October 23 (SeeNews) - Slovenia plans to introduce stricter restrictions to contain the COVID-19 spread as of Saturday, including the closure of catering establishments, hotels and shopping malls, prime minister Janez Jansa said.
"Some additional measures need to be taken. We need to stop the spread of the virus in the coming week," Jansa said in a statement on Thursday.
The government will order the closure of restaurants but will keep food delivery permitted; the closure of hotels, with exceptions for certain visitors such as business delegations, diplomatic and professional sports teams; and the closure of shopping centres, except for the sales of food, construction and technical materials, animal feed and agricultural supplies.
"Kindergartens will also be closed next week because the number of infections among educators has increased dramatically, but there will be exceptions when parents work and cannot provide care on their own," Jansa added.
On Monday, the Slovenian government declared a 30-day emergency after COVID-19 cases more than doubled last week. The government introduced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and also banned the movement between regions most affected by the pandemic.
Last week, Slovenia reported 4,845 COVID-19 cases, up from 2,255 cases in the previous week.