Unofficial Translation
Press Conference 06/12/2021
Minister of Health Lengvarsky
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The Ministry of Health, together with experts and colleagues, proposes to divide the next period within three phases with applicable epidemiological rules. Individual phases will be presented in more details.
At this very moment, the situation is still very serious. I want to once again thank all health professionals, epidemiologicsts, police officers and army members for keeping the situation under control.
As I said, we will present the three phases in more details but I would first like to ask Mr.
Mišík to present the current epidemiological situation.
Mr. Mišík, head of IZA
Good afternoon. The lockdown started in Slovakia on 25 November and since then we registered decrease of mobility within some mobility indicators. However, it needs to be noted that the decrease in mobility is not at the level at which it was at the start of this year when we had similar measures in force. From data from Apple we see that the decrease was recorded mostly in public transportation and in transfers by walking. Part of this decrease can be also explained by different factors than lockdown itself.
Also, when we look at the data from Google, which are devided into several categories, the category of shops, for example, shows a significant decrease, however not even close to the level from the beginning of year. Similar situation is in the category of work, so we see that the institute of home-office is not used as much as before.
As for the most important indicators, we see a stable trend or even a mild decrease in the number of daily cases, however we need to be cautious when interpreting these data because there was a slight shift in the need to use these tests – as there is curfew without OTP regime, so the sample of tested people changed. On the contrary, the number of hospitalizations has increased compared to last week, same as the number of ventilated patients, and unfortunately there is also a significant increase in the number of deceased people.
Age composition is evening up, so there are no longer such major differences between the age groups that get infected.
Here we can compare the second wave with the current wave, and we see at the red curve showing positive PCR tests that there is already some stabilization trend, and if we look at the blue line showing PCR+antigen tests, there is even a decreasing trend, which as we explained however, might be caused by different factors.
We are careful about our interpretation also because a significant rise in positivity of PCR tests is continuing. Although this rise is slowing down, in the last two days it was at the level of around 38%, so more than every third PCR test was positive. As for antigen tests we see significant decrease in positivity, but this may be explained by the different testing behaviour that we spoke about.
As for calling the emergency line 155, colleagues from operation center experience increase in these calls, although the pace of such increase is slowing down. The calls still present around 11 000 minutes a day, which is a very high number compared to summer levels.
What is positive is that the number of emergency visits by ambulance to Covid patients has decreased compared to last weeks to around 400, so returning to the similar level of about three weeks ago. This is the first significant indicator of the fact that the situation might be improving already. The largest decrease was in Prešov region, but there was decrease also in Košice, Žilina or Trenčín regions.
When it comes to the capacities in hospitals, the number of patients still increases in several regions. The burden on the health care system is thus still enourmous. Another critical level is considered to be the number of 3500 hospitalized patients. We can see that several hospitals are at the maximum of the second wave or have already surpassed this level.
I will now give floor to the Minister.
Minister of Health Lengvarský
Shortly I will present the three phases, the introduction of which I will present to the Government and today we will also negotiate this at the Coalition Council. We propose to extend the current form of lockdown until 16 December and we want to achieve better compliance with the rules. In Slovakia we do not have a problem with bad rules, but with bad compliance with the rules. We will try to intensify the controls and we ask the citizens for responsibility – do not travel or visit each other if not needed, visit only essential shops and we also ask for better compliance with anti-epidemic measures in buses and trains.
From 17 December until 24 December, we want to open all shops and services for vaccinated people and people who overcame the virus, including the body care services, church services or fitness centers. Of course the essential shops will continue in the basic regime (also for unvaccinated persons), while footwear and shops with household goods will not be included in the category of essential shops anymore. We want to call for effective control of these measures, including the control of Covid certificates, and compliance with other measures, such as masks, limitation of persons per metres, etc.
From 25 December we want to open hotels, ski centers, worship services, fitness centers, and similar, but again only in the regime of vaccinated, overcame, and in some cases also tested, PCR or antigen. Essential shops will continue in basic regime.
We call on people to get vaccinated - our vaccinations centers will be open and you can get vaccinated also without registration.
Thank you.
Questions:
Q: Minister, it is not clear for us from your presentation or papers you have handed us whether other than essential shops will close again in the third phase.
Minister Lengvarsky: Yes, shops will be closed with the exception of the essential shops in the third phase.
Q: So it means that in third phase everything will close again and only essential shops will be opened?
ML: Yes.
Q: Is this intended for people to make pre-Christmas shopping and then you will close it due to epidemiological risk?
ML: Exactly.
Q: Some of your coalition partners however have problems with extending the lockdown for all.
ML: As I said, these proposals will be the subject of today´s coalition council. I believe the coalition will accept the rules suggested by the Ministry and experts.
Q: Some of your colleagues are already mentioning the possibility that unvaccinated patients would have to pay some part of the hospital expenses related to Covid-19 disease.
Is this acceptable for you?
ML: I think that currently such solution is not even allowed by law so I think this discussion is irrelevant.
Q: You wrote in this material that home office will be necessary, how will it be controlled?
ML: We are saying that home office is highly recommended, we are not ordering it. We call on employers to leave as many employees for whom it is possible to work from home at homeoffice, in order to decrease mobility. This is not an order, this is a strict recommendation.
Q: I want to ask about the Christmas holidays, you do not recommend people to travel. Last year there was this concept of bubbles, are you not considering something similar?
ML: I would wait for the final version of these measures after they are agreed on. I call on responsibility of people – if they want to spend calm holidays, and avoid risk of infection, it is needed to maximally decrease the number of contacts.
Q: Is it meaningful to present such measures before they are approved by the government?
Do you think you will have enough of support?
ML: I received the task to make this plan. Our proposal is approved by the Council of Experts and also adopts some of the reservations raised by our coalition partners, so I think we can have discussions on this.
Q: Schools will remain opened?
ML: Schools will remain in the same regime as until now. It will be up to decision of regional hygienists according to epidemiological situation.
Q: I do not see here the restaurants. Are they too risky to be opened?
ML: Restaurants will surely be there for vaccinated and overcame.
Q: In which phase?
ML: Restaurants will be opened from third phase.
Q: From 9 January do you expect we will return to Covid Automat?
ML: I suppose we will evaluate the situation after holidays and decide.
Q: Hotels are written here, does this include also rented cottages?
ML: I suppose every place offering official accommodation.
Q: The testing will be needed only before such trip or if the stay will be longer than three days it will be needed to get re-tested?
ML: Before the stay, but the details will be specified later.
Q: Prime Minister Heger talked about the compulsory vaccination for people over 60. Will you present such proposal to the Government meeting?
ML: We might also discuss this today. From legislative point of view, such solution is possible.
It is only needed to agree on technicalities.
Q: Some mention as obstacle the fact that there is no law on compensation for side effects of the vaccination. Is there any problem with adopting such law?
ML: Such law is already prepared, and one part was also incorporated into the proposal on medicines that is currently in second reading in Parliament, specifically mentioning that such compensation is possible. I do not see any problem.
Q: The status of vaccinated person will remain the same, there will be no change in the time periods required after the administration of vaccine?
ML: There should not be any changes to the status of vaccinated person.
Q: Was there already any positive case of omicron variant?
ML: All around 150 people who registered after returning from the specified countries were tested by PCR and if the test will be positive, their sample will be sequenced. So far I do not have any such information. I spoke to Chief Hygienist today, he so far could not tell me how many of such PCR tests were positive. If there will be some positive, they will be sequenced.
We should also start testing with PCR tests that are more sensitive for the Omicron variant.
Q: Will the list of countries with special regime after arrival extend to also include more countries?
ML: I think this will also depend on the discussions in the Council of Experts. So far I think all countries that are risky are included.
Q: Also in the document you handed us there is slightly different information compared to what you said. It is written here that fitness centers will be opened only in the third phase.
ML: I think you are right, it will be only in the third phase.
Q: Then it is also written here that in third phase the restaurants in hotels will be able to serve through window sale only. So restaurants will not be opened?
ML: If I have right information from Council, the restaurants should be opened. (interrupted by his spokesperson, who said restaurants will not be opened yet). Okay then I am sorry, restaurants will not open so far.
Q: Lifts and cable cars in ski resorts will also require test?
ML: I think this is in the regime vaccinated or overcome only.
Q: Sport areas such as ice rinks or swimming pools will also be opened?
ML: I cannot answer this now, it will all depend on how it will be approved and then this will be specified in the decrees.
Q: OTP regime in buses and trains will be controlled?
ML: This slide was changed – you probably still have old information in the document.
Instead of OTP regime, we will require only strict adherence to anti-epidemic measures. We will have some further discussions on this with Ministry of Transport.
Q: Do you consider these rules as motivating for people to get vaccinated?
ML: Yes, because even if we will relax the measures after 9 January, this will include mostly the vaccinated persons.
Q: What is the purpose of closing the shops again from 25 December?
ML: To decrease the mobility.
Q: We still do not understand the OTP regime in buses and trains. You said the OTP regime will not apply, although we have it written in the document you gave us. Then you said that only the anti-epidemic measures should be controlled better- but the only measure in buses and trains is currently wearing the mask. So only the masks will be controlled better when entering bus or train?
ML: Yes.
Q: I want to ask again about the cottages that some people might have booked their stay at through Booking.com or similar websites. Will such rent be possible?
ML: I have to further discuss this with Chief Hygienist. If the rules are complied with there, then probably yes, although I cannot imagine who would control it there. These might include only the official accommodation facilities such as hotels or guest houses. We will consult it and inform you later.
