Situation on border with Italy calm after checks introduced
Ljubljana, 12 March - The situation at the six points along the border with Italy where checks for the novel coronavirus were introduced on Wednesday afternoon is calm, with just a handful of persons so far denied entry due to high body temperature. The rare passengers who are crossing the border are being examined, while cargo traffic is running smoothly.
Škofije
Police and Red Cross volunteers conduct spot checks on the Škofije border crossing with Italy as a precautionary measure to slow the spreading of coronavirus.
Photo: Mitja Volčanšek/STA
Škofije
Police and Red Cross volunteers conduct spot checks on the Škofije border crossing with Italy as a precautionary measure to slow the spreading of coronavirus.
Photo: Mitja Volčanšek/STA
Škofije
Police and Red Cross volunteers conduct spot checks on the Škofije border crossing with Italy as a precautionary measure to slow the spreading of coronavirus.
Photo: Mitja Volčanšek/STA
Škofije
Police and Red Cross volunteers conduct spot checks on the Škofije border crossing with Italy as a precautionary measure to slow the spreading of coronavirus.
Photo: Mitja Volčanšek/STA
Škofije
Police and Red Cross volunteers conduct spot checks on the Škofije border crossing with Italy as a precautionary measure to slow the spreading of coronavirus.
Photo: Mitja Volčanšek/STA
At the former border crossing of Škofije, on the road connecting Slovenia's Koper and Italy's Trieste, police patrols are stopping vehicles and passengers are being checked by medical staff.
They are not giving statements for the media, but unofficial sources say that one person has been denied entry to Slovenia.
Foreigners entering Slovenia who do not have a body temperature of over 37.5 degrees Celsius and do not show clear signs us upper respiratory tract infections are allowed to enter.
All other foreigners must present a medical certificate in English, Italian or Slovenian not older than three days proving that they tested negative for COVID-19.
Reporters who have visited the border crossing say that the traffic is very scarce, and that the local petrol station and bars are practically empty.
As transit traffic is excluded from the measure, cargo traffic is running relatively smoothly, with no tailbacks reported.
Further north, at Vrtojba, Red Cross volunteers report about a calm evening on Wednesday despite traffic being relatively heavy. A high body temperature or other signs were established in seven passengers, who had to return to Italy.
These were mostly passengers in vehicles with foreign licence plates, mostly from Italy and Romania.
"We had to reject some of them, because they arrived with a high temperature and wanted to enter a shop," said Neli Skočaj of the local Red Cross unit.
She said that the police were determining who needed to be checked. "We examine these people and report back to the police about whether they are fit to continue the trip."