Restaurants will be allowed to open terraces. (source: SME)
The situation seems to be improving compared with the previous week.
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Although the country will remain in the dark red tier of its Covid automat alert system, the government decided to open restaurant terraces and fitness centres next Monday, April 26.
“We need to remain careful,” PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) said on April 21.
More details for restaurants and fitness centres will be published on Friday, April 23. What is clear for now is that in fitness centres, there should be 1 person per 15 square metres, but no more than six people at one moment.
“It’s a pilot phase during which we’ll monitor how the epidemiological situation develops,” Heger added.
No black-tier districts
The number of districts in the dark red tier will drop from the current 27 to 22, while those in the light red tier will increase from four to five. The remaining 52 districts will be in the red tier. No district will be in the black tier.
This stems from a proposal approved by the cabinet at its April 21 session.
Meanwhile, the number of new cases, hospitalised patients and patients on artificial lung ventilation keeps falling. The figure that has increased slightly is the reproduction number.
The number of vaccinated people keeps rising, too. About 22 percent of people eligible for vaccination have received at least the first shot. In nursing homes, 86 percent of clients have received the first jab, and 60 percent the second jab, said Matej Mišík, head of the Institute for Health Analyses, which runs under the Health Ministry.
The country expects to receive more than 1.4 million vaccines by the end of May, he added.
Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee) admitted they are working on a possibility for people to register for the unlicensed vaccine Sputnik V in the system.
The new map of districts from April 26, 2021. (source: Health Ministry)
Schools continue reopening
Apart from kindergartens and grades one to four, the pupils of grades eight and nine returned to classrooms on April 19.
Even more pupils are expected to come back to schools next Monday, when the Education Ministry plans to reopen the schools following the tier they are currently in.
This means that in the light red districts, all schools will reopen. Art schools and language schools for group classes will also open. Dormitories can reopen as well, following stricter conditions.
This will concern the districts of Sobrance, Nitra, Zlaté Moravce, Nové Zámky and Topoľčany.
In red tier districts, grades five, six and seven of primary schools will reopen, apart from kindergartens and grades one to four and eight and nine of primary schools, special schools, secondary health schools and the final years of secondary schools.
In dark red districts, the schools will follow the current regime, meaning kindergartens and grades one to four and eight and nine of primary schools, special schools, secondary health schools and the final years of secondary schools can reopen. Art schools can open for individual classes.
At least one of the students' parents and older children (grade five of primary schools and higher) are required to have a negative test result. Pupils and teachers are allowed to wear masks rather than FPP2/N95 respirators inside the school buildings.
The Education Ministry has published an interactive map with further details on its website.
Tiers of districts from April 26
Districts at Warning Level 3 (dark red)
Bánovce nad Bebravou • Bytča • Čadca• Dolný Kubín • Ilava • Kysucké Nové Mesto • Levoča • Lučenec • Martin • Myjava • Nové Mesto nad Váhom • Poltár • Poprad • Považská Bytrica • Púchov • Revúca • Senica • Snina • Stará Ľubovňa • Trenčín• Turčianske Teplice • Tvrdošín
Districts at Warning Level 2 (red)
Banská Bystrica • Banská Štiavnica • Bardejov • Bratislava I-V • Brezno • Detva • Dunajská Streda • Galanta • Gelnica • Hlohovec • Humenné • Kežmarok • Komárno • Košice I-IV • Košice-okolie • Krupina • Levice • Liptovský Mikuláš • Malacky • Medzilaborce • Michalovce • Námestovo • Partizánske • Pezinok • Piešťany • Prešov • Prievidza • Rimavská Sobota • Rožňava • Ružomberok • Sabinov • Šaľa • Senec • Skalica • Spišská Nová Ves • Stropkov • Svidník • Trebišov • Trnava • Veľký Krtíš • Vranov nad Topľou • Žarnovica • Žiar nad Hronom • Žilina • Zvolen
Districts at Warning Level 1 (light red)
Nitra • Nové Zámky • Sobrance • Topoľčany • Zlaté Moravce
