Although most of the Czech Republic will soon be free to attend larger events and stop wearing facemasks indoors and on public transport, in the capital city of Prague, facemasks will remain mandatory on the metro. In Karvina, some coronavirus-related regulations will be tightened from tomorrow, due to local outbreaks. Photo credit: Freepik / For illustrative purposes.
Czech Rep., Jun 29 (BD) – On Thursday, June 18th, Health Minister Adam Vojtech (ANO) announced that from July 1st, regulations related to the coronavirus would be relaxed further, except in areas with higher incidence of infection, such as Prague and Karvina.
During a press conference this morning, Vojtech announced that due to local outbreaks in the Karvina region and Frydek-Mistek, stricter measures would apply in these areas. The measures will take effect on Tuesday, and include a ban on hospital visits and events for over 100 people, a requirement to wear facemasks indoors and maintain social distancing, and the closing of restaurants and pubs between 11pm and 6am. Cross-border workers in the Moravian-Silesian Region will also have to submit negative covid-19 tests.
In Prague, it will remain mandatory to wear facemasks on the metro, and at indoor events of over 100 people. However, they will no longer be mandatory inside shops or other buildings. In the rest of the country, facemasks will only be required in medical and social institutions from July 1st.
According to Vojtech, the current increase in cases can be attributed to the massive testing of OKD miners, but also to the indiscipline of some citizens, as he mentioned that it is not uncommon for people with symptoms to attend large events. It should be noted that the current increase in cases is due to local outbreaks, centred on the Karvina region, and is not being treated as a “second wave” of the pandemic.
Vojtech described the situation in the Czech Republic as relatively stable, and stated that there were no reports of increased hospitalizations. Because of this, the minister does not deem it necessary to quarantine the region or restrict free movement. According to Chief Hygienist Jarmila Razova, there are currently ten local outbreaks, all considered to be under control. There are also no reports of increasing infection rates among high-risk groups.
Both the Minister and the Chief Hygienist called on citizens to continue behaving responsibly. “The virus is still here, although many cases are asymptomatic. Underestimating the symptoms and attending large events is a big risk, especially if people from all over the country gather at the party,” said Razova.
