Hundreds protest vaccine law in Slovakia

Hundreds of people have blocked traffic in the centre of Slovak capital Bratislava, protesting against a law which gives those who have had the COVID-19 vaccine easier access to public events and spaces.

The law, which requires people who have not been inoculated to take a test for such access, was approved by parliament on Sunday and signed by President Zuzana Caputova on Monday.

Slovakia joins a growing number of countries who also stipulate that a vaccine, or a negative test, will be needed for venues such as cinemas, restaurants and other closed spaces.

Small groups of protesters started arriving to a square in front of Caputova's official residence in the morning, with their numbers rising throughout the day, the Dennik N daily reported.

The protest, while peaceful, has disrupted traffic in the whole city but the police have not moved to disperse the crowd.

A similar protest took place last Friday outside parliament, where riot police fired teargas at people who blocked the entrance and pelted the building with eggs.

As of Thursday, 35.7 per cent of the population was fully vaccinated, data from Johns Hopkins University indicated.

That is one of the lowest per capita rates in the European Union.