According to the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch (ANO), the Czech Republic is at the foot of another wave of the epidemic coming again from the West, where the number of new cases of coronavirus infection has been growing in recent weeks. According to the Minister, the situation is not dramatic, not even in the Karlovy Vary Region, where the number of new infections per hundred thousand inhabitants per week is the highest. “I expected that the situation could worsen after the holidays. I am not saying that it is only a question of children returning to school, but in general the society’s return to some normal regime, with greater mobility of people,” said Vojtech. The increase in the number of cases has not yet been reflected in a significantly serious clinical course of the disease, although the number of patients has also increased in hospitals. As of Tuesday, September 7, 82 people are hospitalized, while more than three-quarters of those newly infected are unvaccinated. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) told Czech Television in Litoměřice that the government expects the number of people infected will continue to grow. However, any measures against the spread of coronavirus will be managed locally....
The average Czech throws away about 40 kilograms of food a year. People in housing estates waste the most food, while in rural areas, waste is less, which is related, among other things, to the fact that in these localities there is a better possibility of composting or feeding animals. To avoid such waste, for example, people could start offering food to charities. And that is exactly what three Prague canteens are trying to do. In their attempts, one hundred portions of food have been donated to local shelters. Up to 25 kilograms of food are thrown daily in each Czech canteen. “This number equals to around 30 to 50 portions, maybe around two to five percent of the total amount during daily operation,” said Anna Strejcová, director of Zachraň Jidlo, an organization that strives to reduce food waste. “We should aim to donate around 100 meals to five different charities,” said Denisa Rybářová, marketing manager. “We are, of course, very happy doing this and will certainly be appreciative of any other similar opportunities coming our way in the future,” said Stanislav Fiala, the director of Azylový dům svaté Terezie, a social services organization providing shelter to those in need....
“Assuming a higher immunisation rate, we can lift these measures. That is the message we have today,” Vojtěch said, mentioning the possible end of mandatory masks in indoor areas or limits currently applied to public events. Only 54% of Czech citizens are currently vaccinated, putting the country’s vaccination rate below the EU average. However, the Czech government is now mulling a new campaign to motivate more people to get their jabs. “It is about convincing, constantly emphasising, that without sufficient immunisation we can again have overloaded hospitals and a real problem to get the pandemic under control,” Vojtěch added. Making the vaccine mandatory is not something that is currently being discussed, however. The Czech government has established vaccination centres even in commercial centres where people can get their jabs without prior registration. These centres will remain open at least till October. A third COVID-19 booster shot will also be available from 20 September for people who completed their vaccination eight months ago.
Czechs are more satisfied with their lives than the average Italians and French citizens, according to EU statistical arm Eurostat. The survey asked people across the European Union aged 16 and over how satisfied they were overall with their lives on a scale from 9 to 10. The study takes into account a number of aspects to reach the wide-ranging life satisfaction category, including housing, employment, education, health, safety, governance, as well as environmental matters. “The mix of statistical indicators with objective information such as income, housing conditions and work situations together with subjective evaluations results in differing levels of satisfaction depending on an individual’s priorities and needs,” Eurostat explained. The Czech Republic has a life satisfaction score of 7.4, slightly above the EU average of 7.3. The lowest overall score was recorded in Bulgaria (5.4), while Finland and Ireland had the highest level of life satisfaction, with 8.1. Czech respondents to the survey reported satisfaction levels slightly above the EU average with the state of their finances, their housing situation, their employment circumstances, their satisfaction with personal relationships and their living environment. For use of time, the Czech score was exactly the EU average of 6.7/10, despite Czechs working almost...
In the Czech Republic, the tradition of an eight-hour workday has existed for more than 100 years, but while other countries are reducing working hours, this tradition in the Czech Republic continues, according to Eurostat data on working hours in EU countries. The data shows that the Greeks spend the most time at work, and the Danes the least. Full-time work and part-time work for Czechs, including overtime, averages to 39.9 hours of work per week, while the European average is 37 hours per week. In the Czech Republic, the tradition of the daily eight-hour workday was enacted shortly after the establishment of Czechoslovakia in December 1918, marking the country’s membership in a host of progressive nations seeking to improve the working life of citizens, but the Czech workweek at the time also included Saturday. The end of Saturday as a working day came with the Soviet invasion of the country in August 1968. Children and teachers stopped going to school on Saturday, and the workers were given two days off. Later, the free weekend was also expanded to all remaining areas. However, the working Saturdays did not completely disappear, as the communist government occasionally announced them at the end...
On Monday, August 16, the Czech government has been continually announcing the first new Covid rules starting from September 2021. What covid rules apply to the new school year and how many people will be allowed to sit in the restaurant? Here’s what we know about changes in Covid measures so far! Schools Mandatory testing: At the beginning of the school year, children have to undergo three rounds of antigen testing – on September 1 or 2, then on September 6 and 9. The testing duty applies to students of elementary and secondary schools. The children can get tested at school or at an official testing point and then deliver their test results to the school. The testing takes place in order to detect the virus among children after the summer holidays. Quarantine: If the antigen test is positive, the child will be sent for a confirmatory PCR test. If it also comes out positive, only this student or his family will go to quarantine. In the last wave of testing (September 9), the entire class may end up in quarantine. The exception will only apply to the vaccinated children and those who have overcome Covid in the last 180 days....
A decree issued by the Prague City Hall would ban people from walking their dogs without a leash in any green area within the city. It is intended to prevent people from being attacked by dogs, as happened in the spring when a four-year-old boy was bitten by a dog on Petrin Hill. As reported by Seznam Zpravy, The proposal was prepared by the Department of Environmental Protection of the Prague City Hall and will be dealt with by the council. Any person walking a dog in a public greenery area would, under the proposal, be obliged to lead the dog on a leash in such a way that it “does not impede the movement” of other pedestrians. Only specifically designated areas, which can also be added within parks or other public greenery spaces, would allow owners to walk their dog freely. “Any person walking a dog in public greenery area is obliged to lead the dog on a leash. The dog must be guided on a leash in such a way that “does not impede the movement” of other pedestrians. Free movement of dogs without a leash is allowed only on areas reserved for this purpose by the owner...
For the last 13 years, the price of a pack of cigarettes in the Czech Republic has risen by an average of three crowns per year. But now even a higher tax rise will take effect, meaning that cigarettes and tobacco products will increase in price by between 4 and 6 crowns. There are two main reasons – an increase in excise tax on tobacco products (by 5%) and an increase in selling prices from manufacturers. “In total, we should expect a rise in the price of classic cigarettes by at least 6 crowns per pack, shredded tobacco by at least 9 crowns per pack, and heated tobacco by 5 crowns,” said Stepan Krzeczek, chief economist at BH Securities, told Právo. According to the authorities’ estimates, the increase in the tobacco excise tax for the year will bring the treasury an additional 3 billion crowns. However, tobacco companies have raised concerns about the size of the tax increase, with reports that smokers with limited financial resources will turn to the black market to buy cigarettes, and that smuggling rings are already preparing to expand their operations in the Czech Republic. The black market already accounts for 7% of cigarettes sold...
Overall, 152 out of 169 Afghans brought on evacuation flights two weeks ago to the Czech Republic applied for asylum or subsidiary protection in the country. Others have a different form of residence in the Czech Republic, the Czech Ministry of the Interior announced on Monday. At the end of the two-week quarantine, the applicants will relocate from the facility managed by the Ministry of Defense to the facility of the Ministry of the Interior. “The so-called admission procedure is currently underway for evacuees who have applied for international protection. This includes, for example, the administration of the application, medical examinations, or the collection of fingerprints,” said Adam Rözler from the ministry’s press department. He added that the admission procedure usually takes several days up to a few weeks and that applicants are in closed state facilities during that time. Asylum and subsidiary protection vary in duration. Asylum is granted indefinitely, while subsidiary protection is granted for a well-defined period, after which the reasons for granting it are re-examined. The authorities have up to six months to process an application for international protection. “Applicants have the right to remain in the facility of the Ministry of the Interior during that...
As per the new protective measure implemented by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, Prague Airport, the Foreign Police of the Czech Republic and the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic will strengthen the control of the currently valid conditions for entry into the country. Together, the parties thus respond to the gradually increasing traffic at Prague Airport and the possibility to visit the country for tourist activities by foreigners. From 1 September 2021, the arrival procedure for all passengers flying to Václav Havel Airport Prague will be adjusted. Until further notice, the changes implemented at both Prague Airport terminals will affect tourists as well as citizens of the Czech Republic and the EU+ countries returning to the Czech Republic. The airport continues to encourage passengers to thoroughly review the implemented rules in advance. Before their departure to Prague, they should have prepared, and ideally printed out, all documents, arrival forms, and confirmations of non-infectivity, if required. “We are coordinating the new model with representatives of the Ministry of Health and other security forces present at the airport. We are also increasing our personnel capacity and reinforcing the technical equipment to speed up the entire check-in process on...
Receiving packages from outside the European Union will become a little easier for customers and retailers in the Czech Republic. Czech Post (Česká pošta) has announced that it will cooperate with online marketplace Wish. The cooperation with Wish is an expansion of Czech Post’s effort to streamline the processing of shipments from China. Wish is a US-based online marketplace that brings together sellers and buyers. Sellers who list their products on Wish send the items directly to consumers, the platform does not stock the products or manage returns. Most products available through the app come from China and other overseas contributors. “After concluding an agreement with AliExpress in 2020, another business portal with which Czech Post will cooperate is the Wish platform”, said Czech Post in a press release. The cooperation is an effort to reduce some of the red tape associated with taxes and custom duties. New VAT rules The Czech Post cooperation with Wish is established after the VAT rules changed within the European Union. AliExpress recently began collecting VAT on its own and pays the tax to the European Union through the new Impost One-Stop Shop which the EU launched on the first of July this year. As of that date, shipments below 22 euros...
The Czech government will offer a booster COVID-19 vaccine shot from Sept. 20 to any previously vaccinated person, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Monday. The Czech Republic, a country of 10.7 million, has been one of the countries worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as measured by deaths per population, with over 30,400 victims. Nearly 1.68 million Czechs have contracted the virus, and many more are estimated to have caught it without being tested. The government’s coronavirus task force said on Twitter that the boosters were strongly recommended for people over 60 but would also be available for all who had completed previous vaccinations, either by a two-dose or single-dose schemes. The government will use Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for the boosters for those who completed a regular vaccination at least eight months earlier, Vojtech told a news conference shown live on television. As of Monday, 5.73 million people have received at least one shot of a two-dose vaccine, mostly from Pfizer/BioNTech, and another 197,254 received the one-dose vaccine made by Johnson and Johnson. Separately, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Czech Television the government will offer financial bonuses to general practitioners who convince more people over 65 to...
Don’t have an account? Register
[swpm_registration_form level=”6″]
Already have an account? Log In
How Would You Like to Promote Your Business? PR ArticleDisplay bannersVideo productionNewsletter adsJob ListingsInfluencer Marketing
Your Email
We will come back to you within 24 hours with our proporsal
