Despite the country being under lockdown since the end of December, the COVID-19 situation in Slovakia continued to worsen.  Hospitals remain at full or near-full capacity despite assistance from other EU nations while the number of COVID-19 deaths continue to increase.  In response to the worsening context, the government has announced tighter COVID-19 restrictions which will come into effect next week (see below). 
Nursing home staff have been chronically stressed due to a lack of staff, staff exhaustion, and having to care for higher-acuity patients.  Nursing homes have had great difficulty implementing effective IPC measures once an index case occurs often leading to many nursing home residents and staff becoming infected.  Roma communities remain neglected during the pandemic.  Multiple Roma communities have been forcibly locked down without freedom of movement and residents reportedly forced to undergo COVID-19 testing.  Slovakia is the only remaining EU nation in which entire Roma communities continue to be quarantined.