Czechia

Czech Republic Reports 3,493 Coronavirus Cases, Highest Daily Increase

The Czech Republic recorded 3,493 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest daily count since the global pandemic reached the country in March, data by the Health Ministry showed on Friday. The overall number of confirmed cases grew to 74,255, where 678 people have died in connection with the illness. September was by far the worst month. The number of all infected went up by more than 46,000 from 24,616 to 70,771, according to government figures released Thursday. A month ago, only 172 virus patients were being treated in hospitals and 35 were in intensive care wards. “We have quite a robust health care system,” said Petr Smejkal, chief epidemiologist at the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague. “But the bottleneck of the system is not the ventilators and the machines. The bottleneck is the staff.” Read: Prymula: “I Will Suggest Introducing a New State of Emergency” According to Czech news server iDNES.cz, from Monday, October 5 the attendance limit for events will be reduced to 10 people at indoor venues and 20 people at outdoor venues. The measures will mainly affect culture and sports events. From next week, high schools in regions with a higher risk of...

 by Prague Morning Oct 02, 2020

Could “Hot Beer” Replace Mulled Wine This Winter?

Staropramen, the second-biggest brewery in the Czech Republic, will test the sale of a hot beer in winter, according to iRozhlas.cz. “It could replace mulled wine”, said the director of the brewery Zdenek Havlena. The beer is produced in the Pardubice brewery, which the company bought a year ago. According to Havlena, the range of beers in pubs have decreased due to coronavirus. This special hot beer aims to rectify some of this loss. “We want to test the product at selected Christmas markets. It is an alternative drink that can complement the classic pre-Christmas svařák and punch,” he added. Due to the virus restrictions in the spring, restaurants reduced the range of beers in their operations, in some cases by as much as half. According to Havlena, specials beers will begin to return to the menu when beer consumption rises to pre-pandemic values. However, “the company does not plan to narrow its portfolio in the future, which includes import specials Hoegaarden or Leffe.” In the future, the company expects an increase in mainly non-alcoholic beers and the so-called beer mixes – i.e drinks based on radlers (shandy in English) with lemonade flavours. Despite the coronavirus pandemic slashing Prague’s beer...

 by Sian Bradley Oct 01, 2020

Sex and Coronavirus: Prymula Allows Sex But Only With Proven Partner

In the attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the Czech Republic, a set of new restrictions were announced this month by the government. Last week Minister of Health, Roman Prymula, took to his Twitter account to reveal the extra measures that would be imposed. After one user asked on Twitter whether sex is still permitted, Prymula replied: “These activities are allowed, but only with a proven partner.” This led many users to speculate on whether Prymula’s Twitter account was a parody account. However, the “new rule” was later confirmed on the same day in an interview with journalists. Prior to this, the minister spoke about reducing the number of group gatherings and gave a British example where the current limit is set at six people in total. Prymula also mentioned that a milder option for the Czech Republic would be 10 to 20 people. The sex restriction rule is already in the works in places such as the Netherlands and Manchester, UK. Despite a clear invasion of privacy, the British government has strongly advised people to participate in sexual relations “within one household.” According to Monday’s news in the local press, the British public were told not to invite visitors...

 by Shadia Oseni Oct 01, 2020

Czech Election Starts With Drive-Ins

Thousands of Czechs quarantining at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic were allowed to vote at drive-in polling stations on Wednesday in a regional and upper house election which comes amid a surge in infections in the country. A total of 80 specially-adapted centers have been set up across the country. There are two drive-in centers in Prague. Members of the armed forces are on hand to lend assistance to the poll workers, who will wear protective suits to limit the risk of contagion. In order to cast a vote at a drive-in center, the voter must bring proof of identification as well as the permission slip proving they are in quarantine. This weekend’s regional election could be an early gauge of support for Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s handling of the second wave of the virus. Support for his party in opinion polls has ticked lower amid criticism over his perceived reluctance to bring back tough measures and other policy inconsistencies hurting public trust. While the election for regional governments and a third of seats in parliament’s upper house Senate is likely to draw only weak turnout, it could begin to signal some new alliances forming before a parliamentary election...

 by Prague Morning Oct 01, 2020

Czech Citizen Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Stealing a Vibrator

A regional court in the Czech town of Novy Jičin has sentenced a man referred to as Lubomir S to two years in prison for stealing a vibrator worth 499 CZK. According to iDNES.cz, such a harsh verdict was delivered because the crime was committed during the state of emergency, a time where liability for committing crimes is greatly increased. In normal times, the 33-year-old man would face a maximum of three years for stealing a sex toy. However, the state of emergency raised the maximum punishment to eight years in prison. Prosecutor Magda Dobrovolná addressed the court: “The defendant took the vibrator from the shelf and hid it under his jacket. At the checkout, he paid only for other small purchases. He knew that he was committing theft and knew that there was a state of emergency in the country.” The court’s decision was also influenced by the criminal history of Lubomir S. He has been previously bought to justice 23 times, mainly for property crimes. The defence did not agree with the verdict. The lawyer argued that the threat of real prison time is excessive since the theft of a vibrator – even during a state of emergency...

 by Sian Bradley Sep 30, 2020

Prymula: “Concerts Are Canceled, Sports Without Spectators”

On Tuesday evening, the Minister of Health Roman Prymula (ANO) revealed further details about the planned restrictive measures aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus. According to Czech news server iDNES.cz, from Monday, October 5 the attendance limit for events will be reduced to 10 people at indoor venues and 20 people at outdoor venues. The measures will mainly affect culture and sports events. From next week, high schools in regions with a higher risk of infection are also likely to close for 14 days. “The reason we are considering a state of emergency is an “unexpected epidemiological situation”. Without the necessary measures, the capacity of hospitals could be jeopardized at the end of October. Almost 1,700 paramedics are currently infected, (400 doctors and 700 nurses, ed.), said Prymula. Read: Prymula: “I Will Suggest Introducing a New State of Emergency” All professional sporting events will take place behind closed doors. In amateur sports, there can be a maximum of 10 players in each team. Prymula stressed that large music concerts will be canceled. “On the other hand, ordinary theater performances, plays, and ballet can take place regularly,” said the minister. Visitors to theatres and cinemas do not have to keep...

 by Prague Morning Sep 30, 2020

Prymula: “I Will Suggest Introducing a New State of Emergency”

The Minister of Health Roman Prymula (ANO) will suggest introducing a new state of emergency at the next government meeting

 by Prague Morning Sep 28, 2020
czech-beer-day 2021

Thousands of Pubs Participate in Czech Beer Festival to Celebrate St. Wenceslas

Dozens of breweries and microbreweries across the nation are shaking up their menu to celebrate the ‘Days of Czech Beer festival’. The Union of Breweries and Malt Houses established the Dny českého piva in honour of St. Wenceslas. This year, breweries have organized free tours of their production for guests and meeting with brewers and beer experts. The promotion will last until September 30. St. Wenceslas Day, the 28th of September, is a national holiday, celebrating Václav I’s legacy of helping unify Bohemia. But he is also considered the patron saint of beer. “We believe that Czech Beer Days will help encourage people to go out more often and taste their favorite beer. We know that people’s favourite pubs, especially in smaller towns and villages, are the center of social and cultural life,” František Šámal, chairman of the ČSPS, said in a press release. “Our goal is to support the consumption of draft beer, as well as to remind everyone about the uniqueness of the Czech beer tradition. It is part of the cultural heritage, part of our national identity,” added Šamal. Aside from specialty beers, some venues will serve wild boar with rosehip sauce, a traditional Czech meal that...

 by Sian Bradley Sep 28, 2020

Czech Republic to Buy Four Israeli Aerial Defense Batteries

The Czech Republic has signed a deal with Israel to purchase a new air defense system from a state-owned defense contractor, the Defense Ministry said. The ministry announced Saturday night that the long-discussed sale had been signed for the SPYDER, a low- to high-altitude surface-to-air missile system. According to the manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, the system is “designed to counter attacks by a variety of aerial threats including aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.” The Czech defense ministry expects the deal to be worth some 10 billion CZK ($430 million) and to be finalized early in 2021 and to be finalized early in 2021, with the delivery coming two years later. The Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed the agreement would be “valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.” Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said the Israeli system would be key to modernizing the Czech armed forces. It would replace an obsolete anti-aircraft Soviet-era 2K12 KUB system to defend military and civilian centers such as industrial hubs, nuclear power plants, airports and other important facilities. “We thank the Czech government for their partnership and for the decision to equip their military with Israeli air defense systems. This is another significant step in...

 by Prague Morning Sep 28, 2020

Health Minister: “Social Gatherings of More Than 20 Could be Banned”

The official announcement is expected to be released on Wednesday or Friday.

 by Prague Morning Staff Sep 27, 2020

First Snow Falls in the Šumava Mountains

The first snow of this winter in the Czech Republic fell around the village of Kvilda in the Šumava mountain range in the southwest of the country on Friday night, Blesk.cz reported. According to pictures from webcams, snowfalls were recorded as well at Bučina, Březník, Luzný and Klínovec in the Ore Mountains, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute informed on Facebook. Snowfall on mountain tops is not uncommon in Europe during this period of the year. Parts of Switzerland, Austria, and Germany were also surprised by unseasonably early snowfall overnight, after a sharp drop in temperatures and heavy precipitation. The Swiss meteorological agency said Saturday that the town of Montana, in the southern canton (state) of Valais, experienced 25 centimeters of snowfall — a new record for this time of year. In parts of Austria, snowfall was recorded as low as 550 meters (1,805 feet) above sea level. Meteorologists expect no more snowing in the coming days due to less precipitation and higher temperatures.

 by Prague Morning Sep 26, 2020

Prymula: “New Restriction to be Introduced Next Week”

New cases reached 2,913 on Thursday, the second-highest figure on record. Hospitalisations rose to 670, out of which 131 people were in serious condition. The number of active cases stands at 30,425. During today’s press conference, the Minister of Health Roman Prymula stated that further restrictions will be introduced next week, regarding mainly leisure activities. “The growth in the number of new infections from last week was stopped, we got under three thousand daily cases. Compared to last week, we do not see such dramatic growth,” said Roman Prymula. However, he admitted that the epidemic in the Czech Republic is growing, compared to the situation with Israel, Great Britain, France, or Spain. “The number of people in need of lung ventilation and the number of deaths is increasing. If the disease will spread more among the elderly, we must expect a higher mortality rate,” he added. “The share of patients in the risk group 65 plus is growing, the increase is almost two hundred percent,” described Prymula. Prymula added that the number of employees at call centers was increased from 600 to 850. “We want everyone who is positive to receive timely information. Within 48 hours, everyone should know the...

 by Prague Morning Sep 25, 2020

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