There have been no new cases of COVID-19 infection in Slovenia in the last 24 hours, the government said on Saturday, and they will declare on Sunday the "administrative" end of the epidemic after 80 days due to a good epidemiological situation.

In hospitals in Ljubljana and Maribor, there are only seven COVID-19 patients, two of whom are in intensive care units.

In the last 24 hours, 613 tests have been carried out, and no new cases of the coronavirus infection have been registered, it was said.

Since the epidemic was declared on March 12, of the 78,000 tests done a total of 1,473 cases of the infection have been confirmed, there have been 108 deaths, mostly among the elderly in nursing homes with several chronic diseases, and 293 patients have been discharged from hospitals following their recovery.

Due to a very good epidemiological situation, which Prime Minister Janez Jansa says is the best in Europe, the government continues to lift measures, so classrooms will reopen next week for pupils from all grades after weeks of distance learning.

After pupils from first three grades returned to school at the beginning of the week, pupils from the fourth and fifth grades will return to their classrooms on Monday, and pupils from other grades on Wednesday.

With appropriate physical distance they will not have to wear masks, but it is recommended that teachers do. Secondary school students will have distance learning until the end of the school year, except for seniors who are preparing for their school-leaving exams, the Education Ministry has decided, and the government confirmed.

Janez Jansa’s government will declare the “administrative” end of the epidemic, with the consent of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

This, for instance, means that wearing masks indoors will no longer be mandatory, but “recommended”.

Milan Krek, head of the NIJZ, jokingly told the media that the declaration of the administrative end of the epidemic should be regarded in a way as “fake news”.

“To think that the epidemic is really over now would be like believing fake news, the virus is still here, and the second wave could be even more dangerous,” he warned.

He said the possibility of a second wave was high given the low infection rate of the population.