In the last 24 hours, of 3,744 coronavirus tests performed in Slovenia, 1,030 have returned positive, and 44 persons have died from the complications linked to the COVID-19 disease, the Slovenian government stated on Sunday.

Currently, 1,302 COVID patients are receiving hospital treatment, and of them 197 are in intensive care wards.

Since the start of the epidemic, 85,805 people in Slovenia have contracted the novel virus. Currently, there are 20,481 active cases, and the incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days is 977.

The restrictions recently imposed to curb the spread of the virus will be in place one more week. The government is exposed to pressure to lift some restrictions, such as the shortened opening hours of shops, and also there have been more and more demands that ski centres should reopen their doors to visitors.

Employers in the non-essential trade said on Saturday that the lockdown of non-essential shops in the second wave of the epidemic caused a loss of €750 million for them and therefore they would be forced to sack 10,000 workers.