UPDATE - Slovenian Government Declares COVID-19 Nationwide Epidemic

UPDATE - Slovenian Government Declares COVID-19 Nationwide Epidemic

The government of Slovenia has declared the coronavirus disease a nationwide epidemic effective from Monday as a resurgence in new cases hit an all-time high

BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2020) The government of Slovenia has declared the coronavirus disease a nationwide epidemic effective from Monday as a resurgence in new cases hit an all-time high.

On Saturday, Slovenian health authorities reported 898 confirmed cases per day, the national record since the start of the epidemic. Another 726 cases were confirmed on Sunday, resulting from 3,765 conducted tests, pushing up the infection rate to 19 percent. To date, Slovenia has confirmed 13,144 COVID-19 cases, including 188 deaths.

"According to the official data on the number of infected people in Slovenia, we have reached the second wave of COVID-19. We are seeing its rapid and exponential spread among the population, significantly exceeding the normal incidence. The current epidemiological situation with the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus requires an immediate declaration of an epidemic throughout the Republic of Slovenia, as all statistical regions have either reached or surpassed the threshold required for declaring an epidemic," the Slovenian cabinet said in a statement.

In a bid to slow down the spread of infection, the government has also imposed a nationwide curfew.

"Like other EU countries, we have restricted the movement of citizens from 9.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m. [19:00 to 04:00 GMT]," the cabinet wrote on Twitter.

The decree also bans public events and ceremonies, including church services and private celebrations. Violators will face fines ranging from 400 to 4,000 Euros ($471-$4,714).

Last Thursday, Slovenia introduced new measures against COVID-19 in seven of its 12 statistical regions. The movement between these seven regions was restricted and wearing masks was made mandatory both indoors and outdoors. Large sports events were canceled and learning was made remote for students of grades five and higher, while gatherings of no more than 10 people remained allowed.

Slovenia officially declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in May and recorded only a relatively small number of new infections during the summer. However, a large increase in cases was registered last week. The country has now been divided into green, orange and red zones, based on the number of coronavirus cases and rate of infections.