News digest: Curfew to be partially lifted as of Monday

This is the Friday, April 16, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia. Learn about politics, business, and other notable events of the day in Slovakia in less than five minutes. If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

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Cabinet eases curfew as of Monday

The cabinet has relaxed the anti-coronavirus measures, based on which the curfew will not apply from Monday, April 19, for example, to visits to retail stores and other outlets. People will also be allowed to travel to the countryside and for individual recreation between districts, but a negative test, not older than 7 days, will be required for districts in the 4th tier according to the Covid automat alert system. Museums, galleries, libraries, zoological and botanical gardens can open as of Monday. Another change comes with the opening of driving schools, the possibility of attending church services, swimming pools and sports facilities. The obligation to work from home is also abolished.

Bratislava plans to upgrade 25 public spaces this year

Bratislava plans to renovate 25 public spaces in the city for €14.3 million under the Živé Miesta (Living Places) scheme this year.

“€14.3 million is a record sum compared to the past, when no investment was made in the renewal of public spaces, but at the same time it is a small amount compared to the investment that Bratislava deserves for its public spaces,” said Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo.

The first public places to be renovated are Krížna - Karadžičova public park, Žilinská park, the buffet on Partizánská Lúka meadow, Námestie Slobody Square or the public space under the SNP Bridge.

State institution in Slovakia became target of ransomware attacks

The National Security Authority (NBÚ) has registered a series of significant ransomware attacks on targets in Slovakia. It urges all companies and institutions in the country to immediately secure and back up their systems against a potential attack.

“At the moment, the National Cyber Security Center SK-CERT cannot publicly provide more details due to the sensitivity of the matter,” the NBÚ informed on social networks.

Coronavirus and vaccination news:

The Slovak national medicines agency ŠÚKL condemns what they see as the emotional and political pressure that Finance Minister Igor Matovič is putting on the institution, its director and her family.
The Public Health Authority (ÚVZ) has corrected its information that says vaccinated people do not have to go into quarantine after crossing the border. Vaccinated people will still have to go into quarantine.
Opinions of people on the introduction of Covid passportsdivide Slovak society in two, the results of an early April survey by the Actly pollster ordered by the non-parliamentary party Dobrá Voľba of Tomáš Drucker indicate.
Bratislava is launching a free help line to assist elderly people in particular with registration for Covid-19 vaccination. The line 0800 222 888 will be in operation during working days between 8:00 and 16:00. Operators will also be able to navigate the system for foreigners living in Slovakia.
The national rail carrier ZSSKwill resume an almost complete timetable for its trains as of Sunday, April 18, in response to easing anti-coronavirus measures. InterCity trains remain cancelled and there will be no restaurant wagons as of yet.
The Banská Bystrica Region will be the first region in Slovakia to test mobile vaccination teams. The first teams will go to Banská Štiavnica and Revúca on April 26, where they will focus on the elderly who cannot get to the vaccination centres.
Slovakia will get an additional 600,000 doses of vaccine from the consortium Pfizer/BioNTech, Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský said during a radio discussion on Friday, April 16. Thus Slovakia will have by 2.2 million more doses of this vaccine by the end of June.

Feature story of today

Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, several young Slovak students had the opportunity to meet with Prince Philip in person. They describe him as a down-to-earth and jovial man, despite his high social rank.

People in Slovakia can watch the funeral of Prince Philip online at the news channel TA3, on Saturday, April 17 at 15:25.

Anniversary

Bojnice castle will mark World Haemophilia Day on April 17 by lighting the castle in blood-coloured light.

The bojnice castle in blood-red light (source: Courtesy of SNM-Múzeum Bojnice, Igor Socha)

Other news

The trout fishing season started in Slovakia on Friday, April 16. The best localities are the rivers Váh, Revúca, Orava, Hnilec, Belá, Hron, Hornád, Dunajec and Poprad.
The Financial Administration has launched a new service for tax payers called saldokonto. Taxpayers have electronic access to their accounts while the only condition is to have an active electronic mailbox on the Financial Administration portal. Now a total of 750,000 natural and legal persons can check their tax account, i.e. their liabilities and receivables, from the comfort of their homes.
Curbed production and sale of new passenger cars have caused a lower number of used cars on the market while their price increased by 15 percent, the AAA AUTO used car dealership claims.