The Romani settlements in Slovakia are very endangered by the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for the Romani Community, Ábel Ravasz. He sees the main problem in a lack of access to clean, hot water for personal hygiene.
Inhabitants of the settlements frequently do not even have basic personal hygiene materials on hand, and for that reason Ravasz has been negotiating to facilitate their access to such supplies. Some settlements and localities with higher concentrations of impoverished Romani people have just limited access to potable water and can only gain access to running water in their living arrangements by prepaying smart cards that allow them to access those utilities.
The complications of disbursing welfare benefits to settlement residents at this time is also being currently addressed by the Government. The subject of how the post office should be used for such disbursal during this crisis was part of a recent session of the Central Crisis Team in Slovakia.
