Slovenia on Thursday became the first European nation to declare an ‘end’ to the COVID-19 epidemic within its borders, after it recorded a consistent drop in the number of new cases since its March 27 peak of 70 daily cases, with less than seven new cases a day for the past two weeks and just one new case on Thursday.
Prime Minister Janez Jansa announced in the country’s parliament on Thursday, “Slovenia has tamed the epidemic over the past two months... Today Slovenia has the best epidemiologic picture in Europe.”
According to a statement from the government, "The current epidemiological situation makes it possible to ease measures that were urgent to contain and control COVID-19, but they cannot yet be totally lifted. The first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 infection was recorded in Slovenia on 4 March 2020, and up to and including 14 May, 1465 confirmed cases of infection were recorded. The cumulative 14-day incidence has been 35 cases, and the effective reproductive number is currently less than one."
The decree declaring the end of the epidemic in the country will be effective from May 31.
According to the country's National Institute of Public Health, the reproductive ratio for the virus—the number of people infected by each new positive patient—has dropped below one.
At latest count, Slovenia—with a population of just over two million—had 1,465 cases of COVID-19 and had suffered 103 deaths. The country had been under a lockdown since mid-March, with schools, sports and cultural institutions, bar, restaurants, hotels and shops all closed, as well as public transport, according to Reuters.
Declaring the end of the epidemic means that relief measures including financial aid to citizens and firms will expire by May end. Basic rules will still be required for citizens to follow to prevent further spread of the disease. Public transport has already resumed as of this week. From next week, all bars and restaurants will be allowed to open, as will hotels with up to 30 rooms. Football and other sports events could also resume from May 23, albeit without spectators.
Slovenia, which is a member of the European Union, will no longer require mandatory quarantine periods for travellers arriving from the other EU states. However, those who show signs of infection will not be allowed to enter.
A 14-day quarantine period will still be required for those entering from non-EU states, with exemptions for diplomats and those in the logistics sector.
Since Slovenia borders Italy, this is no easy decision to take.
After North America, Europe is the region with the most amount of COVID-19 cases in the world, led by Russia with over 2.5 lakh cases, the UK with over 2.3 lakh cases, Spain with 2.29 lakh cases, Italy with 2.2 lakh cases and France and Germany with 1.7 lakh cases each. The virus has killed over 300,000 across the world and has resulted in a total of 4.47 million cases worldwide.
Slovenia’s decision to re-open could have consequences for the country amid fears of a second-wave of infections like that seen in Singapore and South Korea.
