Hamáček: “Services and Restaurant Terraces Could Reopen at the End of April”

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 re-open schools for some students, easing some lockdown measures.