Slovakia is to start testing everyone over the age of 10 for Covid-19 on Saturday, but the president has said she thinks the idea is “unfeasible”.

The operation to test four million people is to last over two weekends.

Infections have soared in Slovakia and officials argue the only alternative would be a total lockdown.

President Zuzana Caputova called for the plan to be delayed after armed forces chiefs said there were not enough trained health workers to do it.

So far only 70% of the 20,000 staff needed to administer the nasal swab tests have been recruited, according to the defence minister.

Slovakia recorded 3,363 new infections on Thursday, bringing the total since March to 55,091. A total of 212 have died.