President Zuzana Čaputová meeting with scientists and experts on epidemiology, infectology and medicine. (source: TASR)
This is your overview of news from Slovakia that happened on Tuesday, October 27, 2020. Today in Slovakia is a free-of-charge service for our readers. If you want to support us, become a subscriber and get access to more detailed news and interesting feature stories from Slovakia.
Details on nationwide testing
Everybody older than 10 years old is expected to participate in the nationwide testing scheduled for the upcoming weekend (Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1) between 7:00 and 22:00. This includes foreigners and the members of foreign diplomatic missions.
There should be 4,901 sampling teams and more than 5,000 sampling sites, with the teams moving around smaller villages, according to the Defence Ministry.
There are several exceptions to those who do not have to be tested, including people older than 65 years and people with health complications.
President Zuzana Čaputová meanwhile met with leading experts on the coronavirus in Slovakia. She considers it important that this event, which is huge in terms of both logistics and capacities, will not endanger the provision of health care.
The Slovak Spectator plans to publish FAQs about the testing tomorrow.
Top university close to losing its rector
The academic senate of the Slovak University of Technology (STU) in Bratislava has proposed recalling Rector Miroslav Fikar. The proposal is yet to be approved by the education minister and the president.
The vote against Fikar follows the recent conflict at the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies (FIIT).
The whole process resulted in media attention even though the senate attempted to exclude the public. Moreover, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Juraj Šeliga (Za Ľudí) was not allowed to the public hearing at first, and he had to call the police.
President Zuzana Čaputová noted that the process was very far from normal. The law stipulates that she has to wait now for the proposal of the education minister. She will take all the circumstances the academic senate based its decision on into consideration, she claimed.
Coronavirus-related news
11 more people died of the coronavirus in Slovakia, while the October 26 testing revealed 901 new cases. Check out the latest statistics.
The situation in Čadca hospital is very serious, as 10 percent of its medical workers are in quarantine. Its director Martin Šenfeld has asked for help.
Letter carriers will hand in deliveries to people only outside, with recipients being asked to wear mask and bring their own pen when taking the delivery. The notes about registered mail will be put in the post boxes.
Picture of the day:
Firefighters built six large-capacity tents in the compound of St Michael’s Hospital in Bratislava, which will be used in the nationwide testing.
(source: SITA)
Feature story for today:
Illustrative stock photo (source: SME)
In the past few days, the daily COVID-19 deaths have been reaching up to 20. The number of those who do not survive the coronavirus infection are likely to grow in the coming days, pathologist Michal Pakovič expects.
Palkovič is the head of the forensic medicine and pathologic anatomy section of the Office for Health Care Surveillance (ÚDZS). The curfew the Central Crisis Staff ordered on Thursday and that has been in place since Saturday is likely to bring a drop in deaths, but not for another two weeks.
In other news
Monika Jankovská, ex-state secretary of the Justice Ministry who has been charged with corruption and obstruction of justice, was transported to the Special Prosecution’s Office in Pezinok. Some media reports suggest that she could start cooperating with the police. (Markíza)
The construction market will drop by 4.4 percent this year, according to the biannual analysis of the Slovak construction sector issued by the CEEC Research company.
Viliam Turan, significant transport entrepreneur and the owner of the Turancar company, died at the age of 66 years. The reason of his death is unknown but it is not linked with COVID-19.
Ornithologists reported a record in the number of hatched barn owl offspring, with altogether five pairs raising 55 young, according to the Raptor Protection of Slovakia non-governmental organisation.
Also on Spectator.sk today:
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