PRAGUE: Slovakia had 797 new coronavirus on Wednesday, a record daily tally for a second straight day, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on his Facebook page on Thursday.

"The situation is extremely serious and it is high time to grit our teeth and help our common cause," Matovic wrote.

His government has introduced new measures against the virus and approved a state of emergency, effective from Thursday, after a recent spike in new coronavirus cases in the country of 5.5 million.