Face covering obligation

Upozornenie

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Regulation valid from: 1. October, 2020, 06:00 hrs
Regulation valid until: until cancelled

Updated 1. October, 2020

Wearing a face covering in public spaces in outdoor areas is mandatory if a minimum distance of 2 m from other people cannot be maintained.

Wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces outside your domicile still applies (also on public transport) to all persons in the territory of the Slovak Republic. The obligation also applies to wearing a respirator with exhalation valve which also must by covered by a face mask.

To cover your nose and mouth, you may use a surgical/face mask, a scarf, or other types of face-covering to prevent secretion droplets from spreading to the surroundings.

Chief medical officer has granted an exemption from face covering obligation (masks or any other nose and mouth covering preventing the secretion droplets from spreading to the surroundings) when outside their homes, to these groups of people:   

  • children under 3 years of age;
  • persons living in a common household while staying in outdoor spaces on the condition they keep a distance of more than 2 m from other people,
  • persons with a serious autistic (or similar) condition;
  • drivers in public transport who are in an enclosed space of the driver’s cab isolated from the designated passenger space;
  • pupils in the first 4 years of primary school education when inside schools during educational process;
  • pupils with moderate to serious mental or hearing disorders;
  • children inside kindergartens and crèches;
  • persons performing sports;
  • persons posing for photographs during the time necessary for taking pictures;
  • brides and bridegrooms during wedding ceremonies;
  • persons recording audio-visual works or participating in a programme production, and performing artists during their artistic performances;
  • visitors in wellness facilities and man-made swimming pools;
  • guests in recreational events for children and youth, including staff, during all activities within the area allocated for a given recreational event, including during their stay in the wild;
  • workers who work alone in their workplaces.

The exemption from a face covering obligation outside one’s home was granted on the basis of a special measure of 3 July 2020 to persons involved in artistic production or recording audiovisual works and artists during their artistic performance. In such cases, however, the following measures must be ensured:

  • available hand sanitizers;
  • regular disinfection of the venue of artistic activity (plus regular airing if in enclosed space);
  • ban on entry to the venue of artistic activity for persons with body temperature above 37.2°C or with other COVID-19 symptoms.

Measure OLP/7852/2020 of 30 September 2020 repeals Measure OLP/7189/2020 of 14 September 2020.