Curfew and testing under fire

Curfew and testing under fire

Prime Minister Igor Matovic announced that the Government's resolution extending the curfew and setting dates for countrywide testing had been approved by all members of the Cabinet, with the exception of Vice-premier Veronika Remisova (For the People). As she wrote on a social network on Sunday, the For the People party has a different opinion on countrywide testing, adding that it is not a political dispute, they have differing views on the best solution.

I think that there has been no positive shift in communication and the management of the pandemic by the Government, President Zuzana Caputova said on the public RTVS's discussion programme on Sunday, which was recorded on Friday (January 15). The head of state emphasised that the Government had also taken good steps but it turned out that in some cases it should have been more proactive and, on the contrary, considered some measures. In this context, Caputova pointed out that in solving the medical problem posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, experts should be heard much more. She added that she herself is not and has never been against testing but it must make sense.

On another political talk show on the private TV Markiza, the ex-prime minister and leader of extraparliamentary party Voice-SD said that if the Government conducts mass testing for novel coronavirus across entire Slovakia during one weekend, he and the Voice-SD party are likely to collect signatures for a referendum on an early election. Justice Minister Maria Kolikova (For the People) said in response that if he did this as an ex-premier, it would be a gross undermining of trust in the state, which would not help anyone in this situation. She talked about abusing the circumstances, pointing out the seriousness of the pandemic and the fact that the Government is trying to find a reasonable solution. Pellegrini added that they would not collect signatures during testing if the Government accepted a reasonable compromise, such as testing the most affected regions and so on. In such a case, he will not allow this to be abused for a political struggle.

Source: RTVS

Martina Šimkovičová, Photo: TASR

Živé vysielanie ??:??

Práve vysielame