The coronavirus death toll in Slovenia rose to nine on Friday as two persons died, the second day in a row that more than one fatality has been confirmed. By Thursday midnight the total number of confirmed infections rose to 632, up by a record seventy cases in a day, the latest government data show.

Interior Minister Aleš Hojs is optimistic a two-thirds majority could be mustered to trigger article 37.a of the defence act to temporarily give the Slovenian Armed Forces police powers. Speaking to the press after consulting deputy groups, he said on Friday he would shortly send them the proposal so that the government could adopt it next week.

Prime Minister Janez Janša called for joint EU action to fight the coronavirus crisis. "The scale of the crisis is truly large and may have grave and fateful effects on the cohesion of the EU and the economic and monetary union," he told EU leaders at an EU summit on Thursday.

Prime Minister Janez Janša has said the government is doing everything it can to supply sufficient amounts of protective equipment, after doctors appealed on the authorities to provide adequate protection for those dealing with Covid-19 patients.