Police of the Czech Republic confirmed on their Twitter account on Tuesday that they would not control any type of meetings with the exception of mass events. According to TV Nova, the Ministry of Health’s regulation on gatherings of at most two people only applies to organized mass events, whilst all other encounters are permitted. The police asserted that any deviation from this measure would constitute a violation of the pandemic law. New health minister Petr Arenberger, who assumed office a week ago, announced on the weekend that inside and outside gatherings would be restricted to two people. The regulation was approved by the government on Monday. However, as far as the police is concerned, it only applies to organized mass events. According to the police, having a stroll with friends or a picnic is allowed. “The police are clear on the issue of gatherings of two persons, both in public and in private. The emergency measure of the Ministry of Health only binds restrictions to mass actions. The movement of people on the street, accidental and unorganized meetings cannot be covered by this measure”, was stated in their Twitter post. The agency elaborated on the topic, claiming that police...
The Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (RRTV) agreed with the Alliance for the Family complaint, stating that public Czech TV had conducted a biased and unbalanced broadcast. The Alliance for the Family has long argued that Czech TV prioritizes views calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage and, on the contrary, crowds out those who seek the constitutional protection of traditional unions. Petitions were created in support of both a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage and a proposal asking for the constitutional protection of traditional marriage. In the autumn of 2018, both petitions were discussed at a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies, and Czech TV reported on this in one of its programs. “The petition for a constitutional definition of marriage was launched later, so, at that time, it had several thousand fewer signatures. Soon after, however, it managed to exceed the threshold of 100,000 signatures, and as organizers, we held a press conference. Czech TV sent a news crew, allegedly for a live broadcast, which did not take place in the end; we were never given the reason for this. To this day, we do not know if there was ever any mention on Czech TV...
Deliveries of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine start today to member states, the European Commission has said, in a boost to the continent’s vaccination efforts. The company had initially planned to start its deliveries at the beginning of April but delayed the roll-out due to production issues. “Johnson & Johnson begins vaccine shipments to the EU today. Very good news,” said Mr. Peter Liese, an EU lawmaker from the same party as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The U.S. company has committed to delivering to the EU by the end of June 55 million doses and another 120 million in the third quarter, EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton said this month. The Czech Republic should receive the first 14,400 doses on April 19. Another 24,000 a week later. “This restriction is set due to the number of current deliveries to the Czech Republic,” Distributor spokesman Martin Nesrsta explained to Radiožurnál. “We prepared for the increased pressure, both in setting parameters for the operation of the website and for the operation of the customer line. Although the risk always exists, we will do our best to ensure that the ordering process is ongoing, “he added. The single-dose vaccine was shown to have a...
The Czech Republic reported its lowest daily tally of new COVID-19 cases since September on Monday, the same day a six-month state of emergency expired and many pupils return to the classroom. The central European country was badly hit by the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Czech government managed to slow the spread of infections by imposing its toughest lockdown yet. Students in grades 1-5 were set to return to school on Monday and restrictions on movement eased with people allowed once more to travel outside their home districts. The government has kept non-essential shops, restaurants and sport and entertainment centres shut almost continuously since October, except for a brief re-opening in December that was quickly reversed amid another surge in COVID-19 cases. Czech students have faced the longest school closures in the European Union. The state is looking to take a slower approach to relaxing measures this time, hoping to avoid a need to return to lockdowns that could punish the economy, which remains buoyed by factories still running under mandatory worker testing. The health ministry recorded 976 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, the first daily tally below 1,000 since September. The official death toll has...
Nearly 47% of Czechs say that they are willing to be vaccinated with the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus jab, provided it receives an emergency exemption from health authorities in Prague, a new poll has revealed. The poll, by the STEM/MARK research agency, was conducted in early April and reported by the Czech media over the weekend. The majority of those considering the Russian vaccine are men and the elderly from 60 to 75 years of age – those who are most at risk from complications associated with the virus. The vaccine is also popular with individuals without higher education and those living in small municipalities, according to the survey. Some 53.4% have rejected the Sputnik V option, citing “general distrust” in the efficacy of the immunization and the fact that it lacks the blessing of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The EMA is currently in the process of reviewing the Sputnik V application, however, it seems to be in no hurry despite the shortage of coronavirus jabs within the 27-member bloc. This prompted some EU member states, such as Austria, to consider purchasing Sputnik V without the watchdog’s approval. On Saturday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced that negotiations to acquire the Russian...
Czech Health Minister Petr Arenberger said on Saturday that the restriction on outdoor meetings would be kept in place even when the state of emergency ends on Monday, April 12. “It is better from a medical standpoint to keep the rule that only a maximum of two people (except those from one household0 can meet together inside or outside,” confirmed Arenberger. The statement comes ahead of the planned easing of coronavirus restrictions on Monday, which, for example, includes the possibility for up to 20 people meeting outside and 10 people meeting in inside spaces. The government is due to discuss his proposal on Monday afternoon. The Interdisciplinary Group on Epidemic Situations (MeSES), led by epidemiologist and member of the Government Council Petr Smejkal, pointed out that allowing up to 10 people inside and 20 outside “can be an epidemic risk”. Smejkal considers gatherings restrictions to be one of the most effective measures against the spread of the coronavirus. Protests of sports organizations Sports organizations are unpleasantly surprised by the quick turnaround. The Czech Sports Union (ČUS) calls on the government to mitigate the impact of gatherings restrictions on children and young people. “We call on the Ministry of Health and...
Police officers in Hradec Králové were left stunned after a local man surrendered a pink Soviet T-34 tank and a self-propelled gun as part of the country’s weapon amnesty. “When we filmed a video on gun amnesty and said with exaggeration that [we will accept even a] tank, we didn’t expect it to inspire the people [to do so]. We present some of surrendered [items]: an SD-100 artillery and a T-34-85 tank,” the police said on its Facebook page. But a man from Hradec Kralove region did confess to the police that he owned a Soviet T-34/85 tank and an SD-100 self-propelled artillery gun, which was made in the Czech Republic in accordance with the Soviet designs. The unnamed collector of historic weaponry has been in possession of the hardware since the 1990s. He believed he owned the tank and the artillery platform legally, but wasn’t sure if they had been properly deactivated. The police said that the menacing guns were harmless but still found some inconsistencies in their deactivation with the current rules. The man was given time to fix those issues so that he could keep the military vehicles in his garage. No explanation has been provided...
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has repeatedly refuted the allegation that he was an agent for the Communist Secret Police back in the 1980s. A discovery by the Slovak National Memory Institute (ÚPN) has presented evidence to the Bratislava regional court that Babiš was indeed an agent of the StB. Babiš has sued the UPN and has also been entangled in lawsuits regarding that matter for the past nine years disputing claims that he was a member of the Communist Secret Police. A statistical card in archives of the UPN shows Babiš was given the designation of “agent” and also the code name “Bureš” as far back as Nov. 11, 1982. The evidence against Babiš is significant as it indicates when he joined the StB as an informant in Bratislava and that he joined on a voluntary basis monitoring employees of foreign trade companies as part of the economic counterintelligence department. Evidence from the institute indicates that Babiš was suspended from cooperation with the Secret Police in 1988 after being away in Morocco on business. The records show that he only returned after the democratic revolution in 1989. Babiš has been accused of enriching himself and his businesses from being...
“A private celebration in a restaurant is still not possible, but a home party with up to ten people wearing face masks could take place from next week,” says at a press conference on Friday the new Minister of Health Petr Arenberger (ANO). “If, for example, you host a party at home, you have a big apartment and you invite ten people, you should wear face masks,” said Arenberger. When asked about celebrations in restaurants, he replied that “restaurants are closed and it would be necessary to wait until the epidemic situation develops in a more favorable way.” The Interdisciplinary Group for Epidemic Situations, led by epidemiologist Petr Smejkal, warns of the risk of organizing at-home parties. “I don’t understand why private parties, celebrations, and similar events should be given higher priority than schools, small businesses, and services,” said Jan Kulveit, Czech senior research scholar at the Future of Humanity Institute, a multidisciplinary research institute at the University of Oxford, in England. However, Arenberger called for people to continue to try to meet as little as possible. “The fact that the state of emergency will cease to apply on Monday does not mean that the virus has also disappeared.” The...
Mandatory vaccinations for pre-school children in the Czech Republic have been backed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in a landmark ruling. The case was lodged by families in the Czech Republic who had children refused admission to pre-school or had been fined for refusing to vaccinate their children, in some instances dating back to 2003. The ECHR said it found no violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, rebuffing the parents’ complaints that the government had violated their rights. While all the cases pre-dated the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of routine vaccinations in children has faced increasing challenges due the spread of the virus. That landmark ruling is the first from the ECHR on compulsory vaccinations against childhood diseases, with the judges backing Czech legislation by 16 to 1. ‘The… measures could be regarded as being “necessary in a democratic society”‘ the court said, adding: ‘The objective has to be that every child is protected against serious diseases, through vaccination or by virtue of herd immunity.’ ‘The Court found that the measures complained of by the applicants, when assessed in the national context, had struck a fair balance with the aims pursued by the Czech State, i.e. protection...
Do Prace Na Kole is a friendly competition that aims to motivate as many people as possible to use a bike as a regular urban means of transportation. The ‘competition’ will place during the month of May and is organized by the independent NGO, Auto*Mat. You don’t need to be a biker to participate: walking, running, and skating to work are also welcome. The main point is to ditch cars and other motorized vehicles. Due to the state of emergency, the organizers decided to adjust the rules of the competition, so it is possible to count trips not only to the workplace. People can compete with others from across the Czech Republic either as an individual or as part of a team in categories such as frequency of travel by bike/foot, total distance covered, longest commute, and others. Teams can compete in the following categories: regularity, performance, cyclo-employer of the year, cyclo-measure, and creativity. The regularity category is self-explanatory; it’s about the frequency of going to work on a bike. If you go by bike every day, you have a great chance of winning! Performance is a distance competition for individuals so if you live close to work but still want...
“The requirement to wear face masks outside will most likely be lifted during the summer months,” said today on CNN Prima News the new Minister of Health, Petr Arenberger. The government wants to revise the rules so that face coverings do not need to be worn while in public if a safe distance can be maintained. Arenberger also explained the next steps to tackle the pandemic in the country. “We agree that getting children back to school is a priority. In addition, parents should be able to buy clothes, and shoes for their kids in stores,” he added. Regarding the face masks, Arenberberg cited Germany as an example, where last summer most states required residents to wear face masks or coverings only in shops, grocery stores, and shopping malls, as well as on local public transportation. Berlin was the only state where masks were not required in shops and supermarkets, but rather “strongly recommended.” “A similar system could work here as well,” Arenberger said. In February, the Ministry of Health ordered the wearing of KN95 or FFP2 type respirators, and nano-filtered face masks in public transport and other public places. Homemade cloth masks, including bandanas and the like, are officially...
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