Possible change to coronavirus border regime for Croatian travellers to Slovenia

ZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) – The border regime for travellers entering Slovenia from Croatia could be eased soon if an EU-wide agreement is reached next week, the Slovenian government spokesman for the coronavirus response, Jelko Kacin, told a press conference in Ljubljana on Thursday.

Asked why Slovenia did not allow travellers from high-risk countries to enter with a negative COVID-19 test, as some other EU countries did, Kacin said that Slovenia would align its rules with those of the EU which was expected to propose common criteria for border crossing next week.

There is still no agreement on these criteria among the member states nor can it be guaranteed, Kacin said.

Last month Slovenia put Croatia on the so-called red list of epidemiologically unsafe countries, which requires Croatian nationals to quarantine for 14 days on entering Slovenia. Last week the duration of quarantine was shortened to ten days.

The decision was taken following a large “import” of infections from Croatia amid the summer holiday season, but the situation has changed in recent weeks.

Over the past ten days, Slovenia has recorded a surge in the number of new coronavirus infections, which were mainly the result of local transmission.