On Sunday, the Slovak Government has tasked the military with carrying out the mass testing of the population for COVID-19 starting in two weeks, with up to 8,000 soldiers assigned to the operation. Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said that all available soldiers, police officers and firefighters would be despatched to the project. It has not been decided yet if the testing will be compulsory. It's been announced only that children under the age of 10 will be excluded.
"The main testing will be held on October 31 and November 1," said PM Igor Matovič, adding that trial testing is going to be launched during the upcoming weekend (October 24-25) in the most high-risk districts of Tvrdošín, Námestovo and Dolný Kubín, all in the Žilina region.
President Zuzana Čaputová who also is the head of the Slovak Armed Forces was not informed about the plan. The President has proposed calling a meeting of Slovakia's State Security Council in connection with the mass-testing project. "I will be interested not only in the complexity of this concept, but also in the stage at which the preparations for it are. In particular, I want to know whether such testing is feasible without adversely affecting the provision of healthcare to patients, as comprehensive testing will require a significant number of health professionals.
Analyses of whether such an operation can be performed without the risk of infection at test sites are also important. My opinion must be preceded by knowledge,"' added Čaputová.
Slovak Doctors' Chamber President Marián Kollár believes that the date of the testing, which should start in two weeks is a "maximally tight schedule" raising numerous questions - which experts took part in the decision, how is it planned to be carried out that quickly, what measures will take place to prevent the spread due to testing, who will carry out the tests or liquidate the biological waste. Kollár said whether a broad expert debate on the topic, the success of the testing is almost impossible.
Opposition Voice-SD party will wait for the Government to release details on its plan to mass test the Slovak population for COVID-19 first before making comments on the project. Former PM and opposition MP Robert Fico said he is interested in the opinion of experts about the Government's plan.
Non-parliamentary Slovak National Party (SNS) rejects the mass stating that the PM "Matovič is only seeking splash headlines" adding that not a single state has introduced such step. Non Parliamentary Together party stated that if the testing project is to be successful, the PM must communicate with Slovaks with prudence and politeness. Non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia reacted that if it is to bring any dividends, the mass testing must be part of a thought-out plan.
The Slovak General Practitioners Association (ZVLD) believes that "testing at the statewide level will help better identify existing local outbreaks, enable the provision of commensurate health care also for cases with mild or no symptoms of the COVID-19 disease and allow a more efficient isolation of the infected". ZVLD's chair Jan Hencel claimed that GPs are currently extremely overburdened by the influx of patients, with COVID-19 communal spreading progressing at too fast a pace for the existing measures to slow it down efficiently.
Education Minister Branislav Groehling also approves across-the-board testing, stating that it will be important mainly for schools, teachers, students, hospital staff and all people who do not work from home and are in contact with others.
If the announced mass testing of the Slovak population for COVID-19 fails to take place, Prime Minister Igor Matovič announced that he would step down from his post.
