Rapid testing available at community health centres

Some community health centres will have on-site testing facilities, others have chosen off-site locations to separate those seeking testing from other patients.

In Ljubljana, for example, testing will be available at the Kodeljevo Sports Hall from 11am to 3pm. In Novo Mesto the testing location is the Janez Trdina Cultural Centre, and in Velenje testing will be conducted on the parking lot in front of the community health centre.

Not all community health centres will start testing on Monday.

Those wishing to get tested do not need to schedule an appointment, they can just show up with their ID card and health insurance card. The results will be sent via SMS.

The community health centre testing comes after pop-up rapid testing was briefly available at dozens of locations around the country prior to Christmas and New Year's.

The positivity rate from rapid tests ranged between 5% and almost 10% during those days, although this includes tests performed at health institutions and nursing homes.

Rapid testing is primarily meant for those who do not have any symptoms but wish to make sure they are not infected after having high-risk contacts.

Those with symptoms are still advised to consult their doctor, who will refer them to the more reliable, and costly, PCR tests if necessary.

The testing campaign coincides with the opening of schools for children with special needs on orders from the Constitutional Court.

These schools will open on Tuesday, giving the teachers enough time to get tested. Regular schools may start reopening on a staggered schedule next week depending on the epidemiological situation.

Just last week the government adopted a new decree that sets the legal framework for general testing of the population as well as special testing schemes for high-risk groups such as teachers.