Slovakia confirms COVID-19 in Romani community of Richnava

News server Aktuality.sk reports that a man from the municipality of Richnava, Slovakia whose permanent residency is in Žehra is infected with the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 has been discovered there as part of the pilot testing of the inhabitants of Romani communities now underway.

The TASR wire service reports that Renáta Hudáková of the Regional Public Health Authority, headquartered in Spišská Nová Ves, confirmed the man tested positive. “We are taking measures. For the time being we have one case confirmed. The family contacts and other people whom he encountered are being investigated. We will take samples from everybody he has met,” she clarified.

According to Hudáková, the man returned to Slovakia from England and owns a single-family home in Richnava where he has been living since returning. She said he spent just a brief amount of time at the Romani settlement in Žehra upon his return.

“The settlement in that municipality [Žehra] does not have to addressed as a whole, therefore,” Hudáková said. She clarified that the man had first returned to Slovakia on 30 March, bringing some family members back with him as well.

“He then traveled back to England and on Sunday [5 April] returned a second time with another group,” the public health official said. Since Friday, 3 April, Slovakia has been implementing pilot testing of the inhabitants of selected Romani communities aiming to discover whether the novel coronavirus is spreading there.

Those being tested are those who have recently returned to Slovakia from abroad as well as those who have been wanting to volunteer for testing. The state wants to ascertain the current state of affairs and limit the spread of the novel coronavirus in localities inhabited by marginalized Romani people.