Small border crossings between Croatia and Slovenia, which have been closed for nearly three months due to the coronavirus epidemic, could soon reopen, the Slovenian police said on Wednesday.

As Lado Bradac of the Slovenian Interior Ministry told Slovenski Radio, some border crossings might reopen as early as Monday, June 15, followed by the remaining ones reopening by June 29.

These are 27 land border checkpoints along the Croatia-Slovenia border primarily intended for the local population: persons owning land and property in both states and those employed across the border who have to cross the border every day to go to work.

These are interstate crossings that cannot be used by third-country citizens, that is those outside the European Union.

The closure of small border crossings has been causing a lot of problems to the local population on both sides.

To go to work, to work in the fields and vineyards across the border, to visit relatives or friends, they had to use larger international crossings, often kilometres away from the crossing nearest to them.