Czech Republic To Be On New “Dark Red” Zone, With Stricter Travel Restrictions

EU officials have created a new category and level of risk for countries in Europe, according to how impacted the country is by the Covid-19 virus.

In light of the past weeks, new strains of the virus have emerged, and on top of that, there are dilemmas impeding the faster distribution of vaccines.

This has been a decisive factor for the relevant authorities to create the ‘dark red zone’ category.

President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen has said, “We propose that a newly introduced category of dark red zone would show that in this zone the virus is circulating at a very high level”.

“Persons traveling from dark red areas could be required to do a test before departure, as well as to undergo quarantine after arrival.”

“And in view of the very serious health situation, all non-essential travel should be strongly discouraged – both within the country and of course across borders. At the same time, it is absolutely essential to keep the single market functioning.”

This category has been added to the already existing green, orange, and red zones. The color system is based on a map created by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), and it’s been based on public health data that has been provided by each European Member State.

The aforementioned ‘dark red zone’ countries are the worst-hit countries by the pandemic, with the highest rate of infection. Dark-red zone areas also imply that the new strain of the virus has been detected in the particular country, specifically the new strain of Covid-19 which emerged in Britain.

The Czech Republic has already been marked as a dark-red zone as of the 24 of January 2021, since the Czech Republic is documented as the second most affected country in the European Union.

Dark-red zone countries will have tighter and stricter travel restrictions, with officials and leaders condoning traveling abroad, unless it’s for work or the export/import of goods.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, has spoken on behalf of the leaders of EU member states and has said that they deem it necessary to restrict travel which is not deemed necessary.

“We are convinced that, when it comes to travel that is not necessary, restrictions should be considered”, Michel said.

Press Conference following #EUCO VTC on coronavirus https://t.co/1DZsTVLyza

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 21, 2021