- Slovakia is seeking to prevent a resurgence of the number of COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions over the winter.
- Slovakia has one of the lowest rates of vaccination in the European Union, with over 50% of individuals still not jabbed.
- The country of around 5.5 million has so far only inoculated 2.5 million people against the virus.
As Slovakia seeks to prevent a resurgence in coronavirus infections and hospital admissions over the winter, after reporting a record number of new COVID-19 infection cases recently, the country’s Prime Minister, Eduard Heger, declared a “lockdown for the unvaccinated” today.
In the past few days, the European nation has seen record numbers of new infections, including over 8,000 on Tuesday, with hospitals running out of space to treat COVID-19 patients.
Heger announced the new restrictions at a press conference on Thursday, making Slovakia the latest European Union country to implement lockdown restrictions on people who haven’t had the COVID vaccine jab.
The new restrictions in Slovakia, which come into effect on Monday, November 22, will require people to have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months to enter restaurants, non-essential shops, or public events.
Slovakia has one of the lowest rates of vaccination in the European Union, with over 50% of individuals still not jabbed. The country of around 5.5 million has so far only inoculated 2.5 million people against the virus.
Earlier this week, Austria became the first nation to impose restrictions on unvaccinated individuals, as it sought to limit pressure on hospitals and emergency care units. The move came into effect at midnight on Monday for anyone aged 12 and older who has not received their COVID-19 vaccine or recently recovered from the virus.
The German state of Bavaria and the Czech Republic followed Austria in restricting access for unvaccinated individuals. Only people who can show proof of vaccination or that they have recently recovered from COVID-19 will be allowed to enter public spaces, such as restaurants, theaters, museums and stores.