coronavirus czech Archives – Page 2 of 4

23.00: From Monday, April 27, universities will open for all students.

22.10: The Czech government lifted a ban on its citizens traveling abroad for reasons other than work following an improvement in conditions of the coronavirus outbreak.

21.41: The Czech government will cancel restrictions on free movement as of Friday and allow groups of up to 10 people to meet in public as it scales back measures to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Thursday

21.12: On Friday, the government will ask the Chamber of Deputies to extend the state of emergency until May 25, Hamáček said to ČTK. The state of emergency, set to expire on April 30, gives the government powers to limit people’s movement or close businesses.

20:50: The government did not announce any changes regarding easing the ban on travel abroad apart from business trips and commuting.

Václav Havel Prague Airport remains open for all arrivals and departures. Thanks to this fact, a total of 44 special cargo flights with medical supplies were able to land there since 20 March 2020 when the first aircraft with medical supplies on board landed in Prague.

More than 1,200 tons of medical aid in total has already reached the Czech Republic. The total volume of cargo handled at Prague Airport, including regular cargo routes, has increased by 26.5% year-on-year during this period.

Since 18 March 2020, Prague Airport has also handled a total of 33 arrivals and departures of repatriation flights with passengers on board. More than 3,600 passengers, mostly Czech citizens returning home to their families and loved ones from abroad, have arrived in the Czech Republic aboard those flights.

Moreover, approximately 900 foreign nationals have been able to travel back home from the Czech Republic this way.

“Since the second half of March, important medical supplies have been brought to the Czech Republic via Václav Havel Airport Prague almost daily, confirming the strategic importance of our airport within the transport infrastructure of the country. The flights with medical supplies on board are primarily handled by employees of Prague Airport and its subsidiaries, alongside other handling companies and additional partner organizations, such as the Czech Fire Rescue Service, the Czech Police, the Army of the Czech Republic and the Administration of the State Material Reserves,” Vaclav Rehor, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, said.

For several months, due to the spread of COVID-19, stringent sanitary measures have been applied to both passengers and airport staff who continue to perform their irreplaceable roles in the airport with limited traffic.

The measures have gradually been introduced since the end of January. For example, in places where queues usually form, stickers are placed advising people to keep a safe distance. Check-in counters and information desks continue to use protective screens, which form an effective barrier between the passenger and the employee.

Every passenger on arrival receives a face mask if they are lacking one, together with an information leaflet on mandatory procedures upon arrival from abroad to the Czech Republic. The arrival gates and other passenger check-in areas are regularly disinfected thoroughly.

“Prague Airport has managed to secure a sufficient amount of protective gear and disinfectant on time. Thus, every employee has access to respirators, face masks, gloves and other protective equipment. There are also more than 250 hand sanitizers located throughout the airport. Employees are consistently and regularly trained in the prevention, as well as their family members, for whom we have created and distributed family-friendly leaflets on the prevention of the spread of COVID-19,” Vaclav Rehor stated.

However, regular traffic at Václav Havel Airport Prague continues to decline. Last March, the airport handled approximately 6,015 arrivals and departures, which is a year-on-year decrease of 47.3%.

The city residents are in lockdown and musicians are out of jobs. Music clubs and concert halls will likely stay closed in the coming months.

The music industry joined forces with the Prague City Hall and together they connected players with their audience.

Every Prague citizen can now book a concert online, put a pin on the map – a hospital courtyard, nursing home garden or on any street – and start crowdfunding for tickets. When enough people chip in, the concert takes place.

All musicians follow guidelines crafted and scrutinized by the authorities and professional promoters. Social distancing, face masks, and all other means of keeping the virus out of play are in action here.

“We are happy to help both the creative industries and people who are staying at home. People can watch online streams for only so long. This is live culture, creativity, and innovation at its best,” said Hana Třeštíková, Prague Council Member responsible for Arts and Culture.

The procedure is simple – people register at hrajemedooken.cz [playing into windows] and then identify the preferred music genre and location. The organizer then checks the availability of artists and the suitability of the chosen venue.

In the next ten days, people buy online tickets for the concert. “It is uncommon for safety and culture departments to work together on innovative projects like this one. I hope we can inspire other cities in Europe – this is how we can stay safe and enjoy live music at the same time,” said Petr Hlubuček, Vice-Mayor at Prague City Hall responsible for Safety and Environment.

Every musician gets paid from the tickets the “civic promoter” crowdfunds online.

The tickets can be bought at both GoOut.cz and Donio.cz platforms; the initiative is also joined by Rohlík.cz, which enables grocery shoppers to support concerts.

Photo: Hrajeme do oken on Facebook

Photo: Hrajeme do oken on Facebook

Photo: Hrajeme do oken on Facebook

The world is under no illusion that air travel could look a whole lot different in the coming months post-COVID-19. But just how different will it get?

Middle plane seats empty

The chief executive of easyJet said when flying restarts after the coronavirus crisis recedes planes are likely to operate with the middle seat empty due to social distancing regulations.

“I’m talking about this as an initial phase. Nobody knows for how long that phase will be,” said EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren.

Commenting on how social distancing on its planes would work, Mr. Lundgren said passengers would sit next to the window or the aisle in a three-seat configuration.

As Reuters reports, the low-cost Hungarian airline Wizz Air has made plans to fly jets only two-thirds full to allow more space between passengers (the airline is also looking into protective gear for passengers, so masks may become the in-flight norm).

Blood tests

Yesterday, we reported that Emirates had changed its health screening process to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. The Middle Eastern airline has begun taking blood tests before passengers board aircraft to ensure that they are COVID-free. The airline is the only one in the world to be carrying out this procedure, but others may be tempted. Will this be a new norm?

As far as thinking about pre-flight blood tests go, it all sounds a bit extreme. However, the process is relatively simple. It’s also a relatively quick way to ascertain whether or not a passenger is infectious. For these reasons, pre-flight blood tests look attractive to airlines, and they do a lot to reassure passengers.

The CoronaPass

Another idea floated is that of an immunity passport. These documents would certify that the holder has been infected with coronavirus and has overcome it, having now developed the relevant antibodies to make them immune. It’s an interesting concept that does have legs, but how would airlines use it?

As a long-term strategy for regular service, it’s unclear how the immunity passport would work. However, the certificate, also dubbed the ‘CoronaPass,’ would allow those who have overcome COVID-19 to be some of the first to travel. In the not-too-distant future, therefore, the immunity passport could grant the passage of travel for some citizens.

Will boarding change?

Airlines like GoAir have been asking their passengers to board according to rows. It means that passengers are entering the plane from the back and are seated one row at a time from the front. This practice does require a little bit of effort. However, it’s similar enough to standard boarding practices.

Typically, airlines segregate passengers for boarding, but just not to this extent. If airlines still see the value in practicing social distancing, then seating passengers by rows is an easy enough procedure to perform. As a result, we could see our pattern of boarding change in the future.

The smart quarantine project will be extended to the whole country from Monday.

The project involves tracing past contacts of people who test positive for the virus five days back by creating “maps of their movements” with the help of banks and mobile phone operators.

The solution offered by the Covid19cz group of computer experts. “It generates a memory map showing… for instance that a man spent half an hour at the corner of two streets,” sais Covid19cz spokeswoman Irena Zatloukalova.

“The public health officer can ask if the person visited or met someone to identify other people who may be infected. People won´t have to merely rely on their memory when they recall what they were doing over the last two weeks.”

All those who they came into contact with are tested and quarantined until cleared. The plan is being implemented with the help of the army in order to speed up testing.

The smart quarantine will contribute to the acceleration of activities ensuring population testing and identify new coronavirus cases.

Those who test positive will then describe who they met and where to the Regional Hygiene Authority, and a map will be drawn from this information.

Within three days, everyone who was in contact with the infected person will be contacted. “They will be ordered into a short-term quarantine and the army will arrive within a few hours,” explained Prymula.

“During the first stage of the fight against Coronavirus, across-the-board measures were adopted to stop the virus from spreading unchecked. Fortunately, we did this quickly. It looks as though we have high a chance of levelling out the growth and the curve. We have now moved on to the second stage, which entails replacing the across-the-board measures with the smart-quarantine concept that has been used with success in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and other countries,” said Prime Minister Andrej Babiš noted.

On the orders of the government, all data must be permanently deleted after the research has been completed, according to Ondřej Tomáš, one of the system developers. Only epidemiologists will be allowed to access the data.

The Czech Republic has reported no deaths from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the Czech Ministry of Health informed on Sunday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country is now up to 6,657, with 105 new cases on Saturday.

The number of fatalities has not changed since Saturday, namely 181. 1,235 people recovered, eight more than on Saturday. 84 patients are in critical condition.

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases has slowed down for the third time in a row, but fewer tests are conducted during the weekends.

The majority of people with COVID-19 are in Prague: 1,574 are registered in the capital, roughly a quarter of all cases in the country. Prague also has the highest proportion of people with COVID-19 per capita.

On the contrary, the best situation is registered in South Bohemia with 25 cases every 100 thousand inhabitants.

Almost 19 percent of all infected people in the Czech Republic are in the age group between 45 and 54 years. People aged 65-74 years account for 10 percent. People aged 75-84 years account for more than 6 percent, seniors over 85 are less than 4 percent.

The Health Ministry predicts that by the end of this month, there may be up to 11,000 people infected with the coronavirus.

Curated in collaboration with Lady Gaga, the April 18 event will celebrate health workers globally.

The One World: Together At Home show will see more than 100 artists including the Rolling Stones and Billie Eilish perform live from their homes.

The eight-hour global event premiering Saturday, April 18, is run by the Global Citizen movement and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The event will also have significant coverage in the Czech Republic. You will be able to watch it on YouTube, Apple TV, Instagram, and Twitter.

What is One World?

The event is meant to encourage people to take action against the spread of coronavirus, through things like staying home and calling on elected officials. Lady Gaga also helped curate the event.

The multihour event is like a cross between a public health conference and a concert. According to the website, artists, global health experts and world leaders will all be featured, and it seems like performances will be mixed in with talks.

Who’s attending?

The special event will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Stephen Colbert of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Friends from Sesame Street will also add to the incredible lineup.

Alicia Keys, Amy Poehler, Awkwafina, Camila Cabello, Celine Dion, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, LL COOL J, Lupita Nyong’o, Matthew McConaughey, Pharrell Williams, The Rolling Stones, Sam Smith Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Rita Ora, Usher, Victoria Beckham, and many others.

In the Czech Republic, you will be able to watch the event on Amazon Prime Video (20:00 to 4:00), Apple TV (Sunday 2:00 to 4:00), Facebook Watch (Sunday 20:00 to 5:00), Insight TV (Sunday 2:00 to 4:00), Instagram (20:00 to 4:00), TuneIn (20:00 to 2:00), Twich (20:00 to 4:00), Twitter (20:00 to 4:00), and YouTube (20:00 to 4:00).

The Czech Republic will allow religious services to start up again as the country has been easing restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Health Care Minister Adam Vojtech says the religious gatherings in churches will restart on April 27 with a maximum of 15 people. But they will have to keep a distance from one another.

The number of worshippers will be allowed to grow in the following weeks.

The Czech government unveiled a plan this week to gradually relax the strict measures adopted in response to the outbreak.

Vojtech says the plan originally omitted religious services that have now been included at the request of Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka.

The Czech Republic is considered one of the most atheist countries in Europe.

The country has 6,553 people who have tested positive for the virus and 176 have died.

Škoda Auto is increasing its support measures to fight the coronavirus and will be donating 100 Škoda Octavia – worth around 85 million CZK – to social and medical aid agencies in the Czech Republic.

Organisations helping particularly vulnerable or high-risk people, such as hospitals, social services, nursing homes, and NGOs, are eligible to apply for one of the vehicles.

The donation of cars to chosen organisations will take place from half of May.

Applications are open from 17 to 30 April 2020: organisations can submit documents via the NROS foundation website

Škoda Auto CEO, Bernhard Maier, explained, „During the corona pandemic, Škoda is focusing on providing fast, simple and effective aid. Therefore, we are supporting all those who are now particularly dependent on mobility, and are going to donate 100 OCTAVIAs worth around 85 million CZK to organisations in the social or health sector. Our responsibility as a company extends far beyond the factory gates. In the current crisis, this holds true more than ever.”

In addition, the car manufacturer’s Technical Development department has been producing 3D-printed parts for certified FFP3 respirators, and numerous departments have been manufacturing protective visors.

More than 750 respirators have been manufactured since the university developed the prototype.

Furthermore, ŠKODA Logistics is supporting the company Prusa Research in distributing protective visors, which have also been 3D-printed, to doctors’ surgeries and hospitals.

By Easter, this collaboration had already led to the distribution of 14,600 units.

Lockdown does mean staying indoors and only leaving for necessities like food, medicine, and one form of exercise per day. What it doesn’t mean, is living like an ascetic and staring blankly at a wall for weeks in hope that your stillness and focus will rid us of coronavirus for good.

It’s worth noting that if you have a weakened immune system or have shown any symptoms at all, it’s not advisable to drink, and it’s also never a good idea to drink heavily or binge.

So, drink in moderation if you’re going to, and get it delivered to your house where possible. Here are 4 ways to get wine right to your door during the lockdown in Prague.

Vino Delikatesy

Vino-Delikatesy offers over 150 wines from 7 countries, permanently on stock. They collaborate with family wineries, keeping the exclusivity on the market and focusing on the uniqueness of each terroir.

“I created a business strategy to work as a wholesaler of wines in 2017 and collaborate with restaurants, hotels, wine bars. My first company Mangustino was working pretty well after less than three years existing, as we have more than 130 partners in the Czech Republic, 90% in Prague,” said CEO Benjamin Diot.

“Market rules suddenly changed in March and we had to readapt quickly. All my partners closed in 2/3 days, and 99% of the turnover crashed. Then, I decided to create my e-shop, and we began to concentrate our sales on BtoC customers. Apart from wines, we offer also paté, klobasa, and cheeses. Guess what? We offer a 10% discount with the promo code “Stayhome”,” added Diot.

You can order from here

Vinograf

Vinograf wine bar is still open for take away food and wines. Monday till Friday they are open from 11.30 till 18.00 for the takeaway lunch menu as they are cooking for the hospitals (here the link for donations). In the evenings, the sommelier Klára Langová is personally delivering the wine orders.

“We deliver all the wines from the Vinograf wine list with a 40% discount on the shelf price,” says Klára Kollárová from Vinograf. “We have also created a new platform to help winemakers and wine importers. It’s called milujemevino.eu and we sell wines from small producers with cellar prices,” she added.

V11 winebar & deli

V11 winebar & deli is a traditional hangout venue in Jiřího z Poděbrad neighborhood. It is a cozy bar open every day till late with some 15 seats inside and airy terrace with similar capacity in summer. As a grocery, you can still enter the shop and choose from the shelve like in the regular wine shop without a possibility to taste the wine on the spot.

To compensate for this discomfort, they offer a 20% discount on all bottles. Besides, they started also free deliveries for all Prague customers. You can order directly at this website where you can find all wines sold in the shop. Costumers can pay by bank transfer or credit card, eventually cash or credit card when delivered.

V11 winebar & deli offers international wines and also some local winemakers, focusing on organic production. They are also an exclusive importer of some wines from several countries, such as Austria, Germany, the north of Italy, and Lebanon.

Oliveira – Wine Tapas Market

Oliveira is a direct importer of famous port wines, full red and white wines as well as unique vinho verde (green wine).

Vinho Verde is unique in the world. Its vibrant freshness, elegance, lightness, slightly sparkling and aromatic and flavorful expressions, especially its fruity and floral notes, are the characteristics that define and differentiate this wine.

Moreover, Oliveira delivers Anjos de Portugal White, a DOC wine, slightly sparkling, distinguished by its richness, taste and aroma, Port Wines, deep in colour and possess complex and intense aromas and Montes Ermos Reserva Red, a wine produced by Adega de Freixo Espada à Cinta, with the grape varieties Touriga nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz.

Self-employed workers affected by the pandemic will receive in May a one-time payment of CZK 15,000 from the state, PM Andrej Babiš (ANO) said to Pravo.

“The government is also ready for payments in June if necessary,” he added. For the period from March 12 to April 30, the contribution is CZK 25,000.

The payment is available based on individual applications, in which applicants must prove by way of an affidavit that they meet a number of conditions:

The applicant is self-employed.
The applicant’s self-employed activity is their main activity (except pensioners, primary carers, and those who are receiving disability or parental benefits).

The government previously approved the firest lump sum of CZK 25,000 on April 2.

Up to June 30th, 2020, you can request this allowance in person at your Tax Office, via e-mail and that even without an electronic signature, via a data box or via the tax portal here.

The applicant must enter the bank account number to which the amount is to be sent. The administration accepts applications via data box, by post, and collection boxes placed in front of tax offices.

The National Gallery Prague is “online”. The largest Czech gallery does its best to remain open digitally even at the time of the coronavirus pandemic. The NGP adapts to the situation presenting its current activities for the public mostly on social media.

Virtual tours, live broadcasts of exhibitions or online workshops – this is only a brief account of what the National Gallery Prague has prepared. Its online activities will cover the recently opened exhibitions and display collections that are mostly hidden from the public.

The NGP prepares a special format called “Do you have a minute?” presenting major artworks from the NGP collections on Instagram. Its curators and other experts also prepare the new projects for Twitter.

“We are in contact with our visitors and fans through social media keeping them informed on the latest news. We seek to offer good-quality works as much as we can in this situation. We do our best to adapt to it and respond expeditiously to the current circumstances remaining ‘open’ for our visitors to make their time under closure at least slightly more pleasant. We also believe that positive contents in the media are more needed now than ever,” says the NGP spokeswoman Eva Sochorová.

Virtual guided tours

Owing to a Komerční Banka donation, the National Gallery Prague can offer the first virtual guided tour presenting the exhibition Echoes of the Venice Biennale: Stanislav Kolíbal taking place in the currently closed Trade Fair Palace. Curator Julia Bailey will show the spectators certain parts of the exhibition seeking to create the impression that the visitor is physically present at the display. The guided tour is now under preparation.

Also under preparation is a documentary about the architecture of Brutalism linked with the exhibition called NO DEMOLITIONS! Forms of Brutalism in Prague. The program will be primarily designed for social media.

Educational programs

A team of experts, who prepare and implement programs for the public, works on online workshops and events designed especially for children.

The program called The Art of (Staying at) Home publishes a new challenge each week to stimulate children to creative activities inspired by a selected artwork. The tasks are playful and designed to be fulfilled easily using available materials. Anyone can participate and only materials and aids usually found at home are used. The first challenge inspired the children to create figures out of soap; they are easy to make and also reflect our day-to-day reality. Experienced educators seek to make the current situation easier for both children and parents by means of these enjoyable tasks.

Online collections

The National Gallery Prague houses rich collections of artworks and enriches them on a regular basis. Its online collections can be found at sbirky.ngprague.cz. The visitors can see the works from the comfort of their homes and study their nuances and details.

Join us on Telegram and follow our Insta Stories to read the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Czech Republic.

Middle plane seats empty

Blood tests

The CoronaPass

Will boarding change?

What is One World?

Who’s attending?

Vino Delikatesy

Vinograf

V11 winebar & deli

Oliveira – Wine Tapas Market

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