From when must you stay at home
The restriction on freedom of movement begins tomorrow, 8 April 2020, from 00:00. From that time, you are permitted to leave your dwelling freely only in certain cases. The restriction will last until the end of the Easter holidays, that is, until 13 April, 23:59. This restriction on movement was adopted at the session of the Government of the Slovak Republic on 6 April 2020 as Resolution No. 207/2020, which, for this defined period, declared a state of emergency throughout the entire territory of the Slovak Republic.
In addition to the restriction on the freedom of movement of every person present in the territory of the Slovak Republic, that is, the prohibition on leaving one's place of residence save for the specified exceptions, a second measure is also introduced, namely a ban on gatherings, with the exception of gatherings of persons living in the same household.
What do these two measures mean for you? First and foremost, do not leave your place of residence unless you meet one of the exceptions listed below, and also do not gather, that is, do not visit any persons in their dwelling or outside it (for example in a park or on the street) unless they are persons with whom you live in the same household.
When may I leave my dwelling?
As we have already stated, exceptions also apply to the prohibition on leaving your dwelling. You may go out if your trip away from home falls under at least one of the following exceptions:
- the usual journey to work, the performance of business activity or of another activity connected with employment or business,
- a trip required to secure basic living needs, such as the purchase of food, medicines, drugstore goods, animal feed, fuel or cleaning supplies,
- a trip required to secure basic living needs for another person, e.g. a neighbour, but only within the district; in the case of Bratislava and Košice, within the city,
- a trip by which a person travels for an urgent examination at a healthcare facility, including accompanying a close person (a parent, child, spouse...) to such a facility,
- a trip to and stay in nature within the territory of the district in which the person resides; in the case of the cities of Bratislava and Košice, within that city,
- a trip to the funeral of a close person,
- a trip whose purpose is to provide care for a close person who is dependent on such care, but only within the district; in the case of the cities of Bratislava and Košice, only within that city.
How do I prove an exception?
In order to avoid possible problems or penalties, such as fines, make sure that during a check under the state of emergency you are able to reliably prove that an exception applies. If you leave your home from tomorrow, members of the police force or the army may require you, in addition to a valid identity document, that is, a valid identity card or, where applicable, a passport, to also present a document by which you can prove the purpose of your trip.
This means that if you are travelling to work, do not forget to bring your employment contract, an agreement, or a confirmation from your employer. If you run a business, a trade licence or an extract from the Commercial Register of the Slovak Republic may serve as confirmation. In general, it is advisable to try to obtain a document proving the exception that applies to you; otherwise the authorities will verify the exceptions on an individual basis.
Penalties
From tomorrow, police patrols will check whether you comply with the adopted measures. They are to focus both on motor vehicles as they travel along motorways and first- and second-class roads, and on persons moving freely away from their home without vehicles.
PLEASE NOTE! It is possible that you will be subject to a check several times during a single day. If you travel to work across several districts, a check may be carried out in each of them. For this reason, you can expect delays over the coming days, so it is better to set off for work or another essential place somewhat earlier.
Besides road traffic, police patrols will also focus on compliance with the measures in public spaces. Members of the police force will therefore be able to require, at random, from you or any other person, an identity document and a statement of the reason for which you are in a public space.
The reasons you give to a motorised police unit or a police patrol will then be subject to verification. If, in the course of this process, it is found that you, as the person checked, breached the restriction on movement and your case was not covered by an exception, or that you gave false information when proving the reasons for breaching the prohibition, you face a penalty of up to EUR 1,659.
Authors: JUDr. Ondrej Steiniger and Magdaléna Karvaiová
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