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According to Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (ČSSD), the Czech Republic’s borders with neighboring countries should be fully open from July, Hospodářské noviny writes.
Negotiations with Slovakia and Austria are the most advanced, meanwhile with Poland and Germany “it will require more time”, the minister said this evening.
“From July, I would like the borders to be fully opened to four neighboring countries – Austria, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia. I’m honest when I say that we are well advanced in negotiations with Austria and Slovakia. Negotiations with Poland will probably be the most difficult,” Petříček added.
From August, Czechs could travel not only to Croatia, Slovenia, and Greece, but also to more distant destinations outside Europe, such as Canada, Australia, and Japan.
According to Petříček, it is “still premature to talk about Italy, Spain, France, the USA, and Benelux.”
With effect from April 14th, 2020 Czech citizens and foreigners, are again able to travel abroad, now with the possibility of returning during the state of emergency.
Travel is allowed in necessary and justified cases only (e.g. fulfillment of official duties, work abroad, funeral etc.), which will have to be proven individually to the police at border crossings.
Anyway, as the Prime Minister Babis said in a previous interview, “we had theoretically opened the borders, but in practice, people cannot get anywhere. Flights are mostly canceled and other governments won’t allow people from other countries to enter unless they have a valid coronavirus test.”
On April 20, the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman says the “borders should remain closed at least for one year to tackle the spread of the novel coronavirus.”
Since March, the coronavirus has been confirmed in 7,740 cases. To date, 3,378 people have recovered from Covid-19, while 241 patients have died.
Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than three million confirmed cases in 185 countries. More than 200,000 people have lost their lives.
The US has by far the largest number of cases, with more than one million confirmed infections, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University. With more than 60,000 fatalities, it also has the world’s highest death toll.
Ryanair is planning to cut 3,000 pilot and cabin crew jobs and reduce staff pay by up to a fifth in response to the Covid-19 crisis, which has grounded flights.
Europe’s largest low-cost carrier said it expected it will now take at least two years for a return to 2019 passenger demand and pricing, estimating summer 2020 at the earliest, as it laid out plans to cut further costs.
Group CEO Michael O’Leary, whose pay was cut by 50% for April and May, has now agreed to extend this 50% pay cut for the remainder of the financial year to March 2021.
He told the BBC: “If a vaccine isn’t found then clearly we may have to announce more cuts and deeper cuts into the future.”
In a Covid-19 market update today, Ryanair said it would ground more than 99% of its flights until July and said it had begun negotiations with Boeing about cutting the number of aircraft deliveries over the next 24 months.
It expects to carry fewer than 100 million passengers for the year to the end of March 2021, 35% less than its original target of 154 million.
O’Leary also addressed complaints from customers about the difficulty in getting refunds for cancelled flights. The airline is offering vouchers in the first instance.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, he said: “We will give you your money back. If you want a cash refund, you will receive a cash refund.”
But he added: “It’s going to take us many months to process these cash refunds. The airline would normally process 10,000 claims a month but was currently dealing with a backlog of 25m, covering cancellations from March to May.”
Earlier, Mr. O’Leary said he planned to challenge in European Courts what he described as more than €30 billion in “unlawful and discriminatory state aid” to a dozen rivals, including Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM Group, and Alitalia.
Many European governments have banned large events until the end of August, putting an end to the continent’s festival summer.
The Czech government is following the same direction, as confirmed today by the Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD). “Summer festivals, which are usually attended by thousands of participants, will not take place.”
On Tuesday, the popular Karlovy Vary International Film Festival canceled this year’s edition due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 55th edition was due to be held July 3 – 11. The festival said the cancellation was necessary “in view of the Czech government’s ongoing coronavirus measures and the complicated worldwide situation.”
Meanwhile, the government decided to allow the operation of theaters, cinemas, concert halls, circuses and similar establishments for up to 100 people.
According to the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch (ANO), this limit applies to weddings, as well.
Around Europe
Live Nation announced the cancellation of Germany’s Rock im Park and Rock am Ring anniversaries.
Goodlive’s German festivals Melt and Splash are also affected, while no announcements have been made yet regarding the premiere of Superbloom, which is still scheduled for Sept. 5-6.
In Belgium, Rock Werchter has announced the cancellation of its 2020 edition, which was bound to send shock waves through Europe.
Other major events on the continent have cancelled, including Slovakia’s Pohoda festival and Portugal’s biennial Boom Festival.
Spain’s Primavera Sound has postponed the event from June 3-7 to Aug. 26-30, however, it remains to be seen whether the Spanish authorities decide to introduce extended bans on public life.
It hasn’t yet made any announcements regarding its Eastern European events, including Balaton Sound, Volt and Exit.
The EUvsVirus Hackathon Jury identified the best solutions to support European and global in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
In collaboration with private and public partners from Europe and beyond, they are awarding the best teams and solutions per domain as well as a winner and two runner-ups for each of the 37 challenges.
CoroVent came to life as a collaboration between the Czech tech industry, educational institutions, government and average citizens, crowdsourcing, and organizing efforts to fight the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Czech team collected more than $500,000 in a crowd-funding campaign to “help save the lives of moms, dads, grandmothers, and grandfathers”.
All the winners will be invited to a Matchathon that will take place from 22 to 25 May on the new EIC COVID Platform. This online event will facilitate match-making with end-users, such as hospitals, and provide access to investors, corporates, foundations, and other funding opportunities from across the EU.
A total of over €100,000 pledged by partnering organisations will be distributed by the partners to winners of their choosing to reward hackers for their hard work and novel solutions with the greatest potential to save lives and bring life in a global pandemic closer to normal.
The group’s CoroVent ventilator is a simple design intended to be reliable while also meeting hospital standards. The designers drew inspiration from years of work on a similar project at the Czech Technical University.
The final prototype of the ventilator has been already laboratory tested. The first batch of 500 pcs for the Czech Republic was delivered by mid-April.
“We followed the situation in Italy and some things quickly became clear, with news about people lacking ventilators and doctors facing the hard choice of who to let live and who to let die,” Vojtech Rocek, one of the founders of the CoroVent project.
For more information please visit CoroVent.com
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, annual event that has been taking place in the Czech Republic since 1946, has decided to cancel its 55th annual festival in light of the coronavirus, KVIFF organizers announced on Tuesday morning in Prague.
The festival would have taken place on July 3-11.
Instead, it will offer a selection of movies from its lineup in theaters across the Czech Republic, as the country prepares to open up cinemas (up to 50 viewers) again. It will stage its industry program online.
“We strongly believe that seeing a movie with other people in a theater is a powerful and irreplaceable experience,” said Jiří Bartoška, president of the festival. “And because of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival is one of the most important cultural events in the Czech Republic, we have decided that holding an alternative version would go against the festival’s main mission: to bring together audiences, filmmakers, and people from different walks of life in order to collectively enjoy works of cinema.”
The tour will be a special version of the “KVIFF at Your Cinema” program, which takes festival films around the country each year.
At the same time, KVIFF organizers will also offer a virtual version of the “KVIFF Eastern Promises” presentation, in which films in various stages of development and production can be presented to international buyers and festivals.
Those projects will be from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa.
The festival has also joined the YouTube project We Are One: A Global Film Festival.
The 55th annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will now take place on July 2-10, 2021.
Global leaders are launching an initiative with the World Health Organization (WHO) to accelerate the development of coronavirus drugs, tests, and vaccines and ensure equal access to all countries.
“I represented the Czech Republic at a videoconference with prime ministers and presidents from Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Austria, Denmark, Norway, and Greece,” said PM Andrej Babis.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that “these countries reacted quickly and intensively and so have come through the crisis better than others”.
“The geography is very different but they are smaller countries, smart countries,” Kurz said, adding that the conference had focused on “how countries can best start up again, stimulate the economy and keep the virus under control at the same time”.
Kurz also said researchers from the countries in the group would be co-operating on work towards a possible vaccine and other treatments.
The aim was for the countries concerned to avoid becoming dependent on global superpowers in reacting to the crisis.
Singapore is also part of the group but its prime minister could not take part in the conference due to technical difficulties.
“The world needs these tools and needs them fast,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the group. “We are facing a common threat which we can only defeat with a common approach,” he said.
More than 2.7 million people worldwide have been infected with COVID-19 and nearly 190,000 have died since the virus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, according to a Reuters tally.
More than 100 potential COVID-19 vaccines are being developed, including six already in clinical trials, said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI vaccine alliance, a public-private partnership that leads immunization campaigns in poor countries.
The Czech Republic will move forward plans to ease its coronavirus lockdown by two weeks to get most businesses and restaurants operating again by May 25.
Industry Minister Karel Havlicek said on Thursday the slowing of new infections since the Easter holiday weekend this month had been good enough for the government to move faster.
“We evaluated Easter, the results are very promising,” Havlicek told a televised news briefing. “There will be 14-day intervals (in the re-opening), at the moment (the schedule) roughly copies what is done in Germany or Austria.”
From Monday, the government will allow shops with floor space of up to 2,500 square metres to re-open, along with fitness centres, libraries, small church services and outdoor zoo exhibits.
“Establishments up to 2,500 m2 and with their own entrance can reopen from Monday, April 27, as well as driving schools, gyms and fitness centers, libraries, zoos and botanical gardens without indoor pavilions,” said Havlíček.
Shopping centres, larger shops, hair and beauty salons, restaurants and cafes with a dispensing window, barbershop, massages, galleries, and exteriors areas of castles and chateaux are slated to open again from May 11 under the adjusted plan, which then sees restaurants, hotels, theatres and most other services open by May 25.
The government did not announce any plans to lift compulsory wearing of face masks in public and said it would decide on allowing public gatherings later.
On Thursday, the cabinet was scheduled to hold an extraordinary meeting to extend the state of emergency, but it was suspended due to a Prague court decision that canceled some measures by the Ministry of Health.
These are mainly related to the closure of shops and restriction of movement.
April 27
– Stores up to 2,500 square meters (except those in shopping centers)
– Driving schools
– Gyms and fitness centres but the showers and dressing rooms within them will be off-limits.
May 11
– Restaurants, bars, and cafes, with service from windows or in gardens.
– Hairdressers
– Beauty salons
– Tanning salons
– Museums, galleries, exhibition halls
– Zoological gardens (outdoor parts only)
May 25
– Shopping center
– Restaurants, cafes, and bars
– Hotels, hostels, (including their restaurants)
– Theaters
– Castles and palaces
– Bookstores
– Cinemas and theaters
– It will be possible to hold events for up to 50 people
– Tattoo and piercing salons
Festka realized an impactful video appeal for cyclists to respect the Coronavirus restrictions
The recent warm and sunny weather lures cyclists out and the breaking curves representing the numbers of infected in the Czech Republic and several other countries breed optimism. The temptation to take off face-masks and organize a group ride gets stronger every day.
Festka, the Prague based manufacturer of top-end bicycle frames, decided to contribute to the debate about the easing of restrictions and the personal responsibility of the individual.
The company asked a team of its long term collaborators in the area of film and photography to make a short video in which it wants to appeal to cyclists to keep on respecting the restrictions, ride alone and not gather in popular spots.
“Noticing the growing number of groups of cyclists, runners, and walkers, I was disappointed to see people flaunt the rules on social distancing. I approached our filmmaking friends and we made a video which appeals to cyclists to respect the restrictions in order for us all to be able to ride together again soon,” says Michael Moureček, the Festka co-founder and a former pro cyclist, adding:
“As lovers of cycling we completely understand the temptation but we also realize how much is at stake and so we thought we should ask our community to hold out and behave responsibly.”
The principal creators of the video – the director Jan Krofta, DOP Jiří Švorc and Michael Moureček in the role of the lonesome rider – used to the full the unique opportunity provided by the current situation. Locations normally teeming with hundreds, even thousands of tourists and Prague dwellers are shown completely deserted except for the solitary cyclist.
The visual impact of these images is strong and it carries a huge significance. The current restrictions were observed during the shoot which took place in the early mornings of the first April weekend.
The other main contributors were the editor Petr Mrkous, the sound-engineer Mishan Pajdiak. The picture post-production was done by PFX and the video was produced by Unit/Sofa.
About Festka
Festka has been making top-quality custom bicycles in Prague since 2010. It counts many interesting people among its clients – Hollywood celebrities, people from big business, as well as those who discovered cycling later in life as their preferred form or exercise and want (and can afford) to ride an exceptional bike.
Festka is renowned for its cooperation with top-notch institutions such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Czech Technical University.
The firm was founded by the former pro cyclist Michael Moureček and his entrepreneurial friend Ondřej Novotný. From the very beginning, the creative side of things has been the work of Tomáš Hnida.
Up to 90% of the company’s production is exported, with 80% of the exports heading outside the EU to Asia (China, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines), USA and Australia.
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.
Restrictions in the Czech Republic will be lifted on April 20, with the opening of farmers’ markets, craft shops, and bazaars. Wedding celebrations with fewer than 10 people will also be allowed to take place.
From April 27, shops under 200 square meters in size will also be allowed to open.
The government clarified today that also shops over 200 square meters that are not located in large shopping centers will be allowed to open. They can reduce the sales area with safety tape and reach the required size.
From May 25, the outdoor areas of cafes, pubs, and restaurants will be able to open. Services including barbershops, hairdressers, pedicure and manicure facilities, spas and massage parlors, as well as museums, galleries, and zoos, will also be able open from this date.
Czechs will continue to be required to wear masks for the time being, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said. His deputy, Roman Prymula, added that now “a person with the virus infects less than one person on average” and that the epidemic is in decline, Reuters reported.
The plan will be divided into five stages. The first restrictions will be eased on April 20 with craft shops, farmers’ markets, car showrooms, and second-hand stores to be allowed to open, and more shops and events to be added in stages, according to the ministry.
By June 8, large shopping centers could be fully opened again along with events up to 50 people, said Havlicek.
If the infection is under control, then the plan will be enacted according to schedule. “There may be some shifts there, but we’d like to keep it this way,” he said.