Shops and Restaurants, Get Ready, “You Will Probably Open on Monday”

After more than a month, shops, and restaurants will most likely open on Monday, November 30. The news was announced by the Minister of Health Jan Blatný in an interview for Seznam Zprávy on Tuesday evening.

Blatný emphasizes that the final decision will not be taken until Sunday’s extraordinary government meeting, but he considers “it will happen very likely, so shops, restaurants and public services should get ready.”

“The health situation is improving. All shops and service establishments will open at once, but still with some restrictions,” he added.

“We follow the anti-epidemic system PES, and if its score dropped to the level of 60 or lower on Sunday, then we can we move to the third level.”

At level number three, the restaurants will have to be closed from 22:00 to 06:00 and a maximum of four guests will be allowed to sit at one table. In retail and libraries, there will be a limit of 1 person per 15 square meter.

“Everything will be open under strict hygiene measures, including the number of people per square meter. It is clear that the contacts between people will increase, therefore the slowdown in the epidemic will delay.”

Besides that, the two-meter spacing between customers should be maintained in shopping centers, while dining and children’s corners will continue to be closed.

Catering establishments in the areas of dining corners in shopping centers, the so-called food courses, will be allowed to function as dispensing windows and sell food to customers as take away dishes without a possibility to consume in the shopping centers.

All but essential shops have been closed since October 22, when former Health Minister Roman Prymula announced a tightening of restrictions to reduce the spread of Coronavirus.

The Czech Republic reported 4,377 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. In total, 496,638 cases have been detected since the pandemic started. There are 83,296 active cases currently.

The Health Ministry said hospitals may start gradually returning to providing suspended non-urgent care already during this week thanks to fewer patients and fewer infected personnel.

Schools

On Wednesday, November 25th, full-time classes resume for the final years of secondary schools and the fourth years of conservatories.

As of November 30th, other students will return on a rotating basis. “Elementary art schools can return to one-on-one lessons from next week in the fourth level of PES, as well as language schools. Limited mode tests will also be possible.