News digest: People who persuade others to get vaccinated should be rewarded

Good evening. The Thursday, July 1, edition ofToday in Slovakia, where you can get the main news of the day in less than five minutes, is ready. We wish you a pleasant read.

Vaccination persuaders should be rewarded

Finance Minister Igor Matovič presented his proposal to reward people who persuade others to get the jab. (source: TASR)

Together with easier travelling behind Slovak borders, financial rewards could also motivate people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Finance Ministry hopes to increase the share of vaccinated people by offering a financial reward through a state vaccination lottery, with prizes worth up to €2 million.

The vaccination bonus should be given to people selected in a weekly lottery. The plan is to distribute up to €2 million in total a week.

Those who persuade others to register for the vaccine could also be financially rewarded. However, they must be older than 18 and must have received at least the first shot of the vaccine between July 1 and October 31, 2021.

EU digital Covid certificates put into operation

Illustrative stock photo (source: Unsplash)

As of July 1, the EU launched its digital Covid certificate system which should make travelling across member states easier. These certificates contain information about vaccination, testing or recovery from the disease.

It is possible to request them via the National Health Information Centre (NCZI) if you have been vaccinated or tested in Slovakia. Your phone number, Covid-19-pass number and year of birth will be necessary to obtain it.

Creating and downloading an EU digital Covid certificate is also recommended by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. As of today, Croatia changed conditions to enter the country and they request the digital certificate upon arrival.

For now, people can also show proof of vaccination or a negative test result in another way than the official EU digital Covid certificate, but people with the official document should be allowed to enter the country without problems.

Coronavirus and vaccination development

The first GPs started to vaccinate their patients on July 1. (source: TASR (Dolný Kubín))

Vaccination at GP offices started today. Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský noted that 290 doctors have registered their outpatient departments for vaccination.
15,681 Slovaks have shown interest in vaccination with the Sputnik V vaccine. Most of them, 2,511 people, are from Bratislava Region. When it comes to age, the largest share of these people is between the ages of 45 and 49, (1,889). Slovaks could register until June 30. 8,108 are still waiting for the first dose while 7,573 are waiting for the second dose.
Experts from Slovakia developed a spectrometer, which can detect Covid-19 on a person’s breath in less than a minute.

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism,buy our online subscription. Thank you.

Photo of the day

People can visit a farm in Zbehy, near Nitra,this weekend to self-pick lavender. (source: TASR)

A lavender farm in the village of Zbehy near Nitra resembles Provence. People may self-pick the lavender, which is grown in a one-hectare area.

Lavender self-picking in Zbehy (8 photos)

Feature story for today

For many Bratislavans, May 8, 1991, was a truly royal day. Princess Diana paid a visit to the Slovak capital for the first and last time, living up to her reputation as the “queen of people’s hearts”.

With the world marking what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday this July 1, people in Slovakia recall the short visit from 30 years ago, during which the princess made an impact by opening a section for the visually handicapped at Bratislava Municipal Library.

In other news

Parliament did not oust Igor Matovič from the position of finance minister. Only 51 MPs voted in favour, falling short of the necessary 76 votes. Another 67 voted against, 17 abstained.
The government cancelled the operation of the private University of Central Europe in Skalica, where Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár and MP Petra Krištúfková studied. It violated the obligations stipulated by law, according to the Education Ministry, which subsequently recommended that its authorisation to operate as a private university be revoked.
The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) intervened in Banská Bystrica and Brezno within an anti-drug event called Frodo and secured 27 kilograms of marijuana and a lab. They charged two people, who could face 20 years in prison.
Private broadcaster television Markíza does not have to pay more than €8 million to Marian Kočner, as decided by judge Zuzana Maruniaková. Her verdict in the case of the promissory notes was changed by the Regional Court in Bratislava when cancelling the prosecution. The decision of the senate of Andrea Sedláčková, Monika Školníková, Marta Šašinková does not include Pavol Rusko, who did not appeal.
The Czechoslovak Group has begun manufacturing chassis for Tatra vehicles in Trenčín. Production should be widened and the assembly of vehicles, for example, for the army or firefighters, should be launched. The Defence Ministry prepared a procurement for lorries.
Slovak meteorologists issued a warning against torrential floods after the intense rainfall in several districts of eastern and central Slovakia. The warning was issued for the districts of Brezno, Rimavská Sobota, Revúca, Rožňava, Spišská Nová Ves, Gelnica, Trebišov and Michalovce.
A few years ago, the Slovak highway stamp disappeared from the windshield, and from July 1, 2021, stickers from technical inspection stations (MOT, STK in Slovak) also ended. Cars that pass the MOT from this date will no longer receive new stickers, and at the same time, the control bodies will not require stickers on other cars either.