​​​​​As of May 15th, daily coronavirus infections in the Bratislava region remain in the single figures. There are some days without any additional infections.

With a national population of 5,5 million, the timely adoption of the lockdown measures in Slovakia has helped to ensure an exceptionally low number of fatalities (27). Slovakia is currently the country with the lowest number of deaths per one million in Europe, averaging at 5 deaths per million from covid-19. To compare, Belgium currently has 773 deaths per million with Spain and Italy averaging at 587 and 519 deaths per million as of May 15th. 

Speaking on Slovakia's success in a recent radio interview for Bulgarian Radio Sofia, the President of the Bratislava region and ECR Member, Juraj Droba said:

“In our case, the measures started incredibly early on. The first confirmed COVID-19 case happened on 6 March. Two days later our regional government in Bratislava, which I lead, decided to close the schools under our jurisdiction. This put a lot of pressure on the national government, which initially criticised us for taking to extreme measures but then followed our example just two days later. There was a domino effect, but it all started with Bratislava."

Mr. Droba went on to express confidence in the current efforts to reopen the region following the lockdown. Certain measures have already been relaxed, for instance citizens are now free to eat outdoors at restaurants. Hairdressers, as well as smaller shops are open, with further measures regarding reopening the economy for summer to also be implemented. Mr. Droba commented: “After two months [in lockdown] the economy is on its knees, and we need to move quickly to begin the recovery."

According to the European Commission, the European Economy is expected to shrink by 7.5% in 2020. With this reality in mind, Mr Droba discussed especially vulnerable sectors in Slovakia such as tourism, food service and culture and what can be done to help these businesses. The President of the Bratislava region noted that while he is generally opposed to state intervention in this (economic) sector, "we are in exceptional times."