Slovenia opened its borders on Friday after declaring an end to its coronavirus epidemic, despite new infections still being reported.

"Today Slovenia has the best epidemic situation in Europe, which enables us to call off the general epidemic," Prime Minister Janez Jansa said, two months after the epidemic was declared.

The mountainous nation of two million people, which borders Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary, had reported 1,465 coronavirus cases and 103 deaths as of Friday.

But with the rate of new infections trailing off, the government ordered borders open for all EU citizens, while non-EU citizens will have to stay in quarantine.

People coming from Slovenia will still have to undergo a two-week home quarantine in Austria, however, according to the Austrian interior ministry.

Even in Slovenia, "some general and special measures will remain in force" to prevent a resurgence in virus cases, Ljubljana said.

Public gatherings remain banned while social distancing rules and mask wearing remain mandatory in public spaces.

Earlier this week, the government said some shopping centres and hotels would be allowed to reopen next week.

It also announced football and all other team competitions could resume from May 23.

Despite Slovenia declaring an end to the epidemic, experts clarified that the disease was still present in the country.

"No other European state has so far declared the epidemic was over so we should be cautious in Slovenia too," infectious diseases expert Mateja Logar told public television on Thursday.

"The virus remains present," Logar added.

Declaring the end of the epidemic meant the government avoided an automatic extension until the end of June of the first package of economic measures approved to help the population and companies, according to Public Radio Slovenija.

These measures will now be in force until the end of May.

Asia virus latest: Mumbai hospitals at breaking point, Manila malls reopen
Hong Kong (AFP) May 16, 2020 - Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the coronavirus pandemic:

- Mumbai's hospitals close to collapse in war on virus -

Packed morgues, bodies in wards, patients forced to share beds and medical workers run ragged: Mumbai's war against coronavirus has pushed the Indian city's hospitals to breaking point.

The huge Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, better known as Sion, has become a byword for the stunning failure of Mumbai -- home to billionaires, Bollywood and slums -- to cope with the pandemic.

With space at a premium, and relatives too afraid or unable to claim their dead because they are themselves in quarantine, disposal of coronavirus corpses is not easy, doctors say.

But dealing with the sick is much harder.

- Manila's malls reopen but discourage shoppers from lingering -

Manila's malls set air conditioners to warm and switched off free wifi to stop people lingering as many of them cautiously reopened after a two-month lockdown that brought the sprawling hubs of community life to a halt.

Just a trickle of customers showed up at the huge commercial centres in the Philippine capital, which usually attract millions of people each day and often contain churches, restaurants, gyms and event spaces.

Measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus included walk-in booths filled with clouds of disinfectant, distanced queues, temperature checks and mandatory masks.

- Leopards spotted in Islamabad park as virus clears trails -

Leopards, jackals and other creatures living in Islamabad's tree-covered hills have been enjoying a rare respite from the throngs of hikers and joggers that normally pack the trails.

Rangers in the Pakistani capital's Margalla Hills National Park saw animal activity increase soon after the city was locked down in March to counter the coronavirus.

Motion-triggered wildlife cameras have been clicking away as animals explore areas they had long been nervous to visit.

- 30 Indian migrant workers killed in lockdown crashes -

At least 30 Indian migrant workers were killed in two road accidents as they tried to return to their home villages during a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, officials said.

The accidents, in central and northern India, were the latest involving some of the millions of labourers left stranded and jobless by the seven-week shutdown.

In the deadliest incident, a truck carrying about 40 labourers struck another vehicle also carrying workers and their families that was parked at a roadside cafe in Uttar Pradesh, local magistrate Abishek Singh told AFP.

At least 25 were killed and 30 injured.

- Domestic tourists back in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay -

Vietnamese have flocked to scenic spots and beaches, leaping at the chance to travel as the communist government eases restrictions on domestic movement to revive a tourism sector devastated by the coronavirus.

Hundreds waited to get on tourist boats to visit the famed karsts of the UNESCO heritage site of Ha Long Bay with few following social distancing norms.

Most removed face masks as they climbed on board and posed for selfies.

"This is my first time to Ha Long after COVID. I came here because there is so much beautiful scenery... and the COVID pandemic is gone so I feel safe," said Duong Quang Hieu, 21, from the mountainous northern province of Tuyen Quang.

burs-amj/kaf

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