Photo credit: Freepik / For illustrative purposes.
Czech Rep., Aug 31 (BD) – From tomorrow, September 1st, facemasks will be mandatory again in certain public spaces. The day after the regulations were first announced, Health Minister Adam Vojtech announced a number of major changes, leading to confusion and criticism among citizens. Since then, no further changes have been announced. Brno Daily provides an overview of the regulations that come into effect from tomorrow:
Where You Will Need to Wear a Mask
- On all public transport, including intercity connections, taxi services, private tour buses and others
- In all public offices and official buildings, including post offices
- In all health and social services facilities, such as hospitals, ambulances, polyclinics, homes for the elderly, hospitals, pharmacies and other facilities
- At indoor mass events with more than 100 people
- At polling stations
Indoor events include theatres, concerts, film screenings and other artistic performances; sports, cultural, religious, and similar events and gatherings; exhibitions, festivities, pilgrimages, parades, tastings, markets and fairs, educational events, and celebrations, both public and private.
Exceptions
- Children under the age of two
- People with mental disabilities, an autism spectrum disorder, a cognitive disorder or a severe alteration of the mental state, whose mental abilities or current mental state does not allow for compliance with the facemask regulations
- Performers of, for example, theatre, dance or music performances and those involved in the production and audiovisual work
- Athletes during training, matches, or competitions
- Patients hospitalized in inpatient health care facilities, if necessary for the provision of health services
- Health professionals for as long as is strictly necessary for the provision of health services
- Users and residents of social services facilities, such as weekly hospitals, homes for the disabled, homes for the elderly and homes with a special regime, and in facilities providing residential relief services
- Drivers of public transport, if they do not come into direct contact with passengers
- Judges, lay judges, public prosecutors, accused persons and their lawyers, participants in civil, administrative and constitutional court proceedings and their representatives, witnesses, experts, interpreters and other persons so decided by the court, at the place and time of the court proceedings
- During the time strictly necessary for the consumption of food and drink on public transport
- Spouses during marriage or registered partnership ceremonies, and others present at the official declaration
- During the time strictly necessary for the taking of a portrait photograph, or photographs of newlyweds, including a joint photograph with household members and other close persons
- Residents and guests of spa facilities
The event capacity limit has remained unchanged at 500 participants for indoor events and 1,000 for outdoor events, with a maximum of five separate sectors each at that limit. For outdoor events, attendants must be seated in every other row, leaving one row in between.
From tomorrow, the standard length of quarantine will be reduced from 14 days to 10 days.
In the latest district-by-district risk map, Prague has been classified as orange, the first time this level of risk has been declared. Kolín, Příbram, Žďár nad Sázavou and Brno-město were all again classified as green, the first level of risk. You can find more information about local measures and district risk levels at the Ministry of Health’s interactive district-level risk map.
The new regulations are regarded by the Ministry as necessary preventive measures, and will apply from the beginning of September due to the anticipated increase in social interactions with the beginning of the new school year, and the general increased incidence of respiratory diseases in autumn.
