Wear a face mask and sanitise

Masks or other forms of protection covering the mouth and nose, and disinfection are mandatory:

• in all closed public spaces,
• on public transport,
• in open public spaces where it is not possible to stay two metres from other people.

Masks or other forms of protection covering the mouth and nose are not compulsory for:

• children in kindergartens, pupils and students at schools when they are in their classrooms,
• preschool teachers and their assistants when they interact with children, primary school teachers up to and including the third grade when they interact with children, and those carrying out organised sports activities,
• primary school teachers from the fourth grade upwards and secondary school teachers when they stay two metres away from their pupils or students, 
• teachers at higher vocational colleges and universities if they lecture behind a protective barrier made of glass or a similar material, and
• those carrying out organised sports activities.

Apartment buildings must be equipped with hand sanitiser dispensers.

Are you worried that you have been infected?

If you are ill (coughing, have a fever or difficulty breathing)

• Stay at homeand avoid contact with other people.
• Call your doctor or, if he or she is not available, the emergency medical service. After talking to you, the doctor will assess whether suspicion of infection with the novel coronavirus is justified or not. If he or she decides that the suspicion is justified, you will receive instructions what to do by phone.

Do not visit your doctor, the emergency medical service or a hospital in person. When in need of emergency medical care, please call first.

The most frequent symptoms

The Covid-19 disease, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is most commonly manifested by an infected person feeling unwell, fatigued, having cold symptoms and/or fever, coughing, and in more severe cases shortness of breath. A typical feature of more severe cases of infection is pneumonia.

Novel coronavirus infections cannot be distinguished from other acute respiratory infections, including pneumonia, based solely on the progress of the disease and the patient’s difficulties. Microbiological testing is required to confirm or exclude an infection.

The novel coronavirus is transmitted between humans via droplets of saliva that people sneeze or cough. This means that close contact with an infected person at a distance of less than 1.5 metres is required for transmission.

Infected persons must isolate

Those who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus are ordered to isolate by their doctor. They are not allowed to leave their homes, must limit their contacts and strictly follow the recommendations for preventing the spread of the Covid-19 disease. During isolation they are entitled to sick leave.

Social distancing

Social distancing is recommended for those who have been in contact with a Covid-19 positive and infectious person. Contacts between family members pose the highest risk of the transmission of the novel coronavirus.

Social distancing is only recommended and not ordered because such persons are not on sick leave. Furthermore, it is recommended that in agreement with their employer, they work from home.  If they cannot perform their work at home, they should self-monitor and stop coming to work when they detect the first symptom. It is recommended that they do not have any contacts outside their household, and consistently maintain a safe distance of two metres from other people in public spaces.

Quarantine must be proposed by an epidemiologist

The Minister of Health, on the proposal of the National Institute of Public Health, orders a person who has been in close contact with a Covid-19 positive and infectious person to quarantine. A healthy person’s freedom of movement is hence temporarily restricted and he or she is advised to follow the instructions.

A person with the disease is ordered to isolate. A healthy person suspected of having been exposed to a person with the disease must quarantine.

The National Protection and Rescue Plan in the event of a communicable disease pandemic in humans

Slovenia has a National Protection and Rescue Plan in the event of a communicable disease epidemic or pandemic in humans (hereinafter the National Plan), which includes detailed action protocols and is aimed at ensuring the smooth operation of all key stakeholders at the national level.

The National Plan is activated when an epidemic or a pandemic of a communicable disease in humans is declared in the whole or part of Slovenia. In such an event, the protection, rescue and relief forces are deployed in addition to healthcare services.

Simultaneously with the National Plan, regional protection and rescue plans and specific parts of municipal protection and rescue plans are activated in a threatened area.

The Minister of Health proposes the activation of the National Plan, and the decision to activate it is taken by the Civil Protection Commander.

Be mindful of cough hygiene and regular hand washing

• Stay home if you are taken ill.
• Avoid staying in enclosed spaces, provide for regular ventilation.
• Avoid close contact with people who show signs of infectious disease.
• Observe the rules of cough hygiene and regularly wash your handswith soap and warm water.
• If soap and water are not available, use hand disinfectant intended for that purpose. Use hand disinfectant that contains at least 60% alcohol. Hand disinfectant is intended for external use only. Surface cleaners or disinfectants are not intended for cleaning or disinfecting your skin.
• It is important to first rinse your hands under warm running water.
• Scrub both hands with soap, which should be applied to the entire surface of your hands (the palms and the backs of your hands, between the fingers and around the thumbs, under fingernails), for one minute.
• Thoroughly rinse the soap off your hands with warm water.
• Pat your hands dry with a single-use paper towel. Use the paper towel to turn off the tap; do not touch the tap with your freshly washed hands.
• Hand disinfection is mandatory in enclosed public spaces.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• When you feel like coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a paper tissue. If you do not have one, cough or sneeze into the upper part of your sleeve.
• Dispose of the tissue in a waste bin after every use.
• After coughing or sneezing, wash your hands with soap and water every time.