Slovenians abiding by coronavirus measures, survey shows
Ljubljana, 7 August - Slovenians are still heeding basic precautions against the coronavirus, shows a recent survey by the Mediana Institute. Apart from being more cautious than usual, citizens are also highly interested in information about the virus.
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Washable face masks.
Photo: dpa/STA
Six out of ten respondents say that they wash their hands more than usual and almost a half of them disinfect surfaces more than usual.
Slovenians also show more interest in being informed about health in general and the Covid-19 epidemic.
Some 40% respondents say that they check the web pages of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) and the Health Ministry more than they did before the epidemic. In general, citizens are more interested in media content related to health.
About a third report that they air rooms more than before. Some respondents also started exercising slightly more, eating healthier and consuming food supplements.
The most dramatic life-style changes aimed at curbing the spread of the virus were reported in March and April, the earliest stages of the epidemic.
Later, as the number of new infections was decreasing, the share of those heeding safety measures also declined by mid-May. However, in July, when there was an increase in new cases again, some dialled prevention efforts up a notch but not significantly.
Mediana thus believes that Slovenians might have been feeling less threatened than in the first wave of the epidemic or they might have already adapted to the reality and that "more than usual" is no longer an appropriate measurement for behavioural patterns since what is considered usual changed drastically in the past few months.
The online survey was conducted between 9 and 10 July among 506 adults, with results representative of gender, age and regions.