Flight connection to Croatia, new measures against spread of the coronavirus discussed (news digest)

Read an overview of news from Slovakia on Monday, July 13, 2020. UPDATED at 19:21: Slovakia will put the UK on the list of less risky countries.

Illustrative stock photoIllustrative stock photo (Source: TASR)

This is your overview of news from Slovakia on Monday, July 13, 2020. For a weekly overview news, see our Last Week in Slovakia overview published earlier today.

New anti-coronavirus measures in place

With the new coronavirus infections on the rise in Slovakia, the government brought up new measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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The cabinet gave a green light to raising the fine for those who arrive from abroad and fail to report their arrival to their doctor and the respective public health authority. The fine can be up to €5,000, according to the approved amendment, compared to the current maximum of €1,650.

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The cabinet also passed an amendment that allows the Public Health Authority to use mobile phone data to find out about the citizens and residents who had been abroad. These homecomers should receive text messages from the state to remind them of the obligation to stay in home isolation for five days before they undergo the COVID-19 test.

Hygienists should use the data to control whether people reported to their respective authorities after their arrival.

The changes are pending parliament approval.

EU okayed aid money for Slovakia

European Commission approved Slovakia's state aid scheme worth €80 million to support research, developing and testing infrastructure for development linked with the coronavirus pandemic.

The commission said the scheme was approved to support projects of industrial research and experimental research but also for testing and widening infrastructure linked with the production of products linked with COVID-19.

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New airline links Bratislava to Croatia

The Slovak air company Air Explore launches a flight connection between Bratislava and Split. It will run twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Price of the flight ticket is €69, there is the option of the flexible ticket for €99 which gives a possibility to re-book the date of flight without any additional fees.

The line should be in operation until the beginning of September.

In other news:

  • The UK has not included Slovakia in the list of safe countries for travellers despite claiming, on July 6, that self-isolation would be scrapped for the countries where “the risk of importing COVID-19 is sufficiently low”. The UK will probably put Slovakia on the list when Slovakia put the UK on the safe countries, too. UPDATE: Slovakia will do so as of Monday, July 20, PM Matovič informed after the July 13 session of the council of epidemiologists.
  • One person was positively diagnosed with the coronavirus disease in Slovakia on July 12, the total number increased to 1,902.
  • Health Minister Marek Krajčí would like to have a new pandemic plan to be approved on July 24. He told the journalists that there is no reason to be stressed. (TASR)
  • Foreign Affairs Ministry would take all necessary steps to prevent re-implementation of the obligatory quarantine, said Martin Klus, state secretary of the ministry. Department also considers adding yellow colour to travelling traffic lights. Currently, there are only two – green for safe countries and red for risk countries. Klus also said that Croatia is still a green country, but he recommended to avoid Zagreb.
  • Tour operators have been put in danger as a result of the government’s call on people to spend the summer holidays in Slovakia.
  • Journalist Lukáš Diko became editor-in-chief of the Investigative Centre of Ján Kuciak. He started as a journalist in the Sme daily, later in radio Twist. He worked as editor-in-chief of Markíza television and head of the news service in public television RTVS. (SITA)
  • The tax case of Zoltán Andruskó who was convicted from the participation at the murder of Ján Kuciak did not continue on Monday. The reason was a public apology of attorneys of two charged people. (SITA)
  • Investigator of the Specialised team of NAKA started criminal prosecution connected to the shredding of original recording that should capture Gorilla case.

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Stock image.

Twice as many Ukrainians work in Slovakia now than before the Russian invasion.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


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