During the first Covid-19 lockdown in Ljubljana, a courier was fined 400 euros for eating a burek on the steps of a church. The incident caused outrage as it symbolised the strict Covid-19 restrictions enforced by the government. The hungry courier was one of many fined for breaking the requirement to wear face masks both outdoors and indoors. Now he and others will get their money back, on Monday, the 27th of November, reports the BBC.
A law has come into force in Slovenia that will refund the fines imposed for breaking the Covid-19 restrictions. More than
60 000 Slovenians over two years were fined a total of almost six million euros.
This fulfils the promise made by the government of Prime Minister Robert Golob, elected last year, to compensate for fines imposed during the previous right-wing administration’s strict Covid-19 restrictions on movement and gatherings, when Slovenians were not allowed to go far from their homes and curfews were enforced at night.
Environmental activist Rok Rozman, who was fined several times for his participation in the protests, believes that the repayment of the fines is proof that the fines imposed by the government were not legally justified.
The current administration, recognising the need to restore the Slovenians’ trust in the rule of law, supports the reimbursement of fines. However, some members of the previous government argue that paying back the fines is disrespectful to health workers who worked tirelessly to save lives during the pandemic, according to the BBC.
Read also: Epidemiologist: Covid-19 is confirmed for every third tested person in Latvia
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