From Monday, the Czech Republic should move to the fourth stage of the anti-epidemic system PES, confirmed the Minister of Industry and Transport Karel Havlíček (ANO) in an interview with CNN Prima News. However, the government is likely to grant some exemptions and wants to keep shops and some services such as hairdressers open. According to the Minister, the closure of restaurants and hotels can be expected from Friday, December 18. If hotels and restaurants need to close again, “they will receive a compensation package,” added Havlíček. He also commented on the regulation prohibiting the drinking of coffee or tea in a cup in public. “It’s our fault if we didn’t communicate it clearly. If someone is at work and wants to go for coffee, they can buy it at a restaurant and take it with them. We just do not want widespread consumption.” “Our measures are trying to protect health. Covid is spreading much faster than we expected,” he added. Czech PES (Protiepidemický Systém) score rises to 71 on Sunday, which is equivalent to the fourth of five levels of risk alertness. If the risk score remains at a value at a lower level for seven days consecutively, then...
Czech PES (Protiepidemický Systém) score rises to 71 on Sunday. The Czech Republic reported 3,655 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and continuing a trend of showing a weekly rise in infections. However, people are already showing considerable reluctance to respect restrictions measures. On Wednesday, 23 restaurants and cafes remained open for two more hours after 20:00 in protest against the COVID-19 measures. The police came, for example, to Malý Janek restaurant in Jince in Příbram, to Šeberák pub in Prague and to U Rady in Ostrava. People who spent time in these facilities after 8 pm can face a fine of 20,000 CZK. Legal entities cannot be fined according to current legal norms. In total, the police carried out 4,189 inspections of restaurants and bars. Opponents of government measures met in front of the Janáček Theater in Brno on Saturday. According to the demonstrators, all the restriction measures are pointless. “There is no medical reason for it, it’s just politics and ruining our budget. Our children will bounce it off. And the government still has the audacity to offer us some bonds for Christmas,” said Jiří K. This week, the Czech Ministry of Finance shared a video with a...
Ever since employees of the US state of Utah spotted a strange monolith in the Utah desert in November, many more have appeared and disappeared across the United States and Europe, while skipping the Czech Republic – until one appeared in Otrokovice near Zlín on Saturday. As Blesk.cz reports, “people are already taking pictures of it and becoming a local attraction”. No one claimed responsibility for the installation. A shining metal object, the monolith seems right out of a science-fiction plot and has sparked a flurry of memes and even conspiracy theories on social media. The first monolith was spotted by a helicopter crew counting bighorn sheep in Utah on November 18. The appearance of the object sparked wild rumours of alien visitations because of its resemblance to the black monolith in the Stanley Kubrick science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Days after it was first spotted, the monolith mysteriously disappeared from the desert in Utah with authorities still speculating how the shimmering, mirrored object was installed at a remote spot in the desert, to begin with. The large monolith was then spotted on Compton Beach on the southwest of the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of...
The staff of Café Prostoru, located in the National Technical Library in Prague, figured out how to get around the government ban that prohibits the sale of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in plastic cups from dispensing widows and street stalls. “The aim is that we do not walk around Christmas markets or on the streets with cups and food in hand,” said Health Minister Jan Blatny. The regulation, however, contains a clause that permits the sale of takeaway drinks can at drive-ins. By law, the goods must be passed directly through the car window. Employees from Café Prostoru parked a car decorated with Christmas lights at the entrance to the cafe and invite customers to sit in the “salon” for a few seconds, get a coffee in the glass through the open window, and continue on foot. Formally, there is no violation of the law. The move prompted Czechs to voice their displeasure in the online comment sections of news websites. “This is a pure mockery,” wrote one internet user. “I don’t have time to sit in the cafe in the morning before work,” complained another. Others responded with sarcasm, with one comment reading, “This will definitely save us...
Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček reckons that starting in January, Czechs will only have to pass an antigen test to be able to travel to the surrounding countries. The same should apply when citizens return to the Czech Republic. “We have already launched negotiations with Slovakia, Austria and Germany. An agreement is very close. Austria, in particular, is in favor of this. However, we expect that the change will take place only after the New Year because, for example, Austria has a lockdown lasting until the tenth of January,” said Petříček. The ministry plans to negotiate a concurrent date with Slovakia and Germany. “In the case of Germany, I am convinced that we will be able to remove the remaining issues so that we can also recognize antigen tests for travel in mid-January. We are working very intensively on this with the Ministry of Health,” added the Czech Foreign Minister. The new procedure would not be fundamentally different from the current one. “In addition to PCR tests, we would also allow the use of antigen tests. For people to be able to travel to neighboring Austria, for example, they would take the test and be allowed to enter the territory...
From Monday, December 14, Czechs can return without any restrictions from France and Greece. Only foreigners who work or study in the Czech Republic for a long time need to submit a COVID-19 test upon arrival from these two countries. As of Monday of November 9th, 2020 there is in force a new Ministry of Health Protective Measure which regulates the entry of persons to the Czech Republic. The consequent epidemiological measures and restrictions are applicable both to the Czech citizens returning to the Czech Republic and to all foreign nationals. Countries are divided into three categories: green, orange, and red. Green – travelers from these countries (both foreign nationals and Czech citizens) may enter without the obligation to fill in the Public Health Passenger Locator Form and without the obligation to undergo the PCR test or quarantine. Orange – travelers from these countries may enter without the obligation to fill in the Public Health Passenger Locator Form. Those foreign nationals traveling to the Czech Republic for work or study purposes are be obliged to submit a negative PCR test result prior to entry to the workplace or an educational institution in the Czech Republic. This applies only to foreign nationals....
Seznam.cz, the Czech Republic’s leading home-grown web search platform, said on Thursday it had claimed 9.072 billion crowns in damages from Google, alleging that the U.S. giant restricted competition. Seznam said Google abused a dominant position on the Czech market with licensed operating systems and application stores for smart devices equipped with Android operating system. A spokeswoman for Google, a unit of Alphabet, said it could not comment as it had not yet received the claim. “Based on the European Commission’s decision back in 2018 which confirmed that Google was in breach with EU antitrust rules, we claim the compensation of damage that we have suffered while trying to distribute our applications and services via mobile devices with Android operation system,” Seznam deputy chairman Pavel Zima said. Google has rejected assertions that it unfairly favours its own services. It says that its users are not locked in and that competition is just one click away on the internet. “Android provides people with unprecedented choice in deciding which applications they install, use and set as default on their devices, and enables millions of app developers around the world to build successful businesses,” Google said. Seznam said the claim, based on the...
Despite the decrease of the anti-epidemic system PES, tourists have yet to start visiting Prague and certain hoteliers have decided to respond to the coronavirus epidemic on their own terms. Offers for long-term renting of hotel rooms that would otherwise stay empty seem to be on the rise. These include rooms situated on Wenceslas Square or in the greater area of the city centre. Smaller low-cost apartments, as well as those on the larger side, have been available for rent. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the cost of rent in the capital city has consistently decreased by a few percentage points, nonetheless, accommodation in Prague still ranks as the most expensive nationwide and accommodation availability continues to be a topic widely discussed by Prague politicians for several years. Hotel chains that have started with long-term renting are bound to shake up the real estate market. During a time when a number of hoteliers have been spending the past few months counting their losses, others, for example, Czech Inn Hotels, have turned to long-term renting. 500 of their rooms have been repurposed for long-term renting, approximately 200 of which have already become occupied. Tourists aren’t returning any time soon According to...
Several pubs around the country protested and defied the start of an earlier closing time that started on Wednesday after the government walked back some of its easier restrictions this week. On Wednesday, 23 restaurants and cafes remained open for two more hours after 20:00 in protest against the COVID-19 measures. “The government has thrown pubs, bars, culture, and services overboard. The Czech Republic is not a dictatorship! From now on, we will defend our rights,” said one of the business operators. And as they might have expected, the police arrived around 8.30 pm. As Novinky.cz reports, the police came, for example, to Malý Janek restaurant in Jince in Příbram, to Šeberák pub in Prague and to U Rady in Ostrava. “At a time when shopping centers are open and crowded, restricting restaurants is irrelevant. It may seem to some that it is only two hours, but for us, these are the most expensive hours of our operation.” People who spent time in these facilities after 8 pm can face a fine of 20,000 CZK. Legal entities cannot be fined according to current legal norms. “We do not agree with the government’s unsystematic restrictions. Although we follow all hygiene measures,...
The Czech lower house on Wednesday approved giving the government an extension of state of emergency powers to December 23, a shorter period than the cabinet sought as it looks to contain rising COVID-19 infections. Daily COVID-19 case tallies are increasing again in the central European country that was among the worst hit in Europe in the autumn. The uptick comes just a week after the government eased some of its restrictions, allowing shops and restaurants to open their doors for the first time since October. The state of emergency is the legal basis for some government measures being used to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, such as limits on assembly or temporarily shutting businesses. PM Andrej Babis’ government had asked for a 30-day extension beyond the current period’s expiry on Dec. 12. A shorter extension put forward by the far-left Communist party, which props up Babis’ minority government, won enough votes. Infections have steadily increased, with the seven-day rolling average rising in the past week. Hospitalisations are above 4,300, also ticking up after steadily falling from a peak of more than 8,000 in early November. Health officials reported 5,848 new infections on Tuesday, the highest since November...
“You still don’t know what to give for Christmas? As a present, a government bond will not only please the recipient but also value your savings.” The Minister of Finance has shared a video with a bizarre recommendation on her Facebook and Twitter accounts. “Christmas is just around the corner, so many of you are thinking about what to put under the tree for your loved ones. If you don’t know yet, I have a tip for you. And don’t worry, it’s not socks, but a bond of the Czech Republic,” she says in the video. At the same time, she advised against using this as a romantic gift: “Gentlemen, I would rather recommend something more personal for your dear halves,” she addressed Czech men. “Bonds are more suitable for parents or friends,” she added. According to the official website of the ministry, accumulative government bonds for 100,000 CZK will bring their owner 6151 CZK in six years
The Czech Republic will not raise its PES score despite the number of new COVID-19 cases slowly growing again, which would lead to the reintroduction of some countermeasures. The only changes that the Czech Republic will see as a result of the epidemiological situation getting worse, are the restrictions on opening hours of restaurants as well as some other minor measures. Food caterings Restaurants, bars, clubs, restaurants in hotels, and similar establishments, including dispensing windows, must not be open after 8 pm. Alcohol The consumption of alcohol in public will be banned, as well as the sale of alcohol at markets. Shops and services For shops and services, nothing will change. The night curfew will not be renewed either, even though the last three days the score in the anti-epidemic system PES reached the fourth level. A proposed amendment to the crisis law envisages raising the fine for individuals from 10 to 50,000 CZK and setting a ceiling of 3 million for legal entities. The government decided to extend the state of emergency by a further 30 days, to January 11th. The request will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies for approval. The cabinet will also discuss measures needed to open ski resorts this month....
Don’t have an account? Register
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
