There probably isn’t anyone who wouldn’t know about coronavirus today. The precautionary measure is clear: people who have stayed in the countries or areas labelled as epicentres of the disease over the past few weeks should stay home for the next 14 days, regardless of their well-being. The University of Ljubljana gave such instructions to its employees, for example, and reassured the students that in the absence of compulsory participation content, they would be able to compensate for this and would not suffer negative consequences due to this self-limitation. How about the other employees?
An employee who is quarantined by a doctor’s order is entitled to a sickness benefit of 90 percent of the basis, which is borne by the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia, on the basis of the Health Care and Health Insurance Act. In the event of an emergency, part of the financing will also be taken over by the state.
According to the Contagious Diseases Act, the Minister of Health must declare an emergency in the event of an epidemic, which has not occurred to us (yet). Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs is expected to provide more specific guidance shortly on employers’ treatment of employees opting for voluntary quarantine.
To date, there is no confirmed case of coronavirus infection in Slovenia, but it has occurred along the border with Slovenia in Gorizia, Trieste and Udine.
