Czech Republic Records 7,889 New Cases of COVID-19, Highest Since Mid-November

The Czech Republic reported 7,889 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, which is about 2000 more than a week ago. Of the nearly 30,000 tests, 27 percent were positive.

In total, 594,148 cases have been detected since the pandemic started. There are 67,480 active cases currently. The number of hospitalized patients has again climbed to 4,632 after falling by around half from a peak of more than 8,000 in early November.

The PES score grew five points to 71, which corresponds to the fourth degree. The highest score is registered in the Zlín Region (81), followed by Olomouc Region (78), Vysočina, Hradec Králové and Moravian-Silesian Regions (76).

Antigen testing

The Czech government will start free Covid-19 antigen testing for the public from today, Wednesday, December 16th.

The PM Andrej Babiš said that 5,200 general practitioners, 6,000 dentists, and 9,000 outpatient specialists could potentially be involved in the testing.

The free Covid testing will be conducted at around 2,000 places, including existing testing centres and doctors’ surgeries.

New restrictions

Stricter measures will come into effect this Friday as the Czech Republic. Restaurants, hotels, and gyms will close, but shops, services, and ski resorts can remain open. A curfew will apply between 11 pm and 5 am, and a maximum of six people can gather in a group.