Former Czech Minister of Health Roman Prymula became an external consultant for Agel group, a private healthcare provider owned by Tomáš Chrenek. Agel group confirmed cooperation with Prymula to Czech Television. Prymula told the broadcaster that he would not comment on his private activities. Agel comprises the Avenier company, which currently distributes vaccines of the American firm Moderna and has also won the tender for the distribution of vaccines from the American corporation Johnson & Johnson. Avenier may be in charge of the distribution of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V as well. The possibility of cooperation between the Czech firm and the Russian pharmaceutical sector was mentioned by Roscongress, a development institution which serves as a platform for the promotion of Russian national interests beyond its borders. “The potential partner for the execution of the delivery, distribution, and vaccination by the drug Sputnik V is the company Avenier, a.s.,” was stated in a Roscongress press release back in March. According to Czech Radio, technical specifications of the Russian vaccine were discussed by the Czech embassy in Moscow. Nonetheless, Martin Nesrsta, representative of Avenier, denied the possibility of distribution of Sputnik V by the company. “Usage of any coronavirus vaccines is...
The Czech Communist Party’s leadership has voted to withdraw support for the minority cabinet led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis, two senior party sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The vote means that Babis’s coalition government loses its parliamentary majority six months ahead of an election but does not pose an immediate threat to its survival. The Communists are not formally part of the ruling coalition but have lent it their support in parliament. With the election looming, they have sought to distance themselves from the cabinet, which has refused to back some of their requests, such as a reduction in military spending. A spokeswoman for the Communist Party said that chairman Vojtech Filip would meet Babis on Wednesday to discuss their future relationship. Even if Communist lawmakers support any future vote of no-confidence, the coalition – comprising Babis’s ANO party and the Social Democrats – might still survive as opposition parties have spoken against toppling it so near to an election. They also fear such a move would hand power to President Milos Zeman to appoint a new government. Zeman wants to speed up a tender for a new nuclear power station and says Russia should be invited to take...
Everli, the European marketplace for online grocery shopping, is currently entering the Czech Republic’s market, after having operated in Prague on test mode. Everli is in collaboration with various big-name supermarkets, such as Albert, Billa, Kaufland, Globus and Tesco. The company promises to deliver customers’ purchases to their doorsteps within an hour of their initial orders. Moreover, Everli aims to help retailers transition to an online environment. Last year, the company’s sales almost reached $130 million, with its international branches making up 20% of the orders. “We are proud to have played a role in helping many people during these difficult times, but we are only getting started, as this industry will never be the same again. The shift to online delivery is not disappearing, and expectations on all sides are only increasing. We have built a model which we believe offers unparalleled value to customers even in less urban areas. Retailers, on the one hand, reach a completely new consumer base,” said Federico Sargenti, Everli’s CEO. According to the company, their logistics model allows for high scalability, because the service pays off in areas with lower population density in addition to large cities – ultimately catering for both sides....
According to data from the Czech Statistical Office, over 4000 people died in February alone. The ministry believes thousands of people are dying from the virus every month. Still, compared to January, covid-related deaths fell by two and a half thousand. The Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) looked at data from a five-year period of 2015-2019 and determined that February was about 36 percent higher than the average number of deaths in the Czech Republic pre-pandemic. The country’s death toll was the highest in January of this year where it reached over 51 percent higher than the five-year average previously recorded with 15,900 reported dead. The report also found that the region with the highest increase in deaths was Karlovy Vary which lost almost three times as many people more than usual. “The February number of deaths was higher than in the average of 2015–2019 in all regions, but while in the Vysočina Region and the Zlín Region only by one and four percent, respectively, in the Karlovy Vary Region by an extreme 168 percent,” said Michaela Němečková from the CZSO. In the Karlovy Vary region, 837 died in February alone, up from the 312 monthly average before the pandemic. The...
Plans to launch a Prague – Dresden – Berlin – Amsterdam – Brussels night train services have been unveiled by established Czech open access operator RegioJet and newly-formed Dutch overnight train co-operative European Sleeper. “We’re planning to start at the beginning of the 2022 season,” says Chris Engelsmann from European Sleeper. European Sleeper is partnering with the private Czech rail operation RegioJet, which will be providing the actual sleeper cars. Meanwhile, another company, Moon Light Express of Belgium, is also planning an overnight connection from Brussels to Berlin. It, too, is scheduled to kick off in spring 2022. Passengers will be able to choose between seating cars and sleeping compartments. “We’d like to have a dining car,” says the Dutchman, though it probably won’t be economically feasible. Nevertheless, food and drinks will be on offer as in other RegioJet trains. Free coffee and internet will be part of the package – as on other RegioJet trains. European Sleeper and RegioJet will share the economic risk, Engelsman said. Running a night train is a high-cost undertaking as state-owned operators charge high track and station fees. The plan to open this new connection is also part of RegioJet strong expansion in the...
Two ministers are due to end up in government on Wednesday. According to CNN Prima NEWS, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) plans to dismiss both the Ministry of Health, Jan Blatný, and the Minister of Education, Robert Plaga. The rumor was confirmed to the editors by two credible sources. Blatný should be replaced by Petr Arenberger, director of the University Hospital in Prague-Vinohrady. Karel Rais, member of the Chamber of Deputies, and rector of the Brno University of Technology from 2006 to 2014, should be the new Minister of Education. The PM has been increasingly critical of Mr. Blatný’s performance in office, particularly over poor communication. A number of leading experts have also left the ministry under Jan Blatný. Blatný has clashed with the Prime Minister and President Milos Zeman on the prospect of using the Russian Sputnik V vaccine without the approval of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Babiš also had problems with the Minister of Education for a long time, annoyed that during the coronavirus crisis, Plaga was allegedly not supporting teachers and parents. The government’s back-and-forth approach to coronavirus measures has taken a toll on the Czechs. “Many people are fed up and tired of the political...
According to the Minister of the Interior Jan Hamáček (ČSSD), if the coronavirus epidemic develops favorably, shops, services, and restaurant gardens may be allowed to reopen at the end of April. “The exact schedule should be provided by the Ministry of Health. I reckon that at the end of April, provided everything goes well, services, shops restaurant terraces could start to open. A number of activities will gradually start to be allowed. But that is my private estimate,” said Hamáček. “Masks and respirators will probably stay with us for a long time. Mandatory respirators have been one of the major factors contributing to the recent decline in COVID-19 cases, as the protection of the wearer is significantly higher,” he added. Among the restrictions that became effective on March 1, people have been banned from traveling to other counties unless they go to work or have to take care of relatives. In the Czech Republic, a hard lockdown has been in place since the beginning of March. So far, the government has announced the partial opening of schools and kindergartens, as well as the end of restrictions on movement. The government will meet in the afternoon to decide on plans to...
The consultation group of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, which consists of representatives of schools, opposed Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s criticism of the plan to partially return children to schools from April 12. According to the group, the plan was discussed, among other things, by the Government Council for Health Risks, which Babiš personally participated in. April 11 is likely to mark the final day of the state of emergency in the Czech Republic. All schools, with the exception of schools for children of paramedics, firefighters, or police officers, have been closed in the country since March 1. From April 12, however, children from the first grade of primary schools will return to offline learning, and preschoolers will go to kindergartens. During the first weeks, primary school pupils should expect rotational learning: they will learn distantly and at schools alternately every week. Prime Minister Babiš told in an interview with Český rozhlas on Friday that he did not comprehend why only a part of children would return to schools and kindergartens. He also criticized the proposal of the expert group under the Ministry of Health to open schools according to the pandemic situation in individual districts. The consultation group of...
The EU Commission has just proposed what it calls a Digital Green Certificate to open up travel in the continent before summer. The idea is to facilitate safe free travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the information expected to be found on the proposed Digital Green Certificate include whether travelers have been vaccinated, whether they have COVID immunity already, or whether they’ve had a recent PCR test amongst. The proposition comes at a time when the EU vaccination scheme is being heavily criticized for slow roll-outs, export controls, and supply problems. EU opens a proposal to recognize the certificates issued by third countries provided that they reflect the same level of information and trustworthiness as their own. This is perfectly doable because many of the countries use EMA-approved vaccines. Once the EU moves into this recognition of certificates issued by third countries, inevitably they would have to revisit also the question of its guidance for non-essential travel from third countries. Content of the “Digital Green Certificate” According to Art. 2 No. 2 of the “Digital Green Certificate” Regulation (DGC-E), the “Digital Green Certificate” is an interoperable attestation of the holder’s vaccination, testing, or recovery status in connection with COVID-19....
Prague airport today celebrates 84 years of its existence. The Václav Havel Airport in Prague, formerly called Ruzyně, started operation this week in 1937. Beginnings of the airport: 1932−1937 The history of the airport dates back to 1929, when the proposal of the then Czechoslovak government on the construction of a new airport was adopted. The construction of the airport started in July 1932 with minimal use of machines so that the construction could help to reduce unemployment during the crisis. The construction was completed on 1 March 1937 and the airport was immediately described by foreign experts as one of the largest in Europe. Its modern and timeless terminal became a model for many other new airports across Europe. The first aircraft landed at the new airport on 5 April 1937 at 9 a.m. It was a Douglas DC-2 travelling on the Piešťany – Zlín – Brno – Prague route. This landing was the official start of operations of the brand-new airport Prague-Ruzyně. The first international aeroplane on the Vienna – Prague – Berlin route landed in Prague one hour later. The war years: 1940–1945 During the occupation and World War 2, the airport was operated by the military...
On Sunday evening, April 4, the Prague police intervened to break up an illegal party in one apartment in the city center. It was attended by 56 people, mainly foreign students. “We received a call around 8 pm about a party on the top floor of an apartment located at Vojtěšská street. Organizers were being identified as the party ended while some participants were taken to police stations,” said police spokesman Yar Rybansky. Police officers found small quantities of drugs (marijuana and methamphetamine). They will have to answer for this offense within the framework of a separate administrative case. In the past few weeks police have increased controls of the measures imposed. The curfew between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. is still in place, while the State of Emergency will officially terminate at midnight, April 11, 2021.
The epidemic must be defeated by a symbiosis of science and faith, one cannot exist without the other, said Czech cardinal and Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka. “Faith without knowledge is not faith and can turn into fanaticism, which then helps no one. But if science exists without any faith, it only becomes a technique that also will not help,” said Duka. According to the cardinal, people’s attitudes towards the pandemic have changed significantly in the past year, with many people currently exploiting it. “Commerce and competition enter even into medicine. And that is why we feel frustrated,” said the cardinal, stressing that no one should seek social or political profit from this situation. According to him, thanks to the pandemic, people show their true selves. We can see both great and selfless people, as well as human misery, envy, and hatred. However, Duka pointed out that despite everything, prayers did not disappear from people’s lives. The cardinal appreciated the use of modern technologies that help bring prayer to homes, even though he does not consider online masses a full-fledged substitute. “God is also with people who do not go to church. The emptiness will allow us to feel that...
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