PRAGUE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2021) Slovakia will lift the state of emergency brought on by the coronavirus pandemic - which has been in effect since last fall - at midnight on Saturday, Prime Minister Eduard Heger said.
"I can tell you some good news. Due to the improvement of the epidemiological situation in the republic, from Saturday midnight [22:00 GMT on Friday), the emergency mode, which was in effect from October 1, 2020, will be canceled. I thank all my fellow citizens who, with their understanding and compliance with the necessary measures to combat the coronavirus, contributed to the return of normal living conditions," Heger told reporters, as broadcast on tv.
However, the prime minister called on the population to continue following the recommendations of the Health Ministry and actively participate in the vaccination campaign, which began in late December and currently uses vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
The country has suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over risks of side effects. The drug is now available only to those who had received the first shot and are waiting for the second.
Slovakia is expected to begin the rollout of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in the coming days, two months after the first batch of doses arrived in the country but were not used while the vaccine's efficacy was under review in Hungary, as Slovakia has no certified laboratories to conduct related checks.
To date, Slovakia has confirmed over 380,000 COVID-19 cases, with the death toll at more than 12,000.
