(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Welcome to the Wednesday, February 2, 2022 edition of Today in Slovakia that brings you the main news of the day in less than five minutes. We wish you a pleasant read.
Omicron set new record
Omicron brought a surge in new positive cases. (source: TASR)
The Omicron wave has set a new record in the daily caseload: altogether 20,224 people tested positive through PCR tests on Tuesday, which is the most since the pandemic broke out in Slovakia in March 2020.
The share of positive PCR tests was record-high as well, as it reached 52.52 percent.
Despite the steep increase in new cases and the higher share of positive tests in the total number of tests compared to the previous week, Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee) said that this is nothing unexpected and that the situation is under control.
Apart from the increase in positive cases, the number of people in hospitals started rising again (from 1,500 the previous week to nearly 1,700 this week). Lengvarský said that hospitals are ready. He also expects people to spend less time in hospitals than during the Delta wave, and there will be less serious cases.
Meanwhile, PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) admitted that the currently valid anti-pandemic measures might be relaxed after the Omicron wave.
“This wave will be swift and quick,” he added.
The representatives of Churches and Jewish religious communities would like to see measures allowing only vaccinated and recently recovered people to attend church services to be moderated sooner. , asking him to allow all people attend the church services.
“We ask you, in terms of the spiritual life associated with religion, which belongs among the fundamental rights and freedoms defined in the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, to also consider worship services as essential,” they wrote in a letter.
While Lengvarský said there is no plan for any significant changes to the current restrictions, Heger responded that he understands the request and will be dealing with it. He wants to summon a meeting where both epidemic experts and the representatives of Churches will be present.
What will change is the duty to mandatorily test employees who are not fully vaccinated against Covid or did not recover from the disease in the past 180 days before entering their workplace. Currently, they must present a negative test once a week, and this is paid by the employer.
The cabinet agreed on Wednesday to cancel this duty, and it is expected that a respective ordinance will be issued by the Public Health Authority (ÚVZ) later this week.
Companies can meanwhile ask for the reimbursement of the costs spent on mandatory testing in December and January.
More on coronavirus and vaccination
About 20 percent of schoolchildren are currently undergoing distance education. (source: TASR)
20,224 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 38,506 PCR tests performed on February 1. The number of people in hospitals is 1,698; and 27 more deaths were reported on Tuesday. The vaccination rate is at 50.89 percent, 2,799,115 people having received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.
The registration for the Novavax vaccine will be launched on February 15. Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee) could not say whether it would be administered as a booster as well, claiming that this needs to be discussed by experts first.
The cabinet has approved the purchase of five million antigen tests for testing schoolchildren.
Altogether 79.4 percent of classrooms attend in-person education at the moment, as stems from the data provided by 90 percent of schools. A record number of 617,964 self-tests were carried out during the past week.
More than 422,000 seniors picked up a €300 cheque at the post office for getting the booster shot, stated the Finance Ministry, which evaluated the data on paying benefits to people over 60 years.
Travel info
People who enter Romania without proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid will be required to enter five-day isolation. Children younger than 12 years and people transiting the country are exempt.
Picture of the day
A new nature reserve in Slovakia, Vydrica, was officially created on February 1, with the aim of protecting the biotopes of European and national importance along with the residing animals. Nothing changes for visitors to the Bratislava forest park who use this area for recreation and sport.
Feature story for today
Rejuvenating the national car fleet is one opportunity countries have to curb their greenhouse gases emissions. But unlike other European countries, Slovakia has so far failed to put more environmentally-friendly motor vehicles at an advantage. Instead, the registration fee scheme in place at the moment only takes engine size into consideration. On top of that, the older the car, the lower the registration fee. While the government has promised to change the registration fee scheme and emphasise environmental factors, its plan has not materialised.
More in the report by Jana Liptáková:
In other news
President Zuzana Čaputová is considering taking legal steps against politicians who describe her as an agent of the US Embassy. “It’s absurd and I’ve had enough,” she said during a talk show broadcast by the private Radio Expres. “Such statements are lies, and I’m convinced that the people voicing them know they’re lying.”
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the parliament on Wednesdayto protest against the Defence Cooperation Agreement between Slovakia and the USA. The participants at the gathering, organised by the far-right Republika movement and founded by the defectors of the far-right ĽSNS, are demanding the fall of the government and are criticising President Zuzana Čaputová.
February 2 protest against the defence deal in front of the parliament. (source: TASR)
The special parliamentary session on energy prices and the Saber Strike drill, initiated by the opposition Smer party, is set to take place on Thursday (February 3) afternoon.
MPs of the senior coalition party Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) received an envelope with a cartridge and a threat claiming that “every OĽaNO MP who votes for the agreement will come to an end.” The MPs assume that the sender is referring to the defence deal with the USA.
18,737 new companies were established in Slovakia last year, 423 less than the year before, as stems from the data provided by the Dun & Bradstreet company. The number was the lowest in the past five years.
The cabinet approved state investment aid at more than €2.3 million for the Lučenec-based Invictum Holdings company, which plans to open a new operation of the business service centre. Nearly €1.7 million will go on to create 86 new jobs, and the remaining €666,000 will be provided in the form of tax relief.
Ice hockey player Marek Hrivík and luger Katarína Šimoňáková will carry the Slovak flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, starting on February 4.
More on Spectator.sk today:
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