Nationwide coronavirus testing in Bratislava, October 31, 2020. (source: Sme - Marko Erd)
The nationwide testing that took place in Slovakia at the turn of October and November has cost the state coffers approximately €50 million, PM Igor Matovič estimates.
This equals about half of the costs of one day of strict lockdown, which Slovakia could not have avoided if the pandemic had continued developing the way it has in the past weeks, he claims.
"The damages would be about €100 million. If this nationwide testing cost us fifty, then it is an investment that will return in half day," Matovič said on the Radio Express on Monday after the testing.
Exactly 3,625,333 people had the swab done over the weekend, while the price for one test was €4.35 including VAT. The state thus paid some €15.77 million for the used tests. The costs of the organisation and logistics of the operation were around €20 - 25 million, the prime minister estimated, while admitting there may have been some additional costs.
The government has been mentioning the estimated costs of €50 million for two weeks, but they have not yet published a more exact analysis of the testing costs. The prime minister also failed to explain how he came up with the costs of a strict lockdown at €100 million a day.
The prime minister and the ministers did not report the numbers after the cabinet session on Monday.
Municipalities have reported more detailed numbers. The second largest city in Slovakia, Košice, estimated its costs for the testing at about €1 million.
