PS Calls on President to Veto Law Regarding Compensation for COVID-19 Fines

Bratislava, April 9 (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) has called on President Peter Pellegrini to veto the law on the so-called "covid amnesty", which Parliament approved on Wednesday. The opposition called it a scandalous law, saying that the coalition is mocking people who complied with the measures during the pandemic. It claims that it is also disrespectful to the bereaved of the victims. The opposition further concurred that the government is sending a signal in the current problem of foot-and-mouth disease and is telling people that there's no need to comply with the regulations. According to PS, the law is a hypocrisy of the coalition. "It grants amnesty to people who violated measures during the pandemic, but at the same time asks the public to follow experts' regulations in foot-and-mouth disease. In fact, they are sending a clear signal that they don't actually need to comply with the regulations and that if they do break them, there is no risk," stated MP Oskar Dvorak (PS). KDH also wants to approach the president. "To approve an across-the-board covid amnesty is simply a slap in the face to all those who complied with anti-pandemic measures," said MP Peter Stachura (KDH), describing it as a precedent for future pandemics, during which people would no longer have to respect state authorities. Tomas Szalay (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) described the law as shameful, pointing out that people also died during the pandemic because some people didn't follow the rules, didn't wear face masks and encouraged others not to follow the rules. "And we are now going to reward these people as a state, this is absolutely going to erode the trust that we have some justice, some legal process," he stated. Head of the 'Slovakia', 'For the People', KU parliamentary caucus Michal Sipos described the law as perverse and sick, stressing that the government wants to pay more than €3.5 million to people who broke the rules. The approved legislation says that a person who was fined for violating anti-pandemic measures in connection with COVID-19 or had to pay for meals in state quarantine facilities will be able to claim compensation. "The president will thoroughly familiarise himself with the law after it has been delivered and will subsequently adopt his constitutional decision," the President's Office told TASR. am