Slovaks expand restrictions, plan more amid record surge

By KAREL JANICEK
Association Press

PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia has expanded strict coronavirus restrictions to nearly half of the country amid a record surge of infections. The government is expected to discuss additional measures on Monday as the country’s Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky joined medical personnel who treat COVID-19 patients in urging Slovaks to get vaccinated. The measures will affect 36 of the country’s 79 counties. Slovakia, which has a population of nearly 5.5 million people, is one of the countries in the European Union that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. It has registered around 521,650 cases and 13,269 deaths.