Slovakia Makes Quarantine Mandatory for All Arrivals, From February 17
Starting from February 17, Wednesday, all travellers reaching Slovakia by land or air will need to quarantine upon arrival for a period of 14 days, which can be ended in the 8th day of isolation, if the traveller gets tested for COVID-19 and results negative.
The decision has been announced by the Slovak Ministry of Interior, which is a press release pointed out that arrivals from all EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Norway are also subject to the measure.
“Every newcomer is obliged to enter the 14-day quarantine. He may pass a PCR test on day 8 at the earliest. If a negative, quarantine can be terminated,” a press release of the Ministry pointed out, further noting that exempt from the measure will be commuters from neighbouring and more distant European countries and a few other selected groups of people.
The Ministry also explains that the measure is being taken in order to cope with the situation created by the spread of the new mutations in SARS-CoV-2 which have led to the worsening of the epidemiological situation.
All arrivals remain obligate to register at korona.gov.sk/ehranica, as soon as they arrive in Slovakia at the latest, while those who arrive by air need to fill an electronic for at mindop.sk/covid/ as well.
Every person that does not want to end quarantine earlier by taking a PCR test will have to stay isolated for a period of 14 days. Children under the age of 10 will have to stay in isolation as long as the other members of their common household are in quarantine.
Exempt from the obligation of quarantine remains only some very specific categories, as:
- commuters to neighbouring countries
- students
- caregivers
- land managers
- the cultural sector, news and media production
The same need to present the negative results of a PCR test taken in the last 7 days.
As per commuters from more distant EU countries, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Iceland and the United Kingdom, who have either recovered from COVID-19 or have received both jabs of the vaccine against COVID-19, the same can enter Slovakia if they present the negative results of an antigen or RT-PCR test not older than 48 hours.
They will have to quarantine too unless they decide to take a second test on their expenses after they arrive in Slovakia, and they result negative again.
The new move comes amid a chain of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, as only last week, decided to prolong the required period of self-isolation for travellers reaching the country from high-risk areas, from ten to 14 days.
