Club and Restaurant in Prague Face up to 3 Million CZK Fines After Illegal Opening

A restaurant in Kunratice and a nightclub in the centre of Prague are facing the threat of a 3 million crowns fine after opening despite the government’s Coronavirus restrictions banning them from doing so.

Prague City Hall is beginning administrative proceedings with both companies, spokesman Vít Hofman confirmed. “We have been in contact with the police since the beginning. We will deal with the cases as soon as the police hand them over to us. Subsequently, we will initiate administrative proceedings,” Hofman added.

According to sources, an illegal party was held in a club in the centre of Prague on Saturday. It is reported that over 100 people attended – the majority of whom were foreigners. These individuals now face fines of 20,000 to two million crowns.

Meanwhile, the Šeberák restaurant in Kunratice opened because the owner ‘wanted to express his disagreement with the government’s attitude towards entrepreneurs.’ The business could now be forced to pay up to 3 million crowns. “In the case of the Šeberák restaurant, where there was a deliberate bending of the law, the situation can be more complicated, and more bodies can deal with it,” Hofman explained.

The Minister of Industry Karel Havlíček (ANO) condemned both cases today, saying that the behavior is ‘unacceptable’: “On the one hand, we understand that people are frustrated that entrepreneurs and sole traders are experiencing probably the most challenging period of recent years… this does not mean that the law can be broken.”

Restaurants, bars, and non-essential shops have been closed since October 14. From Thursday, December 3, restaurants are allowed to open from 06:00 until 22:00.

Under these new government restrictions, restaurants and bars will only be able to serve seated guests in groups of up to four. Businesses will also only be allowed to fill up to 50 percent of their capacity.