Slovakia will extend the quarantine to 14 days from the current 10 days for people who arrive from high-risk countries, including the Czech Republic. The new measure was approved due to the new, more contagious coronavirus variant.
The quarantine will also be extended for residents who have come into contact with an infected individual. However, it will be possible to terminate it early by providing a negative PCR test.
Currently, people traveling from abroad can avoid the mandatory quarantine if they submit a negative COVID-19 test when crossing the border. Exceptions to the quarantine and test apply to drivers and crews in freight, bus, rail and air transport, as well as to individuals who are only passing through Slovakia.
“A two-week quarantine will be the standard. If a person gets tested on the eighth day of the quarantine at the earliest, and the test is negative, the quarantine will be terminated,” said Slovak Health Minister Marek Krajčí.
The new procedure will apply to people who come from abroad as well as to those who come into contact with an infected person in Slovakia. Until now, travelers arriving in Slovakia could undergo coronavirus testing on the fifth day after entering quarantine.
Title image: Officers explain new restrictions to a driver at the border of the Czech Republic near the town of Kuty, Slovakia, Friday, March 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
