Slovakia: Covid spreading quickly among the homeless and posing risk for whole Bratislava

(Bratislava) - While until the end of last year the organizations taking care of homeless people in Bratislava managed to protect most of them from the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation has changed since the beginning of 2021. Fifty more people tested positive in the past few days, and it seems that the current quarantine premises made available by the municipality will not suffice. “The number of cases has increased too rapidly, which may seriously threaten the system of care for the homeless in the city. All temporary dormitories and facilities providing services are situated in large spaces with a high concentration of people seeking help, and there is an extremely huge risk that infections will spread to all corners of the city due to the high mobility of this group of inhabitants”, explains Sergej Kara, coordinator of the municipal support for the homeless, admitting that if the situation worsens, the state intervention will be inevitable. According to Jozef Kakos, director of the largest dormitory in Bratislava, the homeless are especially vulnerable, because once they get the virus, they do not have the suitable conditions to cure it properly without a place to self-isolate. The estimated number of people currently living on the streets of Bratislava is 4,000.
Gigliola Alfaro