Gov't Tasks Military with Mass Testing of Slovak Population

Bratislava, October 18 (TASR) - The Government tasked the military with carrying out the mass testing of the Slovak population for COVID-19, with up to 8,000 soldiers assigned to the operation, TASR learnt after an extraordinary session of the Government held on Sunday. "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 more efficient isolation of the infected," reads the text. The trial testing is scheduled for October 23-25 in districts with the most critical COVID-19 situation, whereas the main testing will take place on weekends of October 30-November 1 and November 6-8. Children below 10 will be exempted from the project. The testing will be carried out in strict compliance with all epidemiological measures by integrated teams, led by the Slovak Armed Forces, and consisting also of police and medical personnel. The locations and dates of testing will be announced via RTVS public broadcaster, TASR and on the website https://korona.gov.sk/. mf