[ad_1]
Slovakia will reopen theaters, cinemas and churches at half capacity starting Monday, and fitness rooms and swimming pools will be able to operate with a limited number of visitors, as part of the effort to ease restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Igor Matovic announced, according to Reuters and Agerpres.
- A few days ago, Klaus Iohannis was asked whether Romania would not follow the lead of massive tests from Slovakia. The president responded that it remained to be seen whether the measure would work in Slovakia. “Let’s see if the measure works and then, I already told you the last time the issue was discussed, if it turns out that the measure is timely and feasible, then we can certainly discuss with our experts to see what they think. But for now, the World Organization de la Salud does not recommend mass testing, but rather targeted testing to find contacts for a person who tests positive, “said Iohannis.
Hockey and soccer league matches will also resume without spectators, Matovic reported on Facebook on Friday.
Slovakia, with 5.5 million inhabitants, is one of the first countries to relax restrictions to counter the second wave of new coronavirus infections in Europe.
Along with strict restrictions, the government tried to keep the pandemic under control with the help of a massive testing campaign, the result of which is considered a success, according to officials.
Matovic noted that large-scale tests, using antigen tests, which provide faster results but with less precision than standard PCR tests, have helped reduce the proportion of infections by more than half.
Slovakia reported a total of 83,796 coronavirus cases detected by standard tests since the start of the pandemic, including 2,024 new cases reported on Thursday, close to the seven-day average. The number of infections has dropped considerably from the daily record of more than 3,000 recorded at the end of October.
A total of 491 people died from COVID-19, a small balance compared to those in other Western European countries and almost 12 times less than in neighboring Czech Republic, where the highest rates were reported. infection and deaths per capita in Europe in recent weeks.
[ad_2]
