Over the past 24 hours, 5,673 coronavirus tests have been performed in Slovenia, confirming 1,546 new infections, and there have been 31 related deaths, the Slovenian government said on Friday.

The percentage of positive tests remains high, at 27.75%

Given the lower number of new infections, government spokesman Jelko Kacin expressed moderate optimism that the epidemiological situation would further improve over time.

According to the latest data from the health ministry, there are currently 1,254 patients in COVID wards in Slovenian hospitals, and there are 201 patients in intensive care wards.

The Slovenian government extended all the restrictive measures introduced earlier for one more week, including the curfew, the ban on movement between municipalities, and the ban on gatherings outside the family circle, but this afternoon it will discuss possible exceptions to some of the measures.