Slovakia tests two-thirds of its population for COVID-19 over the weekend

Slovakia tested two-thirds of its population for coronavirus over the weekend. The tests revealed 38,359 infected people or 1.06 percent of the nearly 3.63 million participants. The results were announced today by Prime Minister Igor Matovic. At a press conference, the Slovak Republic’s prime minister said that widespread testing could be an alternative to the national quarantine in connection with the spread of coronavirus and covid-19.

“We have taken a big step for Slovakia. With this experiment, we may have shown the way to other countries that are suffering from this disease,” Matovic said.

According to the Prime Minister, the results of the largest logistics event in Slovakia’s modern history do not mean that area quarantine restrictions can be lifted. Matovič again urged residents with a negative test result to behave responsibly in connection with coronavirus. The tests used in action are less accurate than laboratory PCR tests.

Participation in free testing of residents over the age of ten was not mandatory. However, the government has previously decided that people with a negative test result will not be subject to a curfew this week. Those who could not be tested cannot, among other things, start work or visit offices or shops, except for shops that offer vital goods, including food.