News digest: Weekend testing will be possible on buses as well as in companies

Numbers of victims of human trafficking is alarming. Coronavirus spreads among homeless people in Bratislava.

(Source: TASR)

This is the Thursday, January 21, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia. In less than five minutes learn about politics, business, and other notable events of the day in Slovakia. If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

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Testing on the buses

The Bratislava public transport company is making 50 vehicles available as testing stations. They will provide a base for testing teams during the next weekend of nationwide screening.

The Municipality is also launching a reservation system which should allow people to book an exact time for their test at the vehicles. Mayor Matúš Vallo reckons that these should be enough to test almost 30,000 people over the weekend.

Bratislava launches reservation system for testing points on public transport vehiclesRead more 

People who are not successful in booking an appointment should not panic, as there will be enough teams also providing testing at sites where there is no need for a previous reservation.

"The available capacity during the two days should allow for the comfortable performance of more than 250,000 tests,” Vallo said. “It will also be possible to perform tens of thousands of tests after the weekend. The city will publish a list of sites on Thursday."

The municipality is also dealing with hotspots in the city as the virus spreads among the homeless community. Quarantine Town on Hradská Street has had to increase the number of beds available twice in three days. The municipality has said that they will need help from the state if the problem among homeless people escalates.

Companies may organise testing, too

Companies with more than 250 employees are supposed to organise their own mass testing.

This is detailed in a manual for testing in companies, authored by the Economy Ministry.

“The participation of employers is voluntary; they can test not only employees but also their family members,” said Economy Minister Richard Sulík (SaS).

Smaller companies may also organise their own testing. The ministry will contribute €3.50 per person. Companies, however, expected greater support.

How will testing in companies look? The plan has been released Read more 

Photo of the day:

Coronavirus-related news:

  • People older than 85 may register for the COVID-19 vaccination. Faculty Hospital in Trnava has already started to vaccinate seniors.

What do Slovak politicians wish for Joe Biden?

Ruling politicians in Slovakia have expressed wishes for strong bilateral cooperation after Joseph Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the US.

President Zuzana Čaputová wrote that with Biden as president, a new chapter of transatlantic partnership has begun. Next to shared democratic values, she also mentioned environmental protection efforts.

Slovakia ready to be a partner of the US as Biden is inaugurated Read more 

Other news

  • President Zuzana Čaputová received her second jab of the vaccine against COVID-19, confirmed her spokesperson. “Besides fatigue and muscle pain, of which she was notified in advance, she did not feel any other side effects or complications,” a spokesperson said.
  • The police identified 62 victims of human trafficking in Slovakia in 2020. What is alarming is the number of child victims, the police said. Of the 35 female victims, 13 were children and of the 27 men, three were children. They were aged between five months and 17 years.
  • The Rimavská Sobota Industrial Park project will be cheaper than originally thought, said the Value for Money institute. The Economy Ministry has agreed with a reduction in costs of €1.78 million and postponed the construction of a transformer station costing €3.6 million.
  • The registered unemployment rate amounted to 7.57 percent in December 2020, which represents 207,184 people. It rose by 0.19 percentage points compared with the previous month and by 2.65 percent in comparison with the previous year. The total unemployment rate amounted to 8.3 percent in December, with labour offices registering a total of 227,341 people without a job. As many as 79,667 were jobless for more than 12 months. (ÚPSVaR)
  • The State Material Reserves Administration is already distributing test kits intended for testing in companies.

Read also on Spectator.sk today:

Unknown liturgical objects found near Hubina village Read more  Extremely well-crafted piece of work. Hollywood Reporter praises Slovak film about holocaust Read more  Deputy PM Holý lied about his exception when travelling to Britain Read more 

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