The Chamber of Deputies granted the government’s request and voted to extend the current state of emergency. The extension is valid through 11 April 2021. The deputies also discussed the possibility of relaxation of some restrictions in mid-April – including the easement of the ban of movement and gradual reopening of schools.
The Chamber of Deputies voted to extend the current state of emergency yet again last Friday night, complying with the PM’s Andrej Babiš’s request. However, while the government wanted the extension to last for 30 days (as has been the norm), the deputies opted to only grant the extension of two weeks – until Sunday, 11 April.
The extension of the state of emergency means that all current restrictions are still valid. These includee the limitations of the freedom of movement between municipalities (with the exception of sports and hiking) and districts.
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Easter exceptions
As Easter is coming up, the government is allowing citizens to attend masses and Easter services on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday even after the government-ordered curfew of 9 p.m. Citizens are allowed to attend Easter masses up until midnight.
Churches are, however, still obligated to adhere to capacity limitations. If you are planning on attending an Easter service, make sure to get there early!
The curfew has been extended until midnight for Easter mass attendees.
Some freedom of movement might resume after 6 April
Although the deputies granted the government another extension, they also passed a resolution that the limitation on the freedom of movement between districts should be lifted on 6 April. The deputies are also demanding people be allowed to travel freely between Prague and the Central Bohemian region.
These demands may or may not be met by the government depending on the epidemiological situation. However, the Minister of Health stated that it is possible that some sort of relaxation of the limitation of the freedom of movement may happen after Easter.
Schools to possibly open for some pupils on 12 April
The chief hygienist Pavla Svrčinová said that as the situation has been developing well, schools may begin to open in the second half of April or at the end of April. According to the Ministry of Education, the nearest date for the reopening of schools is 12 April.
The pupils (mainly children attending primary schools and last years of kindergarten) would be tested twice a week to stop any potential spread of coronavirus.
To reiterate – all of the current restrictions remain still valid (including the wearing of respirators, restrictions of movement, 9 p.m. curfew, workplace testing, etc.). You can review all of the current measurements at covid.gov.cz.
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Sources: ct24.cz, Dominik Feri’s Instagram, covid.gov.cz
Image source: pixabay.com
