Due to the relatively high number of new cases of Covid-19 in Slovenia, the government is still not considering opening hospitality establishments, including outdoor cafe seating, but this week it will consider reinstating in-person classes in secondary schools, PM Janez Jansa told Parliament on Monday.

In the past 24 hours 1,451 PCR tests were conducted, confirming 243 new coronavirus cases while another 11 people have died as a consequence.

At the start of the parliamentary sitting the government was once again asked to allow hospitality venues, at least those with outdoor terraces, to work.

The leader of the far-right Slovenian National Party (SNS) which supports Jansa’s government, Zmago Jelincic, said that the hospitality sector had suffered huge losses during the epidemic and that socializing would also have a positive psychological effect, similar to examples in Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.

Jansa rsaid that the epidemiological situation in the country is worse than in neighboring countries and that the government is still not considering opening hospitality establishments. “The Czech Republic made that move and now it has what is possibly the worst epidemiological situation in Europe,” Jansa warned, and added that when the average daily number of new cases in a single week drops below 600 and there are fewer than 500 hospitalised patients, moving forward with easing restrictions might be considered.

Currently the daily average is 768 new cases, and there are 543 Covid-19 patients in hospital care, including 92 in intensive care units.

He said that this week the reintroduction of face-to-face classes in secondary schools would be considered.

Jansa warned that considering the emergence of new virus strains in Europe, the government would consider whether it is necessary to introduce additional restrictions or perhaps even a “complete lockdown on social life” for a “couple of weeks” until the situation improves.

The total number of registered cases to date has now increased to 190,324, including 3,854 deaths.