Rules for wearing face masks or respirators

Updated: May 16 2021

The Decree concerning the duty to cover the nose and mouth with effect from 17 May 2021 can be found here. The measures are based on a regional system, thus, mask and respirator wearing depends on the degree of warning according to the COVID Automaton.
Notice: The below information does not serve as binding interpretation of valid legislation. In the event of conflict, exclusively the wording of the applicable Decree published in the Journal of the Government of the Slovak Republic shall apply.

Rules indoors

(including mass transport means, taxi service or other transportation with people from other households)
Indoors, the nose and mouth must always be covered by respirator.

Respirator may be replaced indoors by a face mask for:

  • people staying indoors in the territories of districts at the Degree of Monitoring, Degree of Alert I or II according to the COVID Automaton (green, yellow, orange colour of district),
  • pupils at school or educational facility,
  • pedagogic employees and technical employees within the educational and edifying process,
  • people kept in custody or executing a custodial sentence if they stay in a facility intended for custody or for custodial sentence,
  • employees performing hazardous work at which they are exposed to heat load or physical load classified in category 3 or category 4,
  • employees with chronic respiratory diseases with respiratory insufficiency, and employees with skin diseases on face, whose condition could worsen if they wore a respirator,
  • employees, who cannot wear a respirator due to working conditions or method of work based on the opinion of the occupational health service or based on an agreement between the employer and the employee representatives.

The duty to wear a mask on the nose and mouth indoors does not apply to:

  • children up to an age of 6 years,
  • children in kindergartens, other similar facilities for children or in educational facilities,
  • people with serious autism spectrum disorders,
  • people with moderate and severe mental disorder or hearing impairment,
  • people doing sports in indoor sports facilities,
  • people being photographed for a time period necessary for the process of photographing,
  • the bride and bridegroom when getting married,
  • performing artists during artistic performance and the acting people in making a documentary,
  • sign language interpreters when performing their job,
  • an employee staying alone at a workplace indoors,
  • time necessary to consume meals and beverages in mass catering facilities,
  • time necessary for facial treatment in human body care facilities.

Rules outdoors

In the districts at Degree of Warning I, II or III according to the COVID Automaton (purple, red, pink colour of districts), the nose and mouth must be covered outdoors (respirator, face mask, scarf or shawl).

There are the following exemptions from the duty to cover the nose and mouth in these districts:

  • children up to an age of 6 years,
  • children in kindergartens or other similar facilities for children,
  • people outdoors provided that they are over five metres from other people, with whom they do not live in one household,
  • people with serious autism spectrum disorders,
  • people with moderate and severe mental disorder or hearing impairment,
  • people doing sports,
  • people being photographed for a time period necessary for the process of photographing,
  • the bride and bridegroom when getting married,
  • performing artists during artistic performance and the acting people in making a documentary,
  • sign language interpreters when performing their job.

In districts at the Degree of Monitoring and Degree of Alert I or II (green, yellow, orange), people will be obliged to wear a face mask, scarf or shawl only at mass events.

There are the following exemptions from the duty to cover the nose and mouth in this case:

  • children up to an age of 6 years,
  • children in kindergartens or other similar facilities for children,
  • people with serious autism spectrum disorders,
  • people with moderate and severe mental disorder or hearing impairment,
  • people doing sports,
  • the bride and bridegroom when getting married,
  • performing artists during artistic performance and the acting people in making a documentary,
  • sign language interpreters when performing their job.

District classification within the COVID Automaton can be verified here: https://automat.gov.sk