czechia Archives – Page 3 of 25

Slovenia has opened its borders to citizens of 14 states, including the Czech Republic, who can now travel to and from Slovenia without any coronavirus restrictions, the government said on its website on Monday.

The other countries are Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Slovakia and Liechtenstein.

The government also introduced an obligatory 14-day quarantine for everyone coming to Slovenia from North Macedonia, excluding diplomats, transport workers, and those passing through Slovenia without an overnight stay.

The move follows a surge in coronavirus cases in North Macedonia over recent days.

Slovenia, which in May became the first European state to declare an end to its coronavirus epidemic, has over the past few weeks opened its borders to citizens of neighbouring countries Croatia, Hungary, and Austria.

Slovenia has so far reported 1,485 coronavirus cases and 109 deaths. It introduced a general lockdown in the middle of March and has been gradually lifting it since April 20.

The Czech Republic allows from today gatherings of up to 500 people as coronavirus infections remained among the lowest in Europe.

“If the epidemiological situation remains favorable, the limit will grow to 1,000 on June 22,” Minister of Health Vojtech said of the size of gatherings that would be permissible.

Cinemas, theatres, and concert halls are no longer bound to respect strict social distancing rules that severely limited the size of the audience. Outdoor areas of pubs, restaurants, and cafes no longer need to close by 11 pm.

Some credit the success in stemming infections to the mandatory face mask rule, which remains compulsory in shops, offices, and on public transport.

Interior Minister Jan Hamacek credited an early warning from an unnamed expert encouraging the government to act quickly in early March.

“When I saw a mathematical model using data from Italy, I realized we were facing a train wreck,” Hamacek added.

“We still do not underestimate the situation,” said Vojtech. “The virus is still here and that is why people should follow the rules. Wear the face mask, and keep a safe distance when possible” he added.

The Czech Republic had 9,628 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection by Monday morning. So far 6,891 people have recovered and 327 people have died.

Earlier this week, Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib posted on his Facebook account that the city had created a new “Manual for a Cultivated Prague”, which delineates visual esthetic practices for the capital’s businesses.

Ms Třeštíková also said that the sudden crash in tourism could be used as an opportunity to reform some of the tourist locations in Prague, removing what has been called the “visual smog” in the capital, such as the many Thai massage parlors.

“The manual is the next step in the fight for a cleaner city center, following the slogan Prague is not Disneyland. The coronavirus crisis may also be an opportunity for change,” she adds.

The “Manual for Cultivated Prague” is a set of rules containing different decrees, regulations, and laws. According to Třeštíková, it is not a binding document. “We will explain through pictures what is advisable and what is not,” says Třeštíková.

The aim is, for example, to remove unnecessary stickers and to eliminate plastic boards with photographs of dishes typical of Chinese restaurants.

“At the moment, the streets of Prague are like a room where people speak very loudly and everyone are shouting. If we manage to talk a little more quietly, everyone will hear them,“ remarked the author of the manual, Kristýna Drápalová.

Moreover, the Prague Technical Communication Agency (TSK) will end its practice of renting placements for advertisers on billboards and posters in other public places.

The advertising is seen on bridges, billboards and other signage. Often the signage is in the middle of sidewalks or other places which are disadvantageous to pedestrians.

The city is also preparing a grant program to motivate entrepreneurs to follow the rules. They could get money, for example, to repair their facade, if they get rid of visual smog.

Greece said Friday it would reopen its airports in Athens and Thessaloniki to arrivals from 29 countries from June 15, the start of the tourist season.

Visitors would be allowed to fly into Greece from 16 EU countries, including Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Czech Republic, Baltic countries, Cyprus and Malta, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

But countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic — such as France, Spain, Britain, and Italy — were not on the list. Outside the European Union, holidaymakers from Switzerland, Norway, and neighbouring Balkan countries such as Albania, Serbia, and North Macedonia will be allowed to land at Greece’s main airports from June 15.

The list also includes Australia, Japan, Israel, Lebanon, China, New Zealand, and South Korea. The ministry said that further countries could be added before July 1 when the country’s regional airports also reopen.

“The list has been drawn up on the basis of the epidemiological profile of each country,” taking into account the recommendations of the European Aviation Safety Agency and a report by Greece’s commission for infectious diseases, the statement said.

Greece began the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions on May 4 and will start reopening its hotels next month. It has been less severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that many EU countries, with 175 deaths and 2,906 infections officially registered so far.

On Thursday, Czech Airlines announced a new daily flight to London (Heathrow) starting on June 25, meanwhile, on Friday the Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizzair announced the launch of a direct flight to Tirana, Albania.

The carrier will fly to the capital of Albania twice a week from July 3, 2020, on Mondays and Fridays.

Smartwings will start flying to Croatia from mid-June, as well as to Mallorca, the Canary Islands, Cyprus (Larnaca), Madeira (Funchal), and Bulgaria (Burgas and Varna).

Air France will start flying from Prague to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport from June 3. Initially, it will fly twice a week, increasing to four flights a week by the end of June. From July, the Finnish carrier Finnair plans to renew the flight to Helsinki.

Prague Airport has a number of protective measures in place. All passengers and visitors to the airport must wear a face mask in all areas, maintain safe distances, and ensure hand hygiene. More than 250 disinfection stands are located throughout the airport.

“If passengers arriving in Prague do not have their own face mask, they will receive it one for free. The check-in are also equipped with plexiglass, forming a safe barrier between the passenger and the check-in employee,” said Kateřina Pavlíková, spokeswoman for Prague Airport.

Last year, Prague Airport handled a record 17.8 million passengers.

Check all the upcoming flights here

The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jacek Czaputowicz has travelled to Prague on his first foreign visit since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

During his talks with the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tomáš Petříček, Minister Czaputowicz expressed his expectation that the Czech authorities would reciprocate Poland’s decision to allow the transit of Czech citizens through Poland.

Currently, many Poles working in Austria are forced to take a detour through Germany instead.

The head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessed that the epidemic situation in all the countries of the region, especially in the Visegrad Group countries, is much better compared to most other EU states.

There had earlier been suggestions that this fact could lead to a decision of the Visegrad Group states (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) to reopen the borders of the four states in a first phase before reopening to the rest of the EU.

The Czech FA Minister stated the country was ready to fully open its borders with countries which have a similar epidemiological situation by mid-June.

He also asked the Polish side to consider reopening additional border crossings leading into the Czech provinces of Liberec and Hradec Králové.

According to Minister Czaputowicz, the trend of new coronavirus cases in the respective countries will have to determine the final course of action, but he believes that it will be possible to travel between Poland and Hungary before the summer holidays begin.

Czech stores should be obliged to sell at least 55% of local foodstuffs in 2021 and gradually increase to 85% by 2027, according to a cross-party proposal signed by Czech MPs who claim the measure should support Czech farmers.

The proposal should be discussed by the Czech parliament this week.

“If I produce things on my own, closed borders cannot endanger me,” said lawmaker Margita Balaštíková from the governing party ANO.

Balaštíková, who co-authored the proposal, said the coronavirus crisis has shown the importance of food self-sufficiency.

“If we want to protect the environment, we should decrease the carbon footprint and not transport things from one end of the world to the other,” the MP added.

The President of the Confederation of Trade and Tourism, Tomáš Prouza, strongly opposed the law.

“55 percent is a completely unrealistic number. A lot of fruits and vegetables do not grow in the Czech Republic at all and some fruits are only seasonal,” Prouza pointed out to CNN Prima News.

A similar measure has been introduced in Bulgaria requiring retailers to offer distinct exposure and sale space for domestic food products and to purchase 90% of their milk and dairy products from domestic producers.

Apart from decreeing a quota for Bulgarian goods is grocery chain stores, the government has also suspended food import of non-EU countries.

The European Commission has already notified Bulgarian authorities that the law restricts the free movement of goods and discriminates against imported products.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the country starting in July.

It came as welcome news for his country’s battered tourism industry which makes up 12 per cent of Spain’s GDP.

“As you know, Spain receives more than 80 million visitors a year. I am announcing that from July, Spain will reopen for foreign tourism in conditions of safety. Foreign tourists can also start planning their holidays in our country. Spain needs tourism, and tourism needs safety in both origin and destination. We will guarantee that tourists will not run any risks, nor will they bring any risk to our country,” Sanchez said.

“The hardest part is over. We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” said Sánchez, adding that “the response of the Spanish people has been formidable.”

However, for anyone arriving in Spain, the currently imposed two-week quarantine has been criticized for hampering the tourism sector.

“We will guarantee that tourists will not run any risks and they will not bring us any risks,” Sánchez said.

The Spanish football league will also resume business, starting behind closed doors from June 8. In July it may open to the public if conditions allow.

Meanwhile, far-right demonstrators who support the Vox party took to the streets of Madrid to protest lockdown restrictions.

Several thousand people gathered Saturday in their cars and on motorbikes in the city center.

“I’m here to ask this government to end it because they are leading us to ruin. As a worker I think they are managing things very badly. Sanchez go home,” one demonstrator said.

It comes after Spain’s parliament allowed Sanchez to extend the state of emergency by 14 days, giving him the authority to restrict people’s movements.

To date, 28,628 people in Spain have died of coronavirus and 234,824 have been infected. The health crisis has also made socioeconomic problems worse. Unemployment rose by 300,000 in March and almost 283,000 in April.

On Monday, May 25, restaurants, and bars in the Czech Republic will be able to reopen their indoor premises. The largest brewery in the country, Plzeňský Prazdroj, decided to mark this event with an unusual advertising campaign.

The promotion is called První pivo je na nás (First Beer On Us). However, despite the name, the rules are slightly different.

Every customer who orders a beer in any pub serving Pilsner Urquell on tap will receive a second beer for free.

“We decided to celebrate this moment with the biggest event in the history of the Czech breweries,” states the website.

First, you need to buy your first beer and once you are done with it, a waiter will bring you a second one for free.

“We want to thank people for their responsible behavior during quarantine and at the same time urge them to return to a normal life, and meet with friends in pubs and restaurants,” said Eva Andrejcakova, marketing manager of Plzeňský Prazdroj.

The promotion will last from May 25 to June 7 (anyway, restaurants are free to determine different specific days) and is limited to one beer per person.

The campaign was created by Triad Advertising agency in cooperation with Stink Films production. The spot was directed by Jakub Jirásek.

“We created the biggest beer invitation to thank the Czechs and Slovaks and at the same time support a positive mood. Our nations were in many ways a model for other countries,” explains Petra Jankovičová from Triad.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called the Czech Senate resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide “null and void.”

“The fact that the decision was taken in an environment with few members in the Senate at a time when the whole world was struggling with the coronavirus pandemic reveals the insidious mentality behind it,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said, “it is not possible to impose more than a historical discussion on the events of 1915, as determined by Articles 173 and 231 of the 2015 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, which was repeated by the second decision in 2017.”

“Attempts to define a historical issue in the interests of politics and certain groups are unacceptable,” it said.

“We call on those who want to present a one-sided view of history to consider President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s letter that expresses an understanding of sharing the common grief sent to Turkey’s Armenian Patriarch on the occasion of April 24.

“We invite the Czech Parliament to respect the provisions of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, international court decisions and the historical and current sources of international law,” it said.

It noted that Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said the decision does not reflect the attitude of the Czech government.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry welcomed the adoption of the resolution, noting that the unanimous decision of the Czech Senate is a “major contribution to the restoration of historical justice and respect for the memory of the victims.”

“It is also a key message in preventing genocides and new crimes against humanity,” the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said.

In April 2017 the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament had approved a resolution, condemning the genocide of Armenians and other religious and national minorities in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

Turkey objects to presenting the 1915 incidents as “genocide,” rather calling them a tragedy in which both Turks and Armenians suffered casualties in the heat of World War I.

Turkey’s position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with the invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to examine the issue.

Passenger traffic at Prague Airport is slowly coming back.

In April, the airport saw an unprecedented drop in traffic of 99.6 percent, handling 5031 passengers. At the end of the month, there were only two regular lines, to Minsk and Sofia.

In May, however, the situation is starting to change. At the beginning of the month, KLM started daily flights to Amsterdam, as well as the direct Eurowings flight to Düsseldorf.

Czech Airlines is currently flying to Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt am Main. Air travel to and from Stockholm is set to be reinstated from May 21 and to Bucharest from May 25.

The carries plans to resume operation on its lines to Kiev and Odessa later in May, provided mandatory quarantine restrictions are terminated in Ukraine by then.

Lufthansa, Air France, and Finnair are resuming flights

In June, other airlines should gradually increase their connections. The flight to Frankfurt starting from June 1 has already been announced by Lufthansa.

Last year, Prague Airport handled a record 17.8 million passengers.

As far as tourists are concerned, it is not yet completely clear when the Czech Republic will start opening up. Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček said that this is likely to happen in July, provided that visitors show some sort of test.

The border with Austria could be opened to tourists by mid-June without the need for a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine.

“The Czech government is discussing a similar agreement with Slovakia,” said Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (ČSSD)on Tuesday after a video conference with the foreign ministers of both countries.

“With Austria, we have confirmed our interest in opening our borders to our citizens and for travel by mid-June, especially for tourists,” said Petříček.

“Borders with all neighbouring states – Poland, Germany, Austria and Slovakia – could be open by mid-June,” added Petříček.

Health Minister Adam Vojtech “had proposed that as of June 8, travel to and from a list of risky countries – to be determined but currently likely to include Spain, Italy or France – would be subject to the current requirements while others deemed safe – such as Austria, Slovakia or Croatia – would be exempt.”

Austria, Slovakia, and Croatia, for example, would be among the non-risk countries; Greece and Bulgaria should be also added to this list.

Vojtech said the list of risky countries would be updated continuously.

With Greece, the Czech Republic is negotiating a variant of traveling without the need for a negative COVID-19 test. According to Monday’s statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek, Greece could be open to Czech tourists from 1 July.

From May 26th it will be possible to cross the borders and return if you have a negative COVID test. The government will clarify which crossings will open later this week.

“The government has today agreed that the border regime will be relaxed from May 26th; it will be possible to cross at several border crossings and checks will only be random. With valid exceptions, the obligation to submit a negative test for COVID-19 when entering the Czech Republic will continue to apply,” said Interior Minister Jan Hamáček.

Tell more about your business

Tell us about your.

Tell us about your.

Tell us about your.

Tell us about your.

Tell us about your.

Thank You, It`s All Good

Tell us about your.