A new mobile sampling site opened in Bratislava on September 2. (source: TASR)
Here is your overview of news that happened in Slovakia on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Don’t miss the tips for other interesting reads you can find on our website.
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New school year starts
Schools across Slovakia opened their doors to more than 693,000 children on September 2. This year will be special, though, as they need to follow several measures adopted to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
“This school year will be non-traditional and different, but I believe that we’ll manage it with the measures set by the Public Health Authority, and we’ll be able to launch the full education process after two weeks,” Gröhling said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Strasbourg court awards compensation to two Roma
Two of the citizens who suffered injuries in a police raid in the eastern-Slovak town of Moldava nad Bodvou back in 2013 have faced inhumane treatment and their right to a just process has been violated.
This stems from a ruling that the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg published on September 1, 2020. The ruling pertains to the case of R.R. and R.D. versus Slovakia.
R.R. and R.D. were part of a group of about 30 people, which included women and children. In June 2013, more than 60 police officers raided the Roma settlement of Budulovská in Moldava nad Bodvou, eastern Slovakia.
The victory has a bittersweet taste, though, as Marek Balaz of the European Roma Rights Centre wrote in an opinion piece.
Traffic in Bratislava affected by several restrictions
Drivers in the capital should prepare for several traffic restrictions starting in September, with several main arterial roads, junctions and highway exits being closed.
The restrictions are linked mostly to the construction of the D4/R7 ring road, the new bus station and the modernisation of the tram line in the Karlova Ves and Dúbravka boroughs, as the Bratislava Self-Governing Region pointed out.
Coronavirus developments in Slovakia
Four people have died of the coronavirus in Slovakia, increasing the total number to 37. Autopsies confirmed the coronavirus was the cause of death. The confirmed victims are an 89-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man who died in a Prešov hospital, a 78-year-old woman who died in a Trenčín hospital, and a 64-year-old man who died in a Ružomberok hospital.
53 people were diagnosed with the coronavirus during the September 1 testing. The total number of COVID-19 cases thus increased to 4,042. Check out more detailed statistics here.
The first large-capacity mobile sampling site opened in Bratislava on September 2, situated in the complex of the former football stadium Inter Bratislava. It will be possible to test 500-600 people a day there, but only those who register on the Korona.gov.sk website and bring the so-called COVID-pass can get tested.
Slovaks coming to Cyprus starting September 5 will have to show a negative COVID-19 test no older than 72 hours before boarding the plane. Prior to the flight, they will also have to register, fill in a form and sign a series of declarations on the Cyprusflightpass.gov.cy website, through which they will receive a "flight pass".
In other news
The much-awaited verdict in the Kuciak murder trial is expected to be issued on September 3. However, the Denník N daily has reported onthe new evidence submitted by the prosecutor, who is now asking to reopen the presentation of evidence.
The parliament accepted the objections of President Zuzana Čaputová to the law on prosecution, and adopted the draft amendment. This means the parliament can start searching for a new general prosecutor soon. At the same time, the parliament overrode the veto and passed the law on smart quarantine, which allows hygienists to collect data from telecom operators concerning people returning from red-list countries.
Slovakia will create a fund to support Belarusian civic society. The state will allocate €250,000 and offer several scholarships to Belarusians for studies in Slovakia.
Slovakia’s state budget deficit more than doubled during the first eight months of 2020, increasing to €3.99 billion. It has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Slovakia is expected to sign an agreement with New Zealand on preventing the double taxation of income taxes and tax evasions. The draft agreement has been approved by the government.
Researchers from the Eset company revealed a new type of Trojan horse, the KryptoCibule, whose victims are mostly users from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The malware infects computers through torrents downloaded from the popular platform for sharing files, and subsequently steals cryptocurrencies from their owners.
The NAY network will open new shops in Prešov and Piešťany, and create 32 new jobs. The largest seller of electronics will thus increase the number of its branches to 38.
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