Coronavirus in Czechia: Countermeasures Tightening, Schools Closed and Gatherings Limited

The current coronavirus countermeasures will tighten from Wednesday, October 14 as decided by the Czech government on Monday, October 12. Another full lockdown is not possible since it would harm the Czech economy, which is why the government decided to reduce the concentration of people in one place at a time, rather than close shops and services like in spring.

Tighter Restrictions

In recent days, the number of people infected with COVID-19 has been growing rapidly, and probably the biggest problem is that many of those infected people are medical professionals, which puts the whole health care system at risk of collapsing. The record numbers of new cases of COVID-19 led to the government’s decision to tighten the already existing countermeasures in order to slow down the rapid spread of the disease. They were announced less than one week after the previous restrictions had been introduced.

 

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For this reason, all restaurants, clubs, bars, and other catering facilities will have to close, and selling food will be only possible in the form of take-outs through selling windows. The only exceptions are hotel restaurants that can still remain open, their opening hours were cut though so they have to close at 8:00 PM. 

People will be only allowed to gather in groups of up to six people at most. This applies to both indoor and outdoor areas. The only exception to this rule is state administration and self-government bodies. Related to this, drinking alcohol in the public will be prohibited which is supposed to stop people from gathering in big groups.

All schools with the exception of preschools will have to close. Universities are still allowed to hold exams, however, only with up to ten attendants present at a class at a time. All university students living in dormitories who have another residence in the Czech Republic (eg. can stay at their parents’ house or apartment) have to leave the dormitories, exceptions include foreign students that would otherwise have to leave the country. Practical lessons at secondary schools will be prohibited. Art and music schools must also abolish the one-on-one teaching that was allowed until now.

People with face masks
The new restrictions will also limit the gatherings of people.

These new countermeasures are coming into force on Wednesday, October 14, and will be in place until November 3. They could be, however, loosened sooner if the reproduction number of coronavirus drops to 0.8. The only exception applies to schools that can open on November 1.

There is also a new rule regarding face masks. As of Tuesday, October 13, wearing face masks is mandatory at public transport stops, stations, and platforms. This countermeasure is valid until further notice. Until now wearing face masks was only mandatory in public transport and indoor areas.

 

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28th October Celebrations

Despite the rising number of people infected with the coronavirus, a celebration of the creation of the independent Czechoslovak state will still take place at Prague Castle on October 28. Only the number of guests will be probably further limited, though president Miloš Zeman claims he’ll do everything in his power to make sure the celebration will indeed take place. The president himself also said that he hasn’t been tested for the coronavirus yet because “nasopharyngeal sampling is not pleasant”. The celebration shouldn’t, however, pose a risk to anyone in the Czech Republic besides the potential guests.

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Sources of information: Novinky article I and article II

Source of the image: Pexels.com

Anna Minjaríková

Hello, readers! My job is to provide you with some interesting tips and useful information about all the things Czech. ♫ I'll be there for you! ♫

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