MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, April 5, 2020 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, April 4): BRATISLAVA - A total of 21 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Slovakia on Friday (April 3), increasing the total tally to 471, Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) reported on Saturday, adding that laboratories tested 1,889 samples. The Health Ministry added that the number of tests with a negative result rose to 13,160. According to the statistics of the National Centre for Medical Data (NCZI), 165 patients have been admitted to hospitals, of whom coronavirus has been confirmed in 72 of them, and test results are pending in 93 cases. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia could soon increase the number of points where coronavirus samples are taken from the current 29 to around 100, Health Minister Marek Krajci (OLaNO) stated on Saturday, adding that this is expected to happen next week. "There are already 29 sampling sites in Slovakia today, which is a significant increase. We expect that these tests will go to record numbers in the coming days and more hospitals will join later. So, I suppose that we'll have up to 100 sampling sites next week," said the head of the Health Ministry. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on RTVS's programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) said that he proposed at a Central Crisis Management Team meeting that a curfew be imposed during the upcoming Easter holidays. The premier pointed out that specialists will decide about the proposal on Sunday (April 5). At the same time, the prime minister said that children are not expected to return to schools until September, as the number of diseases caused by the new coronavirus should according to the current model go up until mid-July. However, the opening of schools in September is also uncertain. STARA TURA - Chirana Medical Stara Tura (Trencin region) will produce 300 devices for artificial lung ventilation for Slovak hospitals by the end of June, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said having signed the agreement on Saturday. "Chirana has decided to quadruple production to meet the needs of Slovakia. I'm very glad that we've agreed. Today, none of us knows who will be a [COVID-19] patient. And who will need in a difficult moment, which surely awaits us, lung ventilation - a crucial device able to save a patient's life with failing lungs," said Matovic. HRABUSICE/SMIZANY - The state continues to test residents of marginalised Roma communities for the possible presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, TASR learnt on Saturday. With the help of military doctors, testing was carried out in the villages of Smizany, Kecerovce, Hrabusice, Markusovce, in the town of Trebisov (all Kosice region), and in the villages of Dolany and Zborov (both Presov region) on Saturday, and also in the village of Jarovnice (Presov region) on Friday (April 3). New Government Proxy for Roma Communities Andrea Buckova was also present during the testing. BRATISLAVA - TASR's news web site Teraz.sk has attracted in the time of the novel coronavirus pandemic more than 1 million people in a single month. "In March, according to IABmonitor, it was 1,012,955 real users, and according to Google Analytics it was even 1,277,010 users," said Teraz.sk editor-in-chief Daniel Forgacs. am