Constitutional court okays extending state of emergency

The decision by the Government to extend the state of emergency by an additional 40 days and its measures approved on March 17 are in accordance with the Slovak Constitution, the Constitutional Court decided on Wednesday. The decision to extend the state of emergency was challenged in the Constitutional Court by the opposition Smer-SD party and some specific provisions and measures in it were also challenged by Prosecutor-General Maroš Žilinka. According to the Constitutional Court, there is the present risk of the coronavirus pandemic, which puts lives and public health into danger. This thus creates substantiated circumstances for the Government to pass the disputed resolution. The court found also the mandatory across-the-board antigen testing and the ban on traveling abroad for recreational purposes constitutional. Opposition party Smer-SD stated on Wednesday that it respects the Constitutional Court's decision that the extension of the state of emergency by the government two weeks ago was in line with the Constitution.