According to Health Minister Vlastimil Válek (TOP 09), the obligation to wear respirators could end first at mass events such as sports matches or cultural productions. Later, people could postpone respiratory protection on public transport and eventually in health facilities and social care homes. Responding to reporters’ questions, Válek said that one of the points he is submitting to the cabinet would concern the phasing out of respirators. “We are going to talk about several places that will phase out the wearing of respirators. It will be step by step. The most dangerous place to stop wearing respirators, for example, is in healthcare facilities; I think we all understand that,” he said. The government will also debate a plan to end reimbursement of preventive PCR tests by health insurance starting in March, according to a statement Tuesday by Health Ministry spokesman Ondřej Jakob. These tests are used by people, for example, when traveling. Only tests based on a doctor or health center request would remain free of charge. Last week, Minister Válek said he would negotiate with insurance companies to cover one preventive PCR test per month.
Groups of Czech activists organizing mass demonstrations against COVID-19 measures openly support Russia in its aggression towards Ukraine, and their leader has business ties with Moscow. “The US with its dollar needs a war, Ukraine with its collapsing and corrupt economy needs to find the culprit. Putin is no fool, but if genocide is occurring in the separatist republics, he will eventually have no choice but to intervene,” the most popular Czech anti-vax group, Chcípl PES, posted on its Facebook profile. Czech daily Hospodářské noviny reported that the post was deleted a few hours later by the administrator of the social site. “I’m standing on the side of Russia”, the popular anti-vax activist Patrik Tušl posted on its site with roughly 10,000 followers. According to the Czech elves, an organization of cyber activists fighting disinformation, it is evident that groups opposing COVID-19 measures are rapidly turning pro-Russian. “In all disinformation channels, we can see that the scene moved to an intense support for Russia,” the analysis reads. “Quantitatively and qualitatively, the theme of COVID-19 is receding,” the cyber activists reported. Moreover, the Czech news site Forum24 also pointed out that the head of Chcípl PES initiative has several business activities in...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Czech National Security Council (BRS) will meet on Wednesday to debate the situation in Ukraine and the Defence Ministry’s proposals of how to solve some issues regarding Russia’s decision to recognise the independence of the separatist republics in eastern Ukraine. Czechia stands ready to rapidly deploy 600 troops where needed at NATO’s request, Seznam Zprávy news outlet reports after directing questions to the Czech Ministry of Defence about the resources it has at its disposal in light of the escalating situation in Ukraine. Kunsthalle Praha, in a 1930s industrial building transformed by Schindler Seko, officially opened to the public. It will host a program of exhibitions focused on modern and contemporary Czech and international art, complemented by educational activities. For the first time since its foundation at the end of the 19th century, the Great Synagogue in Pilsen has undergone a complete reconstruction. The first stage of the renovation took place at the end of the 1990s. The Jewish Community of Pilsen plans the reopening ceremony of the third-largest synagogue globally...
If you worked for the whole year or part of it in the Czech Republic, you should file a tax return in order to receive some money back
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. President Milos Zeman signed an amendment to the pandemic law that widens the measures against coronavirus and extends the validity of the legislation till the end of November. The legislation will also enact the practice of ordering quarantine or isolation by phone or a brief SMS. The Czech Association of Professional Theatres has called on the country’s theatres, culture, public and state institutions to fly Ukrainian flags on their buildings as symbolic support for the inviolability of state territory. Kunsthalle Praha, a new non-profit cultural space located in the historical city centre is due to open to the public on February 22, 2022 with an exhibition called 100 Years of Electricity in Art. The Czech minister of foreign affairs, Jan Lipavský, will meet for talks with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne on Wednesday, the Czech Foreign Ministry reported on its web page. It is the first visit to Prague by an Australian foreign minister in 17 years. Brno City Council has approved a package of support for 21 non-profit organisations dedicated to...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Czech healthcare system is currently lacking 2,500 nurses at hospitals around the country. Experts say that the situation will only get worse unless schools begin turning out more nursing graduates. The minister of health, Vlastimil Válek, plans to pour more financing into the training of nurses in the next two years. There have now been over 3.5 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Czech Republic (population 10.7 million) since the start of the pandemic. Experts have said that the real number could in fact be two or three times higher. The National Drug Control Centre (NDC) has arrested and charged eight people who allegedly cultivated marijuana in the Czech Republic for several years and sold it mainly to the UK and Ireland. A litre of the best-selling petrol, Natural 95, is currently selling at Czech petrol stations for an average of CZK 37.13, which is CZK 0.35 more than one week ago. Meanwhile, diesel has risen in price by 0.29 per litre. The CEO of Czech Railways (ČD), Mr....
Czech Health Minister Vlastimil Valek wants almost all anti-COVID restrictions to be lifted by April 1 at the latest, he told a press conference yesterday. He added that he plans to submit a proposal of a gradual relaxation of the measures to the cabinet meeting next week. Valek said he would like people in the Czech Republic to be able to spend Easter, which falls in mid-April this year, in a way they were used to before the March 2020 coronavirus epidemic outburst. The end of mandatory blanket testing Mandatory blanket testing in schools, companies, and institutions ended yesterday, February 18. All company employees have been tested twice a week while schoolchildren and all school employees have been tested once a week since Jan. 17. The highest numbers of positive tests were registered in the week between January and February, with almost 49,000 cases. The state will contribute 60 crowns to the cost of testing for each employee four times a month. Latest statistics 13,774 new cases of Covid-19 were registered in the Czech Republic on Friday, the lowest figure for a weekday in five weeks. There were also over 2,500 confirmed new reinfections. Both figures were down by around...
Mandatory blanket testing in schools, companies and institutions will end today, February 18. “There is no doubt at all that the measure introduced in January helped to prevent a massive spread of the infection to high risk groups, helped to prevent the health system from collapsing and contributed to the fact that we handled the crisis well,” said Prime Minister Petr Fiala. All company employees have been tested twice a week while schoolchildren and all school employees have been tested once a week since Jan. 17. The highest numbers of positive tests were registered in the week between January and February, with almost 49,000 cases. The state will contribute 60 crowns to the cost of testing for each employee four times a month. The coronavirus epidemic in the Czech Republic continues to subside. On Thursday, laboratories registered 15,517 new Covid-19 cases, about 12,000 fewer than on the same day a week ago. There are currently 3,720 people hospitalized with Covid-19, with 26o of them in serious condition, according to Ministry of Health data. The number of people who have died with Covid-19 in the Czech Republic since the start of the epidemic has reached 38,050.
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Chamber of Deputies will vote on the government’s Pandemic Law on Friday afternoon. MPs decided to delay a vote in the early hours of Thursday following a motion from the governing coalition. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised help in the preparations for the Czech EU presidency, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after their meeting at the summit of European and African countries. Czech passenger car production fell by 11.4% year-on-year to 92,657 vehicles in January, posting its lowest result for that month since 2010 as the chip shortage continued to weigh, the Czech Automotive Industry Association (AutoSAP) said on its website on Thursday. On 16 February, the City of Prague presented a new project that aims to teach primary school pupils how to reduce food waste. Titled ‘Smart Food’, the program is the first of its kind not only in Czechia but in the European Union. The CEO of Czech Railways (ČD), Mr. Ivan Bednárik, has announced he will resign on February 28. He...
On the night of Thursday, 17 February, the Czech Republic was hit by a strong storm. On the highest mountain of the country, Snezka, the wind speed reached 181 km/h. In low-lying areas, including Prague, it reached 90 km/h, which corresponds to a strong storm on the Beaufort scale. As of 10 am, the bad weather left more than 300 thousand households without electricity. The wind broke down branches of trees that cut off power lines, blocking railways and roads. Transport along several railway lines was disrupted and many roads were closed to traffic. The worst damage is reported in the Central Bohemia, Pilsen and Karlovy Vary regions. No injuries or casualties have yet been reported. There are 270,000 ČEZ customers and 40,000 E.ON customers without electricity. The remaining suppliers have not provided their data. “We are still in the thick of a major storm that has created storm conditions, and despite those difficult conditions in the field, our crews continue restoring power and making system repairs when it is safe to do so,” said the vice president for ČEZ. A gale force wind alert remains in place until midnight for the whole of the country.
Hammering home the city of Ostrava’s transformation from an industrial coal and metal mining center in the 20th century to the modern metropolis it is today, CHYBIK + KRISTOF has revealed plans for the Czech Republic’s tallest building: Ostrava Tower. Subtly shaped like an X, the 56-story, the 235-meters-tall tower is the latest piece of urban infill for Ostrava, as industrial lots have given way to new residential and cultural buildings such as Steven Holl’s 2019 concert hall. Flaring at the base and pinnacle and cinched at the waist with a 90-degree turn between the top and bottom, each of the three points contains public spaces; a barrier-free ground floor to allow for a seamless transition for pedestrians from the plaza at base level and the local bus terminal, and a public bar, cafe, and restaurant with panoramic views of the city at the very top. In between those two terminuses will sit residential units, offices, a hotel, retail, and a “congress centre”. “Rethinking the typology of the skyscraper,” said architect Michal Kristof, co-founder of CHK, in the project’s announcement, “and its function to serve the public and activate the urban environment, one of our core missions was to create a positive social impact in the heart of...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. State pensions will be increased in June in view of the high rate of inflation, the Czech government announced on Wednesday. Old-age and widows and widowers pensions, as well as benefits for the handicapped will go up by 8.2 percent. According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), today’s government approved compensation for entrepreneurs. It will give up to CZK 5 billion from the budget. Four support programs will be available. The average mortgage rate in the Czech Republic climbed to 3.43 percent in January from 2.99 percent the previous month, the single biggest one-month jump since 2003. The mortgage rate could reach around 5.5 percent in the second half of 2022. The Czech Republic has registered over 3.4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020 and the latest 100,000 new confirmed cases occurred over five days. The CEO of Czech Railways (ČD), Mr. Ivan Bednárik, has announced he will resign on February 28. He would not comment on his resignation, except to say that...
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