Wearing face-masks in public transport could once more become mandatory after summer, Prague Hygiene Service chief Zdeňka Jágrová announced.

As iDNES reports, Prague Security Council held a special meeting in the morning (July 30), connected with the deterioration of the epidemiological situation in the city.

During the discussion, Prague authorities and epidemiologists discussed new measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Jágrová told reporters that wearing face masks in tram and buses will become mandatory again, probably from the beginning of September.

“Wearing face masks in tram and buses will become mandatory as soon as climatic conditions allow it. The only reason this measure was canceled is that only a small part of buses and trams are air-conditioned, and wearing masks at temperatures above 25° C causes serious discomfort for many people. In the metro, the air conditioning system works everywhere, so masks remain mandatory,” Jágrová said.

“The situation will certainly be more complicated in autumn than it is today”, added Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech (ANO).

Jágrová announced that the obligatory wearing of masks, which she said had contributed to better results in the past, will be reviewed every two weeks.

The government will continue monitoring the epidemiological situation in the Czech Republic as well as abroad and introduce additional measures on borders if this proves necessary, she added.

The Czech Republic was the first country in Europe to introduce compulsory face masks, on 19 March.

 

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According to the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch, the compulsory use of facemasks on public transport may return from October or November.

“In autumn, the normal seasonal flu could compound health risks stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Additional tests will also be needed to exclude other diseases,” says Vojtech.

“The incidence of the disease will determine whether we need to wear face masks again. We need to prevent the spread of infection when other respiratory viruses will circulate,” added Vojtěch.

Currently, masks are mandatory only in the Prague metro and in public transport in the Moravian-Silesian and Jihlava regions. It should also be worn in inpatient facilities and nursing homes, as well as indoors at public events.

The compulsory use of the face mask was introduced by the Czech government on March 19, when citizens were “obliged to wear any form of respiratory protection in public places, including in the open air”.

The Czech Republic had 13,238 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection by Tuesday morning, with 64 new infections on Monday. So far 8,373 people have recovered and 353 people have died.

Although the virus is still circulating in Prague, the capital city has only seen a residual amount of new Covid-19 cases in recent days.

At the beginning of April, the Czech-made video #Masks4All by Petr Ludwig and Aneta Kernová in English language was watched by millions of people worldwide and featured on CNN.

The video encouraged people across the world to wear face masks during the global pandemic to slow down the spread of coronavirus.