Slovakia to close shops, limit movement from Saturday

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Slovakia will close most shops and limit people's movement from Saturday morning to help stem a rise in COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Marek Krajci said on Wednesday.

Non-essential movement will be banned with exceptions for essential shopping, work and nature outings.

"The situation is more serious than ever," Krajci told reporters. "The holiday is very dangerous from the point of spreading the virus."

Most services will be closed, but individual sports including skiing will be allowed.

The country of 5.5 million recorded 7,962 new infections on Tuesday, based on results from both standard PCR and rapid-result antigen tests.

Krajci said such a daily number would translate to about 500 hospitalisations and 100 deaths.

The government urged families to form "bubbles" with one other family for the holiday period and meet no one else.

The limit on movement was expected to last until Jan. 10.

Slovakia curbed new coronavirus cases with two rounds of nationwide testing in early November, but the epidemic has since gathered speed.

It has reported a relatively low 1,309 deaths. There were 2,319 people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnoses in hospitals as of Tuesday.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Jon Boyle and Giles Elgood)

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