • There were 313 tests performed between 7 January 2020 and 3 March 2020, all of them were negative. Note that this number is added to the total tests performed number above. Also, number of cases varies in different references, since Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health do not issue new data at the same time.
First Wave March 2020 • 4 March 2020: First case, imported, a tourist traveling from Morocco via Italy. • 5 March 2020:
5 new cases confirmed, two of them were in contact with the first case, others were imported from Italy as well. • 6 March 2020:
2 cases confirmed also in Maribor, both medical personnel in the main hospital who contracted the illness on skiing holidays in Italy; Another patient is a medical doctor from Metlika, the source of his infection is also a trip to Italy. Total number of infected cases was 8. • 7 March 2020: One of the patients was in contact with the doctor from Metlika, while the others have returned from traveling abroad (one each from Italy, Austria and Spain); government banned all public gatherings in closed spaces with 500 people or more;
4 new cases, 12 in total confirmed out of 785 tests. • 8 March 2020: One of the patients was infected at her workplace in Switzerland, and has self-quarantined before she was
tested; among the new cases were also three medical personnel from Metlika, who were in contact with the infected doctor;
4 new cases, 16 in total confirmed. • 9 March 2020: One of the patients returned from Venice, others were medical personnel, some in contact with the doctor from Metlika; government further restricted public gatherings in closed spaces to events of 100 people or more; events in the open are restricted to 500 visitors; additionally, temperature checks were introduced at
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and the border with Italy,
9 new cases, 25 in total confirmed. • 10 March 2020: The government banned all incoming flights from Italy, South Korea, Iran and China to prevent further spread; the land border with Italy was closed for all but freight transport;
9 new cases, 34 in total confirmed. • 11 March 2020: Civil Defence took over the coordination of the response; a primary school in
Kamnik was closed for two weeks, to prevent spread from a teacher that tested positive. A teacher from the primary school in
Šmarje pri Jelšah has been tested positive, and the school has been closed down. New infections were also reported from
Murska Sobota and
Postojna;
23 new cases, 57 in total confirmed. • 12 March 2020: An epidemic was declared in Slovenia; the government announced that all educational institutions would be closed from 16 March onwards; medical personnel were prohibited from taking holidays; the first cases were reported from
Nova Gorica and
Kranj,
39 new cases, 89 in total confirmed. • 13 March 2020: The new
government took office; Crisis Management Staff (CMS) of the Republic of Slovenia in order to contain and manage the COVID-19 epidemic was established, led by Prime Minister
Janez Janša; all non-urgent medical examinations were postponed;
45 new cases, in total 141 confirmed. • 14 March 2020: CMS stopped public transport (effective from Monday, 16 March) and suspended all unnecessary services in the country; prices of safety equipment were frozen, to prevent inflation due to lack of supply; the government no longer
tested all possible cases, but only those who were hospitalised to quarantine them; the total number of cases would be estimated based on the statistics from other countries (from percentage of those who are hospitalised);
40 new cases, in total 181 confirmed out of 5,369 tests; first death (a man from a nursing home in Metlika). • 15 March 2020: The government closed all restaurants and bars effective 16 March. Public parking places in Ljubljana were made free for the time being. The
Ljubljana Zoo closed down;
38 new cases, 219 total out of 6,156 tests. • 16 March 2020: The government closed all restaurants and bars. Public parking places in Ljubljana, Maribor, Murska Sobota were made free for the time being; all educational institutions, including kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, closed down.
34 new cases, 253 total out of 6,712 tests (until 14:20). Infection with COVID-19 has been confirmed with one employee from nursing home in
Štore and suspected with an employee from nursing home in
Šmarje pri Jelšah; 12 more employees were ordered to self-isolate. 6 infections were confirmed among
Red Cross volunteers taking body temperature of the travellers on the border crossings with Italy. • 17 March 2020: There were
22 new confirmed cases, 275 total out of 7,857 tests. 4 infections were confirmed among the employees in
Slovenj Gradec hospital, 17 employees were ordered to self-isolate. An employee of
Adolf Drolc clinic in
Maribor was tested positive. An employee of
Kamnik clinic was tested positive. The suspected employee from Šmarje pri Jelšah nursing home was tested negative, no new cases were reported from the nursing home in Štore. • 18 March 2020: There were
11 new confirmed cases, 286 total out of 8,730 tests. An outworker of the
Dob pri Mirni penitentiary has been confirmed positive. An employee of
Celje health centre has been confirmed infected. 23 employees of the Šmarje pri Jelšah nursing home have been tested for COVID-19, one test was confirmed positive. One occupant of the same nursing home started to show symptoms. • 19 March 2020: There were
33 new confirmed cases, 319 total out of 9,860 tests. • 20 March 2020:
De facto quarantine (with some exemptions) was established in Slovenia;
22 new confirmed cases, 341 total out of 10,980 tests. So far, 21 positive cases in children all resulted in mild symptoms. In Šmarje pri Jelšah nursing home, infection has been confirmed with 4 employees and 7 occupants. A total of 31 cases were recorded in Šmarje pri Jelšah county. One case each was confirmed among employees in
Murska Sobota and
Izola hospitals. • 21 March 2020: There were
42 new confirmed cases, 383 total out of 12,162 tests. • 22 March 2020: There were
31 new confirmed cases, 414 total out of 13,098 tests; second death case confirmed (a 90-year-old woman from a nursing home in Metlika). • 23 March 2020: There were
28 new confirmed cases, 442 in total out of 13,812 tests; third death confirmed (67-year-old man in
UMC Ljubljana). The Slovenian government once again changed the methodology of testing. People over 60 and those with immune deficiencies and mild symptoms will now be tested. Until now only those who were hospitalized were tested. • 24 March 2020: There were
38 new confirmed cases, 480 in total. Government abolished the Crisis Management Staff since the transition is ended and ministries can fully perform their duties now. Ten patients from
Ljubljana UMC have reportedly recovered. • 25 March 2020: There were
48 new confirmed cases, 528 in total. (the number was later corrected to 526) • 26 March 2020: There were 1,181 tests carried out (total 17,294), of these
36 cases were positive, bringing the total number of infected persons to 562. One more person died, bringing the total number of victims to 6. 98 persons are hospitalized, 17 of them require intensive care. • 27 March 2020: There were 1,075 tests carried out (total 18,369), of these
70 were positive, bringing the total number of infected persons to 632. Three more persons died, bringing the total number of victims to 9. 90 persons are hospitalized, 22 of them require intensive care. • 29 March 2020:
46 more positive tests (total 20,753), bringing the total number of infected persons to 730. Two more persons died, bringing the number of victims to 11. 101 persons are hospitalized, 23 of them require intensive care. • 30 March 2020:
26 more positive tests (total 21,349), bringing the total number of infected persons to 756. None died. 115 persons are hospitalized, 28 of them require intensive care. 108 out of total 756 infected persons are health workers, 24 of them work in nursing homes. • 31 March 2020:
46 more positive tests (total 22,474), bringing the total number of infected persons to 802. Four persons died, bringing the total number of cases to 15. 119 persons are hospitalized, 28 of them require intensive care.
April 2020 • 1 April 2020: There were 1,288 tests carried out (23,762 total), 39 of them were positive, bringing the total number of infected persons to 841. Two more persons have died, bringing the total to 16. 111 persons are hospitalized, 31 of them require intensive care. Slovenia received a shipment of 1 million
surgical masks and 200,000 FFP2
respirators from the government of
the Czech Republic. • 2 April 2020: The number of infected persons rose to 897. 112 persons are hospitalized, 29 of them require intensive care. For comparison, the 2018–19 seasonal flu in Slovenia took 160 victims up to 2 April 2019. • 3 April 2020: 37 more positive tests brought the number of infected persons to 934. Four more persons have died, bringing the total to 20. • 4 April 2020: The number of infected persons rose to 977. Two more persons have died, bringing the total to 22. • 5 April 2020: 665 tests were carried out, 20 of them positive, bringing the total number of infected persons to 997. Six more people died, bringing the total to 28. 108 people are hospitalized, 31 of them requiring intensive care. • 6 April 2020: 489 tests were carried out, 24 of them positive, bringing the total number of infected persons to 2,021 (the number has been later corrected to 120). Two more persons have died, bringing the total to 30. 114 persons are hospitalized, 30 of them requiring intensive care. • 7 April 2020: 1,202 tests were carried out (total 29,455), 35 of them positive, bringing the total number of infected persons to 1,055. Six more persons died, bringing the total to 36. 111 persons are hospitalized, 31 of them requiring intensive care. 189 infected persons are health workers, 219 are nursing home occupants. • 9 April 2020: 33 new infections were confirmed, bringing the total number of infected persons to 1124. Three more persons have died, bringing the total to 43. 108 persons are hospitalized, 34 of them requiring intensive care. 8 more people were dismissed from hospitals. 208 of the infected persons are health workers, 72 work in nursing homes, 225 are nursing home occupants.
May 2020 As of 15 May 2020, Slovenia was the first country in Europe to declare that its epidemic was over (as of the end of May). As a result, some government support measures, such as financial aid to citizens and firms hit by the coronavirus, expired at the end of May.
July 2020 In July, cases began to rise once again, and are no longer only coming from abroad. On 3 July 2020, 30 new cases were reported, the highest number since 16 April 2020, suggesting the possibility of a second wave. The labor committee approved a bill on intervention measures in preparation for the second wave, which provides the basis for an app for tracking infected people.
Second Wave September 2020 Second wave began and government issued a decree that wearing masks indoors is again mandatory. After 21 September 2020 all shops, bars, clubs, restaurants and pubs had to be closed no later than at 22:00. The third wave began. == Crisis Management Staff ==