HYGIENE MEASURES IN SUPERMARKETS, RETAIL FOOD STORES, AND GROCERY SHOPS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN SLOVAKIA

The article presents the hygiene measures that are applied in the Slovak Republic in supermarkets, food stores, grocery stores as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Slovakia. These measures have been published by the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic in the relevant legal regulations and are based on the decisions of the Government of the Slovak Republic, which took into account the opinions of the experts of the Pandemic Commission of the Government of the Slovak Republic. In general, these measures are based on the mask-distance-hand principle. In public areas outside and inside, it was ordered to wear masks and later wear a respirator of FFP2 class in exterior and interior, gloves on hands or disinfection of customers' hands before entering the store, observance of 2 m distance of people standing in a row at the cash registers, maximum capacity of persons in stores was determined one person per 25 m2 of sales area and later, this measure was tightened to 15 m2 of sales area. Also, to perform regular ventilation of the premises and to have as many cash registers as possible so as not to create long lines of customers. All shops were closed at 8:00 PM. In the case of shopping centers, entry is prohibited for people with a body temperature higher than 37 °C, and disinfection of hands is mandatory, wearing a mask and later wear respirators of FFP2 class is necessary. In a stricter regime, during the peak of the pandemic, there was a restriction for persons to shop food only in the nearest retail/grocery or similar place from the place of residence to the extent necessary to procure the essential needs of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]