The newly-appointed Minister of Health, Roman Prymula, announced new measures to fight the spread of coronavirus in the Czech Republic. These measures will last for two weeks, starting from September 24th. Photo: Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis introducing Prymula as the new Minister of Health earlier this week. Credit: Vlada.cz.
Czech Rep., Sep 23 (BD) – The incoming Health Minister Roman Prymula has announced that as of tomorrow, Thursday, September 24th, a series of new measures will be applied across the Czech Republic for a two-week period. Pubs and restaurants will have to close at 10pm and the number of spectators at sports events will be limited.
Prymula told Czech Television that the measures should last for two weeks. “If the curve is flattened, they will be cancelled,” he said.
Bars and Restaurants Close at 10pm
Bars and restaurants are currently required to be closed from midnight to 6am, but from tomorrow the mandatory closing time will move forward to 10pm. According to Prymula, the earlier closing time is necessary as people have lost their vigilance and pubs are one of the highest-risk places.
While the minister stated that he does not want to introduce measures which will impede on the economy, breweries have criticised the measure, as it will lead to a significant loss in sales. The Czech Chamber of Commerce said that operators of bars and restaurants deserve an explanation for the new measure which will impact their businesses. Trade organizations representing bars and restaurants called on the government to negotiate with industry representatives, and asked for an extension to 11pm, as the hours between 10pm and midnight are crucial for pubs’ overall turnover.
Events Will Have Limited Capacity
Prymula also announced that the number of attendants at public events would be limited to 2000 seated spectators for outdoor events and 1000 for indoor events. He acknowledged that these numbers were relatively high, but added that the spectators could spread around the stadium or venue to decrease the risk of infection. However, if there is no seating available, the limit will be 10 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.
