Slovakia’s president Zuzana Čaputová has weighed against Sunday store closings, claiming they are no longer necessary from a hygienic point of view. “Following the cancellation of the state of emergency we should reevaluate to what extent the current hygienic and security measures continue to fulfill their purpose, which was the protection of citizens. Each of these measures has to be measured and justifiable,” she said. Her view is shared by a number of representatives in parliament, all of whom have called on Slovakia’s chief hygienics officer to revoke the ban on Sunday trading. They charge that imposing a “sanitation day” on Sunday was unconstitutional and politically motivated, since there are six other days in the week to choose from. Epidemiologists largely supported the store closings, claiming that cleaning shops with high visitor frequencies is time-consuming and has to be carried out professionally. But with the coronavirus retreating, pressure to return to normal life is growing rapidly.
