Ljubljana - At the start of the week-long May Day school break, Health Minister Janez Poklukar appealed to the population to hold on and bear with coronavirus precautions a while longer.

"Let's stick to self-protective measures, let's take care of our close ones, let's get vaccinated when we are called," the minister said in a written statement on Saturday.

He pointed to the warm weather and the holidays ahead - Slovenia will observe Day of Uprising Against the Occupation, a national holiday, on Tuesday, while two-day bank holiday for Labour Day falls on the weekend this year.

"We're all human who wish a peaceful and warm spring. Let me ask you one thing alone, I truly want to live again without a mask too, without fear whether my children can go to school or are schooled remotely, I want to chose to go to the seaside freely, to sit down with my family in a restaurant, to see my friends. We are all fatigued from the pandemic. But let me ask you to hold on a while longer," the minister wrote.

He said vaccination against Covid-19 was being stepped up as Slovenia was due to receive large quantities of vaccines. "We know vaccines are effective. Let us just hold on a bit longer and we can all contribute our bit to get our lives back as soon as possible."

A similar appeal to the public at the start of the holiday week, which coincides with the easing of some of coronavirus restrictions, has also been issued by the Medical Chamber.

From today hospitality establishments across the country can serve guests at outdoor tables after the ban on travel between the regions was lifted yesterday.

Hotels and other accommodation facilities will be allowed to reopen on a limited scale across the country from Monday.