“Nobody will suffer much if they are not able to drink mulled wine or eat a hot dog bought at the Christmas market stall, but if somebody close to you or even you yourself would end up not being admitted to the intensive care unit because not enough beds are available, that would be the real disaster,” said the head of the Covid-19 expert advisory group, Dr Mateja Logar.
On Saturday, the government banned the serving of food and drinks on Christmas market stalls, with the exception of roasted chestnuts. On all Christmas markets located in open areas, one-way movement of visitors must be regulated, and the area must be fenced in a way that prevents access, other than through the official entrance.
Amendments to the decree, which entered into force on Saturday, were proposed to the government by the Covid-19 expert advisory group, whose leader, Dr Mateja Logar, explained to the reporters that the risk of transmission of infection is significantly higher at the Christmas market stalls than it is in the (more organised) bars and restaurants.
Ending up in the intensive care unit is a much greater disaster than not being able to drink mulled wine at a Christmas market stall
“The expert advisory group believes that the Christmas market stalls, which sell food and drinks, should not be allowed because contact between a large number of people can happen there, which results in an increased chance of transmitting the infection,” Dr Logar said. In some parts of the country, Christmas markets have already opened in recent days, and they include stalls that offer food or drinks, Slovenian Press Agency reports. “Nobody will suffer much if they are not able to drink mulled wine or eat a hot dog bought at the Christmas market stall, but if somebody close to you or even you yourself would end up not being admitted to the intensive care unit because not enough beds are available, that would be the real disaster,” Dr Logar pointed out.
As of Saturday, new conditions for the operating of ski lifts are also in force. Namely, users must submit proof of compliance with the RVT rule (recovered, vaccinated, tested) when purchasing a ticket. In enclosed ski lifts, such as gondolas and cable cars, the use of a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask is mandatory for everyone over the age of six. The same applies to open ski lifts if there is no free seat between the passengers. The ski season had already started in the ski resorts Rogla, Krvavec, Kope and Vogel, and on Saturday, the ski slopes also opened in Kranjska Gora, Kanin and Golte.
Sara Kovač
