National lockdown: Stay at home

Last updated: 3 March 2021

Upozornenie
A national lockdown has been imposed from 05:00 AM until 01:00 AM the following night, as of 3 March 2021 until further notice, no later than by the end of national emergency on 19 March 2021.

Most important changes to the national lockdown effective from 3 March 2021

Stricter rules have been introduced to restrict the movement of people, with a curfew from 20:00 to 01:00;
No trips to nature between districts are allowed;
Essential journey to work must be justified by a certificate of work (a letter signed by employer clearly stating working hours and place of work);
The obligation to wear respirator FFP2 has been introduced as of 8 March 2021 in all shops and public transport, and in the interior as of 15 March 2021 (except for households);
The exemption allowing the persons with positive test result for Covid-19 to leave the household to go to a shop or for any other reason has been abolished as of 8 March 2021, except for a reasoned visit to a doctor and pharmacy;
During the hours reserved for pensioners, also disabled people and their assistants may shop on the basis of a special card for persons with disabilities and an assistant card;
Police enforcement of compliance with lockdown measures and border checks will increase significantly.

Any easing or toughening of lockdown measures is being managed by the so-called COVID automat warning system.

Any easing of measures is linked to the national lockdown rules and its exemptions – specifying who, when and under what conditions can leave home.

Division of districts based on the COVID automat

Last updated: 12 April 2021

Districts in tier 4 of the warning system

Kysucké Nové Mesto, Poprad

Districts in tier 3 of the warning system

Bánovce nad Bebravou, Banská Bystrica, Bytča, Čadca, Detva, Dolný Kubín, Gelnica, Humenné, Ilava, Krupina, Levoča, Lučenec, Martin, Michalovce, Myjava, Námestovo, Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Partizánske, Pezinok, Poltár, Považská Bystrica, Prešov, Púchov, Revúca, Rimavská Sobota, Ružomberok, Senica, Snina, Stará Ľubovňa, okres Trenčín, okres Turčianske Teplice, Tvrdošín, Vranov nad Topľou, Žiar nad Hronom, Žilina, Zvolen

Districts in tier 2 of the warning system

Banská Štiavnica, Bardejov, Bratislava I.-V., Brezno, Dunajská Streda, Galanta, Hlohovec, Kežmarok, Komárno, Košice I.-IV., Košice-okolie, Levice, Liptovský Mikuláš, Malacky, Medzilaborce, Nitra, Piešťany, Prievidza, Rožňava, Sabinov, Šaľa, Senec, Skalica, Sobrance, Spišská Nová Ves, Stropkov, Svidník, Topoľčany, Trebišov, Trnava, Veľký Krtíš, Žarnovica

Districts in tier 1 of the warning system

Nové Zámky, Zlaté Moravce

Current regional COVID automat

Going to work or for business

Last updated: 3 March 2021

Employers are obliged to prevent their employees from entering work premises, though with certain exemptions. This obligation applies in different regions of Slovakia from different dates based on the level (tiers 1 to 4) of the warning system according to the COVID automat.

May I go to work?

Yes, you may go to work if:

You cannot work from home due to the specific nature of your work;
You are an employee and you have a certificate signed by your employer specifying your working hours and place of work;
You are an entrepreneur – you perform business activities or similar activities which cannot be performed from home;
You have:
- a negative test result for COVID-19 no older than 7 days and at the same time you as a person fall under tiers 3 or 4 of the COVID automat; or
- a negative test result for COVID-19 no older than 14 days and at the same time you as a person fall under tier 2 of the COVID automat; or
- a negative test result for COVID-19 no older than 21 days and at the same time you as a person fall under tier 1 of the COVID automat; or
You have recovered from COVID-19 and you have a certificate to prove it no older than three months; or
You have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and at least 14 days passed from when you received a second dose; or
Your underlying medical condition or medical contraindication does not allow you to get tested for COVID-19.

Curfew does not apply if you must go to work after 20:00

More information on the national lockdown and curfew was published by the government of the SR on 1 March 2021 in its resolution No 123/2021 (PDF, 344 kB) adopted with the aim to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 disease in Slovakia.

I am an employee of a school or school facility. May I go to work?

Yes, you may go to work if you have:

A certificate of work specifying your working hours and place of work; and
- You have a proof of negative test result for COVID-19 no older than 7 days; or
- You have recovered from COVID-19 and you have a certificate to prove it no older than three months; or
- You have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and at least 14 days passed from when you received a second dose; or
- Your underlying medical condition or medical contraindication does not allow you to get tested for COVID-19.

This exemption applies from 05:00 to 20:00.

Who is exempt from the obligation to prove a negative test result when entering their workplace or performing their business activities?

Persons who recovered from COVID-19 and have a certificate to prove it, no older than three months;
Persons who prove that they were diagnosed with COVID-19 no earlier than three months before they want to enter their workplace;
Persons vaccinated against COVID-19, and at least 14 days passed from when they received a second dose;
Children under 10 years of age;
Persons with underlying medical condition or medical contraindication, which does not allow them to get tested for COVID-19;
Persons who were diagnosed with moderate or severe mental disorder;
Persons treated for a severe autism spectrum disorder;
Persons treated for severe congenital or acquired immunodeficiency;
Cancer patients after chemotherapy or transplantation who have leukopenia or persons receiving cancer treatment or any other treatment affecting their immune system (e.g. biological treatment) due to the risk of delaying regular administration of treatment, radiotherapy or other planned treatment administered by an oncologist, haematologist or radiologist;
Persons who spent at least 10 days over the previous 18 days in self-isolation at home or in a state-run quarantine facility, and persons who were on a sick leave during their self-isolation or quarantine administered by their GP for adults or GP for children and adolescents, and were not obliged to get tested for COVID-19.

Pursuant to decree No 47 (PDF, 741 kB).

Trips to nature

Last updated: 3 March 2021

May I go out to nature within the district where I live?

Yes…

If you are in a district in tier 1, 2 or 3 of the warning system, you do not need a negative test result;
If you are in a district in tier 4 of the warning system, you need a negative test result.

For trips to nature, no restrictions to movement after 20:00 apply.

May I go out to nature beyond the district where I live?

No. Travelling to another district for leisure, recreation or sport is not allowed.

Which persons do not need negative test results in a district in tier 4 of the warning system?

Children younger than 15 years;
Persons older than 65 years;
Persons who recovered from COVID-19 and have a certificate to prove it, no older than three months;
Persons vaccinated against COVID-19, if at least 14 days passed from when they received a second dose;
Persons with underlying medical condition or medical contraindication, which does not allow them to get tested for COVID-19.

When and where I need/do not need a negative test result

Last updated: 3 March 2021

Read a summary to see where you currently need a proof of a negative RT-PCR or antigen test result for COVID-19 (tests certified in the territory of the European Union).

Where can I go without a negative test result?

Between 05:00 AM and 01:00 AM the following night, you may leave home:

To go out to nature within a district in tier 1, 2 or 3 of the warning system;
To go for a medical appointment to a medical facility, or to pharmacy;
To provide care for another person who is dependent on assistance;
To walk your dog or cat no further than 1000 m from your home, to seek veterinary services, and to provide care for livestock;
To fulfil your legal obligation if you were summoned by an authority in criminal proceedings.

Between 05:00 and until 20:00 only, you may leave home:

To buy essentials (mainly to buy or obtain food, medicinal products and medical devices, personal hygiene and sanitary products, pet food, feedstuff and other products for pets or livestock), to provide care for children. You should only go to the near-by shops and retail operations, and stay within your local area;
To buy fuels;
To get a RT-PCR or antigen test for COVID-19;
To go to a funeral of a close person, to attend wedding or baptism ceremony, and for a journey back home;
To take your child to another parent or a person who has the right of contact with the child, and for a journey back home;
If you are a parent or another entitled person, you may go out and travel with a child for the purpose of a shared parental care based on a court decision or to ensure contact with a child based on parental agreement, and for a journey back home;
To accompany a person older than 65 years or a person with severe disabilities who needs a walking frame or wheelchair during their medical walk no further than 1000 m from home;
To participate in court hearings;
To take a child younger than 6 years for a walk and play, no further than 1000 m from home.

Where may I go only if I have a negative test result?

Between 05:00 AM and 01:00 AM the following night, you may leave home:

To go out to nature within a district in tier 4 of the warning system;
To go to work and back home;
To perform your business activities.

Between 05:00 and until 20:00 only, you may leave home:

To go to work as employee of a school or school facility;
To buy newspapers and other print media, to go to optician, bank, insurance office, library, post office, shoe and clothes repair shop, dry cleaners, or garden shop;
To collect goods from collect points of e-shops and traditional stores;
To go to a bicycle and car service, IT service, to perform a vehicle technology and emission control, to go to a collect point receiving applications and issuing tachograph cards;
To go to a permitted mass gatherings;
To travel abroad and to return home;
To accompany a child to a kindergarten or child care facility, and back;
To accompany a child – pupil at the first level of primary school education to school or school facility, and back;
To accompany a pupil at the second level of primary school education, or secondary education older than 10 years of age, or a university student to school or school facility, and back;
To accompany a child, pupil or a student going out and back;
To fulfil legal obligations towards public authority where these cannot be performed in a distance form;
To go for a job interview, selection or recruitment procedure, to sign an employment contract or another similar contract, and back;
To go to a nearest waste collection yard;
In the case of students of the 4th, 5th and 6th year of the doctoral study programme in the field of general medicine, students of the 2nd and 3rd year of the bachelor’s programme in the field of nursing, students of the 2nd and 3rd year of the bachelor’s programme in the field of labour and delivery assistance, students of the 3rd year of the bachelor’s programme in the field of emergency health care, to go to a university, specialised teaching facility and a special-purpose facility of a university, and return back home.

Which persons do not need negative test results in a district in tier 4 of the warning system?

Children younger than 10 years;
Persons older than 65 years;
Persons who recovered from COVID-19 and have a certificate to prove it, no older than three months;
Persons vaccinated against COVID-19, if at least 14 days passed from when they received a second dose;
Persons with underlying medical condition or medical contraindication, which does not allow them to get tested for COVID-19.