Prime Minister Marjan Šarec today said that Slovenia would declare an epidemic pursuant to Article 7 of the Contagious Diseases Act due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases. The Civil Protection Service of the Republic of Slovenia, which is already participating, will be activated; it will be able to perform its tasks more effectively on the basis of the order issued by the Minister of Health. The Government also adopted a decision to temporarily close kindergartens and schools.

During today's phone conversation with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar expressed solidarity with measures to prevent spreading of the Covid-19 virus and presented his condolences over the numerous fatalities caused by the virus in the neighbouring country.

THE EVENT IS POSTPONED

March is marked by the anticipation of spring. One of the holidays announcing its return is St Gregory's Day, the Slovenian version of Valentine's Day when birds get married.

On Tuesday, 10 March 2020, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia confirmed the nomination of Lipizzaner horses for entry on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Minister of Health, Aleš Šabeder, announced that the Order on the conditions of entry into the Republic of Slovenia from the Italian Republic to prevent the spread of infectious disease entered into force at 6 p.m. today.

Slovenia has not closed its border with Italy but is to impose health checks of passengers to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Six check points will be set up at the following locations: Rateče, Robič, Vrtojba, Škofije, Fernetiči and Krvavi Potok. There will be no restrictions for Slovenian citizens. As regards the envisaged measures imposed at the border with Italy to contain the spread of the coronavirus, it should be noted that since this is not a measure under the Schengen Code, notification based on this Code is not required.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, has issued a funding decision for the project Velenje urban cycle network - downtown. This ITI-funded project, worth a total of EUR 603,000, will receive a contribution from the Cohesion Fund amounting to EUR 336,000.

At its meeting by correspondence, the Government adopted a decision to start carrying out border control checks in the vicinity of the border between Slovenia and Italy on 11 March 2020. This measure is aimed at reducing the risk of spreading the contagious disease SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) in Slovenia and at protecting the health of its population.

Thanks to its sustainable development efforts in tourism under the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism managed by the Slovenian Tourist Board, Slovenia is among the winners of the 2020 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards.

The prime minister has ordered the health ministry and the interior ministry to make all necessary preparations for closing the border with Italy, as has been done by Austria. This is a vital step if we want to curb the spread of the virus. The border will not be closed to freight, as this would cause additional economic damage. We are trying to stay for as long as possible in the first stage of the spread of the virus. Currently there are 34 confirmed cases. The border with Italy will be closed as soon as the technical and administrative formalities have been completed.

By 2 p.m. today there were 31 confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection in Slovenia; the number of tests performed stands at 1643. To provide information and assistance to the public, a call centre has been set up with the toll-free telephone number 080 14 04; furthermore, notification via text messages has been introduced for travellers crossing the Slovenian border.

The MFA advises against all travel to Italy.

In accordance with the measures adopted to contain the COVID-19 epidemic, Slovenian citizens are advised against all but essential travel to China and against all travel to the province of Hubei until further notice.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic and the related restrictive measures of Korean authorities, Slovenian citizens are advised against travelling to the area around Daegu and Cheongju. The MFA advises against all but essential travel to other parts of the Republic of Korea.

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 and the related restrictive measures adopted by the authorities, the MFA advises against all travel to the country. Slovenian citizens temporarily staying in Iran are advised to leave the country as soon as possible.

At the beginning of the year, Slovenia entered into a partnership with several institutions and the NBA Dallas Mavericks where Luka Dončić also plays. Within this partnership, the game at I FEEL SLOVENIA Night was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 11 March 2020. Due to the uncertainty brought about by the spread of the coronavirus, the expected decline in American tourists visiting Europe and the increasingly restrictive measures recommended by the responsible authorities, the institutions comprising the Government Communication Office (GCO), Slovenian Tourist Board (STB), Public Agency for Entrepreneurship, Internationalization, Foreign Investments and Technology (SPIRIT Slovenia), Tourism Ljubljana and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after careful consideration and consultation with key stakeholders, decided that the I Feel Slovenia Night and the Texas Feels Slovenia Business Conference with the Slovenian Tourism Workshop scheduled to take place the day after the match on 12 March 2020, should be postponed.

At the meeting of the Council for a Competitive and Stable Business Environment, Minister Zdravko Počivalšek presented eight crisis management measures totalling almost EUR 1 billion in connection with the effects of the coronavirus on the economy and tourism.

According to Jernej Pikalo, the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the outgoing government, the establishment of an international research centre for artificial intelligence, which will operate under the auspices of UNESCO and will be located in Ljubljana, is the greatest achievement of Slovenian science. This opportunity will benefit both the scientific and the economic sector.

There have now been 23 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1227 coronavirus tests have been carried out in Slovenia so far. According to Minister of Health Aleš Šabeder, new infection cases are predictable and are related to the already identified cases. All patients feel well. A call centre has been set up to assist inhabitants in finding information regarding the coronavirus.