News digest: Slovaks commemorate the deceased

Good afternoon. The weekend is coming and we have prepared a quick summary of the main news of the day in our Friday, October 29, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia. We wish you a pleasant read.

For weekend tips and reads, check out our Spectacular Slovakia weekly roundup. This week, Peter Dlhopolec is writing about celebrating Halloween at the Bojnice castle and several places in Bratislava, the Rusyn version of some fairy tales and an exhibition of graffiti. And there is a folk song to listen to as well.

Illustrative stock photo (source: TASR)

The police are warning the public of an increase in breaks-in of flats in Bratislava without clear damage to the front door. Michal Szeiff, the spokesperson of the Regional Directorate of the Police Forces in Bratislava, told the TASR newswire.

“In the period from the middle of July 2021 to the present day, we have recorded in Bratislava more than 20 such acts in which the locking mechanism of the entrance door to the flats was overcome in an undetermined manner,” said Szeiff. “In most cases, it was a security door with a higher-grade security lock.”

The police have brought charges against one man. He is currently being prosecuted.

The police urge citizens to pay more attention. At the same time, they are asking the public to help in identifying strangers in a video they posted on social media.

Photo of today

Slovaks mark All Saints Day this weekend. (source: TASR)

Feature story for today

Anyone at a meeting in either of the two special conference rooms in the historic Jurkovič heating plant in Bratislava might want to make sure they keep their eyes on whoever is speaking, and not drop them to the floor, no matter how bored they may be.

The two rooms are built inside a huge concrete storage bin and have glass floors offering a view that goes metres down to its lit bottom. Looking down into it can make some people dizzy.

The rooms’ design is just one example of the concept behind the recent reconstruction of the iconic building.

The former Jurkovič heating plant – built in 1944 and named after its original designer, prominent Slovak architect Dušan Jurkovič – is part of the massive €420 million Sky Park development in the heart of the capital on the banks of the Danube.

Surrounded by residential towers designed by the award-winning British architectural studio Zaha Hadid Architects, it is one of a few historical industrial buildings still standing in the capital that has been repurposed.

Anniversary of the day

Statue of Ľudovít Štúr in Modra (source: Peter Nagy)

Slovakia marks the birthday of Ľudovít Štúr (October 28, 1815 – January 12, 1856), a leader of the Slovak national revival in the 19th century and the author of the Slovak language standard. On October 29, 1815, his name was written down in the parish register.

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Coronavirus and vaccination news

The coronavirus was the sixth-most common cause of death in Slovakia in September of this year, with 103 individuals succumbing to Covid-19. Based on the preliminary data, the number of deaths in September was 5.7 percent above the five-year monthly average. (Slovak Statistics Office)
4,587 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 17,338 PCR tests performed on Thursday, October 28. The number of people in hospitals has increased to 1,421. 23 more deaths were reported on October 28. The vaccination rate is at 45.41 percent; 2,497,287 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.
A total of 8,820 cases of suspected adverse reactions to vaccines against Covid-19 have been reported in Slovakia as of October 28, the State Institute for Drug Supervision (ŠÚKL) wrote on its website, adding that 1,067 of these cases were serious.
A total of 30,789 people in Slovakia have been inoculated with a third vaccine dose as of Wednesday, October 27, the State Institute for Drug Control (ŠÚKL) reported on its website.
The State Institute for Drug Control (ŠÚKL) registered another two cases in which a death has been linked to vaccination against Covid-19. The first case concerns a 67-year-old man who received the Comirnaty vaccine from the Pfizer/BioNTech consortium. The second case involved a 68-year-old woman who received the Vaxzevria from AstraZeneca.

Other news

The consortium NS MHD Petržalka has signed the contract on the extension of the tram in Bratislava’s Petržalka, worth €74.5 million without VAT. The Bratislava City Council still needs to confirm the contract before the construction of the 3.9km tram track with seven stops can start. It should be completed by the end of 2023 and be co-financed with EU funds.
Slovakia will switch from daylight savings time to the normal Central European time between Saturday, October 30, and Sunday, October 31.
Another alternative electricity and natural gas supplier is quitting the Slovak energy market. Following Slovakia Energy and BCF Energy, Smart Energy Contractor SEC is the third alternative energy supplier that failed due to a dramatic development of energy prices on the markets. OKTE, the organiser of the short-term market in electricity, terminated the agreement on the settlement of imbalances with the company Smart Energy Contractor SEC.
A delegation from the EP Committee on Employment and Social Affairs will arrive in Košice on Wednesday, November 3, to evaluate the implementation of projects focused on the better inclusion of disadvantaged groups in Slovakia. During the working trip, MEPs will meet with representatives of non-governmental organisations, experts and representatives of public administration. They are also planning a visit to Roma settlements and the Lunik IX housing estate in Košice.
The Slovak Statistics Officerevised the GDP downturn in 2020 to 4.4 percent from the originally reported -4.8 percent.
Entrepreneurs in Slovakia can look forward to less red tape and more changes. On Thursday, October 28, the Economy Ministry submitted for interdepartmental review the second package of measuresto improve the business environment. The cabinet is scheduled to discuss it in late November. It contains 207 measures, some of which were proposed by entrepreneurs. They sent almost 2,500 suggestions in total. The measures include those that concern all entrepreneurs, but also those that will help only certain sectors, such as gastronomic establishments.