Slovakia has had a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases so far (1457 confirmed cases and 26 deaths with 120 645 tests carried out as of April 27).
But since confirmation of the first case on Mar 6, there have been fears that an outbreak in Roma communities and other groups threatened by poverty and social exclusion could lead to a rapid spread of the disease.
Slovakia has one of Europe's largest Roma populations with an estimated 500 000—around 10% of the population—living in the country. Many Roma, and some international human rights groups, claim they face systemic marginalisation and discrimination.
Around a third of Roma in Slovakia live in segregated settlements where extensive poverty, overcrowding, limited infrastructure, and poor hygiene are common.
Health among Roma in settlements is also worse than the majority population and incidence of infectious diseases, including hepatitis, tuberculosis and syphilis, are far more common.
