Slovakia has five patients recovered from coronavirus (news digest)

Your overview of the coronavirus in Slovakia and other news from politics and business on April 2.

This is your overview of news from April 2.
For all news about the coronavirus in Slovakia click here.
Read more about the measures currently in place in Slovakia.

Coronavirus in Slovakia (updates)

- Slovakia has 26 new cases as of April 2, see full statistics here.

- Slovakia has altogether five patients who have recovered from the coronavirus. The two new cases were hospitalised in the F. D. Roosevelt Faculty Hospital in Banská Bystrica. The patients were released to home quarantine.

- Dozens of employees from the Central Military Hospital in Ružomberok have home quarantined after they were in contact with an infected patient from Čadca. The patient was admitted to the hospital on March 23, after a head injury. The initial tests were negative, but after taking another test shortly before surgery, it showed positive. (SME)

- The staff and patients from the Bojnice hospital who were in contact with a deceased patient who tested positive for the coronavirus tested negative.

- The Košice Self-Governing Region and the Technical University of Košice started producing protective shields whose components are made by 3D printer. They are printed at the university and nine secondary schools in the region.

- Police officers will have to register every person coming to Slovakia from April 2, as part of the stricter border controls. The measure has prolonged the wait at border crossings, the police informed on Facebook and asked people to be patient and collaborate.

- Slovakia needs to increase free accommodation capacity if it wants to continue in the repatriation of Slovak citizens living abroad. About 3,100 people are still waiting for repatriation, said State Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Martin Klus. (TASR)

- The hospital in Kežmarok has erected a military tent that serves as a first-contact spot. It regulates entry to the hospital, thus increasing the safety of patients and medical staff.

- The Slovak Red Cross launched a mobile unit to take samples in Banská Bystrica. The samples are taken by two rescuers twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 12:00. The samples are then sent to the lab of the local Regional Public Health Authority.

The mobile unit of the Slovak Red Cross in Banská Bystrica (9 photos)

- The Office for Personal Data Protection has launched an inspection of the National Health Information Centre in connection with the map containing data about patients infected with the coronavirus. “The inspection concerns how the personal data was processed, with the focus on the safety of processing,” it informed. (TASR)

- The Chirana Medical company will deliver 300 lung ventilators to Slovak medical facilities by the end of June. (Denník N)

“
For me, the protection of the lives of innocent people is the absolute priority when making any further decisions.
„
PM Igor Matovič on the fight against the coronavirus

Economy and business news from Slovakia

- Parliament adopted the amendment to the Labour Code and financial measures to help individuals and companies impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

- Slovenská Sporiteľňa and VÚB will change their price lists due to the coronavirus pandemic. They want to motivate clients to use internet banking more and visit the branches less. Originally, Tatra Banka also wanted to change their fees, but have changed that decision for now. (Denník N)

- Two-thirds of companies say they will not survive the current crisis regime for more than six months. They ask the government to reduce the payroll levies and postpone taxes, as well as reduce red tape, according to an AmCham poll.

- Labour Offices received 10 reports on planned mass layoffs in March. As many as 1,685 people are expected to lose their jobs, with more than 900 expected to be dismissed by the furniture producer Decodom. (TASR, SITA)

- Slovakia can use all non-contracted EU funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic, said Deputy PM Veronika Remišová (Za Ľudí). Slovakia will not be required to co-finance these measures from its own coffers.

- Slovakia has banned the export of goods necessary to fight the coronavirus pandemic, namely disinfectants, alcohol, personal protective equipment and artificial lung ventilators. (TASR)

- The wholesale chain Metro will only send leaflets in electronic form with its products until further notice, and they will also be available on its website. It follows the decision of other retailers Lidl, Kaufland and Teta who have stopped the distribution of paper leaflets. (Denník N)

OTHER NEWS FROM SLOVAKIA

- Coalition MPs signed the coalition agreement at Bratislava Castle on April 2. The only person not to sign was Miroslav Kollár of Za Ľudí.

- The Constitutional Court turned down the complaints of Štefan Harabin over the 2019 presidential election result.

- The government recalled Adriana Šklíbová from the post of the head of Slovak Land Fund. She will be replaced by Gabriela Bartošová.

- The Globsec Bratislava Forum event will be moved to late August. Invited experts will also discuss the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on various sectors and the governments.

- The Association of Outpatient Providers failed to make a deal with the private health insurer Dôvera. As a result, about 1,800 outpatient departments were left without a valid agreement with the insurer. (SITA)