The Press Stories
Almost half SlovakiaThe entire population was tested for the corona virus on Saturday as the country launched a two-day testing program that hopes to bring the virus under control without further locking measures.
Of the 2.58 million Slovaks tested, 25,850, or 1%, should go for positive testing and isolation.
More than 40,000 physicians and soldiers, police, administrative workers and volunteers worked on 5,000 sites to administer antigen swap tests. The country, with a population of 5.5 m, aims to test as many citizens as possible, excluding those under 10 years of age.
The project is the first of its kind in the world in a country of comparable size, and is being closely watched by countries around the world to see if it offers an alternative approach to the epidemic.
Although the trial is free and technically voluntary, the Slovakian government imposes locks on those who do not participate, including a ban on going to work.
“Freedom must go responsibly with those of us who are weak, cancer patients, the elderly, and those suffering from other diseases,” Prime Minister Igor Madovich told a news conference.
During the first waves of the virus, Slovakia quickly imposed restrictions and recorded a few thousand cases of the corona virus, but the number of cases has increased in recent weeks.
As of Sunday, 2,282 new cases had been reported in Slovakia, bringing the total to 59,946 – which was not identified in the nationwide program. The country has lost 219 lives.
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