The private Alexander Dubček University in Trenčín opened its winter semester on September 28. However, some schools already decided to switch to online learning. (source: TASR)
This is your overview of news that happened in Slovakia on Monday, September 28, 2020. For a more analytical insight into the most important current affairs, check out our Last Week in Slovakia, published earlier today.
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Coronavirus affects companies and universities
Of nearly 2,000 tests carried out on September 27, 265 came back positive. The total number of coronavirus cases in Slovakia thus increased to 9,343.
The most cases were uncovered in the districts of Námestovo, Bratislava and Martin. Most cases in Námestovo come from the two production plants in the Orava region, which have introduced several measures to contain the disease.
Meanwhile, major universities in Bratislava have responded to the worsening situation and plan to launch remote learning from October 5. Their rectors have also called on students to leave dormitories.
Trust in PM Matovič keeps dropping
The popularity of Prime Minister Igor Matovič (OĽaNO) has been dropping, and he is losing trust even among his own voters.
While in April, as much as 48 percent of people said they trust him, that figure dropped to only 32 percent in September. At the same time, distrust towards him is rising, from April’s 44 percent to September’s 66 percent.
This stems from a poll carried out by the Focus agency for the Na Telo programme broadcast by private TV Markíza between August 26 and September 2, 2020, on 1,022 respondents.
The public’s trust in Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár (Sme Rodina) has also dropped significantly, with 35 percent of people saying in September that they trust him (unlike 46 percent in April). Distrust in Kollár has also increased, from 44 percent in April to 63 percent in September.
Business centres keep growing despite the crisis
Business service centres (BSCs) and shared service centres (SSCs) have shown flexibility and resistance towards the crisis.
As much as 97 percent continued in their activities while maintaining high labour productivity during the coronavirus crisis without any significant restrictions. At the same time, up to 84 percent of the centres have not asked for any state aid.
The sector, which is the third-largest in Slovakia, keeps growing, with the number of employees going up 3.5 percent compared with the previous year. The labour market in this field remains stable, with onethree in 10 centres planning the further recruitment of staff due to their expansion plans in the following months.
Find out more about the recent revelations from the annual survey carried out by the Business Service Center Forum (BSCF) introduced in late September.
Picture of the day:
Finance Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) met with President Zuzana Čaputová on September 28. He has promised to publish the draft of reforms to be financed from the Next Generation EU recovery fund by the end of this week. (source: TASR)
In other news
Nearly 45,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the parliament declare a state of climate emergency and that the government prepare laws and projects to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 during the first three days.
The parliament approved the deployment of 19 soldiers to missions in Mali and the Central African Republic from October 1, even though the training mission in the former country has been suspended due to continuing unrest.
The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) brought charges against the Kulturblog website for distributing extremist documents.
One of seven members of a criminal gang from Sereď (Trnava Region), facing the Specialised Criminal Court due to drug-related charges, pleaded guilty on the very first day of the trial.
Bratislava-based carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia is launching the production of its new plug-in hybrid vehiclemanufactured under the Volkswagen Touareg R brand.
Confidence in the Slovak economy has increased significantly in September for the third consecutive month. The average of the economic sentiment indicator increased by 4.2 points to 87.7.
The Matador Group company introduced a new 2,500-tonne hydraulic press in its plant in Dubnica nad Váhom (Trenčín Region), which was installed during the summer.
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