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Slovakia closed its borders as pandemic spread
Summary
A look back at how Slovakia's border closure, announced on 12 March 2020, framed the regional picture as 14 March 2020 began, alongside a Ukrainian arts award.
What was Europe's neighbourhood doing as 14 March 2020 arrived? One of the clearest signals came from Slovakia, which on 12 March 2020 ordered the closure of all its borders to non-residents.
The measure, taken to prevent the spread of the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, also covered international airports and schools. Slovakia ordered all of them closed.
The step meant that, as 14 March 2020 began, one of Ukraine's western neighbours had shut its frontiers to anyone who did not live there.
A cultural note from Kyiv's circle
The news was not only about the pandemic. On 13 March 2020, Oksana Zabuzhko and alyona alyona were named laureates of the Women in Arts 2020 award.
Taken together, the two reports show the mix of the moment: governments in the region were acting on the virus, while Ukrainian cultural life continued to produce recognition for its writers and performers.
