Illustrative stock photo (source: SITA)
Slovakia will no longer follow the national Covid automat alert system. The districts will only apply the rules for the tier they are currently in, starting next Monday, May 17.
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As many as four districts in Slovakia will switch into the orange tier of the Covid automat alert system from May 17. This will be the case for the districts of Hlohovec, Nitra, Senec and Topoľčany.
Another 50 districts will be in the light red tier and 23 in the red tier. Only two districts, Myjava and Sobrance, will remain in the dark red tier, meaning the measures there will be the strictest.
More details about the Covid automat and new measures will be announced on Thursday or Friday.
Despite the differing epidemiological situation in some parts of Slovakia, all schools will reopen across the country next Monday, May 17, Education Minister Branislav Gröhling (SaS) said. Universities will open with limitations only in the four districts that are in the orange tier.
Despite the improving situation, the government still has not announced when the national emergency will end. Currently, it is set to expire on May 28, but it could end sooner according to several government members. Moreover, if the parliament does not approve the national emergency, it could end as soon as next Tuesday, May 18.
Map of districts from May 10. (source: Health Ministry)
Law to be adopted this week
Investments Minister and Za Ľudí chair Veronika Remišová said that they waiting for the law on economic mobilisation to be adopted in the parliament and signed by the president. The cabinet agreed at its May 12 session that the parliament should discuss it in a fast-track proceeding.
Under the current rules, several limitations are conditioned with the national emergency only, such as the curfew, the ban on assembly, the work duty for some employees (in this case healthcare staff), the reprofilisation of hospital beds, and the use of state material reserves and emergency supplies, the SITA newswire reported.
The law, submitted by the MPs from four coalition parties, includes some provisions that could be adopted to fight the pandemic that would be conditioned with a state emergency rather than a national emergency.
It should be discussed at the ongoing session, and Remišová expects it will be adopted later this week.
Tiers of districts starting May 17
Districts at Warning Level 3 (dark red)
Myjava • Sobrance
Districts at Warning Level 2 (red)
Bánovce nad Bebravou • Banská Bystrica • Banská Štiavnica • Bardejov • Brezno • Bytča • Dolný Kubín • Humenné • Ilava • Kežmarok • Krupina • Kysucké Nové Mesto • Levoča • Považská Bystrica • Prešov • Revúca • Ružomberok • Sabinov • Stará Ľubovňa • Trenčín • Turčianske Teplice • Tvrdošín • Vranov nad Topľou
Districts at Warning Level 1 (light red)
Bratislava I-V • Čadca • Detva • Dunajská Streda • Galanta • Gelnica • Komárno • Košice I-IV • Košice-okolie • Levice • Liptovský Mikuláš • Lučenec • Malacky • Martin • Medzilaborce • Michalovce • Námestovo • Nové Mesto nad Váhom • Nové Zámky • Partizánske • Pezinok • Piešťany • Poltár • Poprad • Prievidza • Púchov • Rimavská Sobota • Rožňava • Šaľa • Senica • Skalica • Snina • Spišská Nová Ves • Stropkov • Svidník • Trebišov • Trnava • Veľký Krtíš • Žarnovica • Žiar nad Hronom • Žilina • Zlaté Moravce • Zvolen
Districts at Alert Level 2 (orange)
Hlohovec • Nitra • Senec • Topoľčany
