Slovenia First European Nation Without Coronavirus Pandemic
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Slovenia has become the first European nation to declare an end to its coronavirus pandemic. It also opened the borders on Friday, despite new infections being reported.
“Today Slovenia has the best epidemic situation in Europe, which enables us to call off the general epidemic,” Prime Minister Janez Jansa explained, two months after the epidemic was declared.
The tiny mountainous European Union member state of two million people, which borders Italy, Austria, Croatia, and Hungary, had reported 1,465 coronavirus cases and 103 deaths as of Friday.
But with the rate of new infections declining, the government ordered borders open for all EU citizens, while non-EU citizens will have to stay in quarantine. However, public gatherings remain banned while social distancing rules and mask-wearing remain mandatory in public spaces.
Earlier this week, the government said some shopping centers and hotels would be allowed to reopen next week.
It also announced soccer and all other team competitions could resume from May 23. Despite Slovenia declaring an end to the epidemic, experts warned the disease was still present in the country.
“No other European state has so far declared the epidemic was over, so we should be cautious in Slovenia too,” infectious diseases expert Mateja Logar told public television.
Commentators said that by declaring an end of the epidemic, the government avoided an automatic extension of an expensive package of economic measures to help the population and companies. These measures will now be in force until the end of May.
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