Slovenia re-imposes coronavirus restrictions

LJUBLJANA: Slovenia, which had eased some of its coronavirus restrictions in February, said Sunday that they would be re-imposed until mid-April in view of the deteriorating situation in some neighbouring countries.

"We're in a race against time," Prime Minister Janez Jansa told a news conference, announcing the closure of shops selling non-essential items, as well as cultural and religious venues, a ban on public gatherings and limits on travel between April 1 and 12.

People would be asked to work from home where possible and schools would resume distance learning, he said.

"We hope to see a positive effect from the lockdown after April 12."

People would only be allowed to leave the country on presentation of proof of vaccination or post-infection immunity, he said.

"We'll only reach a sufficient level of vaccination to curb the epidemic in June," Jansa added.

"Until then, we will have to take all the necessary measures to contain the spread of the British variant" of Covid-19, which is much more easily transmissible.

So far, around 200,000 people -- or 10 percent of the population -- have received at least one vaccine jab, according to official data.

Slovenia has reported just over 4,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, making it one of the hardest-hit countries in the European Union relative to the size of the population, with 193 deaths for every 100,000 inhabitants.

The number of daily new infections has risen sharply in recent weeks, climbing from 750 cases in 24 hours in February to 950 at the moment.

The epidemiological situation in neighbouring Balkan and central European countries has also deteriorated sharply.