Babiš: “We Are Considering Whether to Close Restaurants or Halt Sales of Alcohol”

In response to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, health officials are considering whether to force pubs, bars, and restaurants to stop the sale of alcohol for on-site consumption.

The Czech government will decide today, Monday, October 12, on further measures to curb the coronavirus surge.

“We have to decide on further measures that will be effective from Wednesday,” Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said in a video message on YouTube.

He added that the possibility of closing restaurants is being considered.

“We are considering whether to close restaurants or ban the sales of alcohol. We will discuss it today,” Babiš remarked on Czech Television.

“There are several possibilities. In the evening, alcohol could be reduced, but this is not yet the final decision,” said the Minister of Industry and Trade and Transport Karel Havlíček (ANO).

The main goal of the new measures is to restrict gatherings and social contacts. However, PM Babiš admitted that the debate on whether the new measures will also affect kindergartens and primary schools has not yet been concluded.

On CNN Prima News, the Ministry of Health Roman Prymula also talked about wearing face masks. “Wearing a mask underneath the nose is completely ineffective and it does not prevent the spread of the virus.

We see the light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel during the second quarter of next year,” he added.

According to the Ministry of Health, there are currently 60,458 infected in the country. The current number of cases has exceeded 116,400.