The crisis staff met in Žehra on May 7. (source: Mária Šimoňáková)
This is your overview of news from Slovakia from Thursday, May 7.
For all news about the coronavirus in Slovakia click here.
Coronavirus in Slovakia (updates)
- Slovakia had 16 new patients test positive on May 6, increasing the total number to 1,445. The laboratories have carried out more than 5,100 tests. The death toll increased to 26 in total. Check the detailed statistics here.
- A plane from North America and Iceland carrying 120 Hungarian citizens will land in Budapest on Thursday. There will also be 21 Slovak citizens, four Czechs, four Slovenians and two Austrians on board.
Coronavirus measures in Slovakia
- The government approved the prolongation of controls on the borders with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary at least until May 27. Entrance to the country will be possible only through selected border crossings and airports. The border checks have been approved despite the questions raised by lawyers and human rights organisations.
- The inhabitants of the Roma settlement in Žehra in eastern Slovakia and their families will be moved to the container city near the Dreveník area. At the same time, the permanent crisis staff has taken over the administration of the situation in the settlement, claiming that the regional authorities are unable to solve the problem. It also set up a headquarters near the settlement, from which it will manage the operation in the following days (TASR, TA3)
- State-run railway passenger carrier ZSSK will restore domestic transport on Sunday, May 10. Trains will follow the normal timetable.
- Trnava will reintroduce fees for public transport from Friday, May 8. Moreover, buses will follow the holiday timetable as of Wednesday, May 13. The Arriva Trnava carrier asks passengers to pay with cash only.
- Thanks to the favourable situation, outdoor children's playgrounds have opened. However, parents and children have to follow strict hygiene measures, including a limitation of the number of children playing there at the same time. Hygienists also recommend that children keep two-metre distances. The duty to wear masks remains in place too.
Coronavirus in business
- Trnava-based carmaker Groupe PSA Slovakia will restore production in its welding shop on May 12 in a one-shift operation. During the weekend, it plans to launch preparation work for a gradual renewal of its operation.
- The state is ready to help travel agencies that lack money to pay off of all their clients who cannot take the trip they had purchased due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will enable them to postpone the planned trip until August 2021. The Consumers’ Centre is critical of the proposal, claiming that this cannot be called state aid if it is paid for by the clients. It warned that the measure will make it impossible for clients to terminate an agreement and ask for refunds. Moreover, the proposal may be retroactive. (Denník N)
- Also big employers can now ask the state for help. Among those who have already asked for state assistance are Bratislava-based carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia and the electronics provider, Nay. (TASR)
- Large industrial enterprises that have asked for state aid mostly preferred the so-called kurzarbeit (short-time work) scheme, said Andrej Lasz, secretary general of the Association of Industrial Unions (APZ), based on a communication with its members. “Labour offices are processing the applications chronologically, so employers who had to close their operations due to the state regulations take precedence,” Lasz said, adding that none of their members has received a contribution for keeping employees within the kurzarbeit scheme yet. (SITA)
News updates from Slovakia
- The current crisis teaches us many things. We can appreciate solidarity as well as health and life, said President Zuzana Čaputová on the occasion of Heart Failure Awareness Week.
- Altogether 83 police officers were charged with crimes last year, down by 38 accusations compared with 2018. At the same time, the number of accusations resulting from the activities of the Interior Ministry’s inspection service has increased.
- Trnava University marks 385 years since its foundation. Cardinal Péter Pázmány issued a charter on May 12, 1635. Emperor Ferdinand II approved the foundation of the University in October of the same year. (TRUNI)
Economy and business news
- Slovakia borrowed the highest amount in its history yesterday, mostly from foreign investors. This includes two bond emissions for which it received €4 billion in total. The sum should be enough to cover about one half of the predicted deficit for this year. It has been the biggest emission of governmental bonds in central and eastern Europe. (Denník N)
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