prague Archives – Page 6 of 28

Students threw a dorm party at the Větrník dormitory on the night of Monday to Tuesday, which was attended by about 30 to 40 students despite a ban on gathering due to the spread of coronavirus.

Despite the Czech government’s request to limit social gatherings of over 10 people, not all young people have taken advice about “social distancing” seriously.

The students are mainly foreigners attending the Erasmus program. Similar events were also held at the dormitories of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague (CULS).

Because of the party, the virus appeared to be spreading among the residents.

“Unfortunately, there was a big Erasmus party at Block III at Na Větrníku dormitory. The students did not listen to the calls of the municipal police,” said the spokesman of Charles University Vaclav Hajek.

Charles University has already informed the schools where the students’ come from, mainly from Italy and Spain.

Minimizing crowds of people is an important step in preventing the spread of coronavirus, as even low-risk groups like young, healthy people can become infected with it without showing any symptoms.

As of Friday morning, there were 765 registered cases of Covid-19 in the Czech Republic. A number of people are in a serious condition but as yet no deaths have been reported.

A planeload with one million respirators has arrived in the Czech Republic from China to help it deal with its growing coronavirus crisis, as reported by Czech Television.

More flights should follow, carrying millions of masks and other medical supplies.

According to the Minister of the Interior, three flights with similar loads should land weekly. “I’m convinced that the Czech Republic is out of the worst in terms of lack of protective equipment,” he said.

The first deliveries are already being distributed to the regions which are desperately short of respirators and facemasks.

The Czech Republic has ordered another 5 millions respirators from China along with 30 million masks and 250,000 sets of protective clothing but it will take until Sunday for the material to arrive.

On Wednesday, a Czech aircraft landed in Prague-Kbely, carrying 150,000 testings kit for the coronavirus disease COVID-19.

The tests were delivered to residents of those Czech villages that have been lockdown on Monday.

The Ministry of Health paid about CZK 14 million for 100,000 testings kit, while another 50,000 tests were paid by the Ministry of the Interior. Transport was provided by the Ministry of Defense.

Currently, there are 774 people in the Czech Republic with a confirmed infection with a new type of coronavirus.

A Czech aircraft landed in Prague-Kbely at on Wednesday morning at 2.30, carrying 150,000 testings kit for the coronavirus disease COVID-19.

The tests will be delivered to distribution points in the morning, especially to residents of those Czech villages that have been lockdown on Monday.

As the virus spread in Wuhan, Chinese researchers developed a more rapid “point of care” screening test, which detects antibodies that emerge some time after Covid-19 symptoms appear.

A study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Virology said the test could return results within 20-25 minutes, much faster than the current standard testing.

The Ministry of Health paid about CZK 14 million for 100,000 testings kit, while another 50,000 tests were paid by the Ministry of the Interior. Transport was provided by the Ministry of Defense.

The Czech Republic wants to buy other medical supplies from China. According to Hamáček, 30 million masks could be transported on Sunday.

Other flights will be provided by Smartwings and Czech Airlines.

The government will discuss to quarantine the whole Czech Republic this afternoon.

What that exactly means will likely be disclosed at a special government press conference at 6 pm.

“People should stay at home, take care of older people, and today we are likely to take further measures,” said Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO). “Many people do not respect quarantine, but the virus is spreading,” he added.

People could basically just go to work and do groceries.

“If we declare quarantine of the whole Czech Republic, it must have some rules,” the Prime Minister said. According to him, it is not possible for people to violate quarantine. Penalties of up to CZK 3 million may be imposed for violations.

At the same time, all the baked goods in the shops will be packaged, and the baskets to be disinfected.

However, according to the Prime Minister, public transport will continue to work. “We also want to increase public transport so that there is no such concentration of people,” he added.

Interior Minister Jan Hamáček said that the situation is developing dynamically and that this is why all of the preventative measures are being enacted in order to slow down the epidemic as much as possible.

“We will ask hospitals to postpone scheduled operations. We need those hospitals to focus only on coronavirus,” the Prime Minister added. This also applies to ambulatory doctors and dentists.

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Czech Republic has now reached 231. Over 5,000 people have been quarantined.

Two-thirds of those diagnosed were infected abroad, one third within the Czech Republic. The most common source of infection is Italy, with 74.5 percent of people who tested positive in Czechia having contracted the disease there.

In order to fight the spread of a new type of coronavirus, the Czech Post will offer the state its capacities to deliver food and other vital supplies.

Operations at the post office continue to run as normal.

The company plans to outfit its offices and staff with necessary disinfectants. The current state of precautions has been described as “catastrophic” by Evžen Dvorský, the head of the postal service’s trade union, with one office in Prague apparently even lacking soap and no floor cleaning taking place.

Czech Post will not distribute additional products, such as leaflets. “Delivery works without restrictions, except for the advertising leaflets. We will distribute only the most necessary products,” said Roman Knap, CEO of Czech Post.

Czech Post has prepared a non-contact delivery method for people in quarantine. The consignments intended for the addressee’s hands will be stored in the mailbox or left at the post office where they will be able to pick them up within a month.

Approximately 9200 disinfectant sprays were distributed to the postmen who most often come into contact with the costumers.

In the following week, Czech Post will provide other 40,000 sprays to the offices.

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Czech Republic has now reached 189. Over 5,000 people have been quarantined.

The Czech government will shut most shops and restaurants from 6:00 a.m. on Saturday as part of measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, it said in an overnight statement.

This new measure is scheduled to last until 06:00 on Tuesday, 24 March. Exceptions on the shop ban will include food stores, pharmacies and gas stations.

“The situation is dynamic, we had to make a quick decision to prevent people from going to the shopping centers,” said PM Andrej Babiš. “As for hotels, people should not sit in restaurants,” he added.

The government has also closed restaurants and other foodservice establishments, with the exception of employee catering. Games and casinos will also be closed from 06:00 on Saturday.

Some retail chains are preparing food packages, for elder people and pensioners. The Czech Red Cross could help with the delivery.

Food courts in shopping centers with an area of over 5,000 square meters will also close for 10 days.

Outlets selling the following goods are not affected by the closures:

-Foodstuffs
-Computer and telecommunications equipment, audio and video receivers, consumer electronics, appliances and other household products
-Fuels
-Hygiene goods and cosmetics
-Pharmacies and medical device stores
-Small pets
-Animal feed and other supplies
-Glasses, contact lenses and related goods
-Newspapers and magazines
-Tobacco products
-Laundries and dry cleaners
-Sales via the internet and other remote means, goods and services predominantly sold or offered by such outlets

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Czech Republic has now reached 150, with over 4,800 people quarantined. Cases have now been recorded in all regions of the country.

Prague’s Charles Bridge is once again “decorated” with new graffiti. Vandals spray-painted “Krakow + Moscow = Prague”, and Sunday’s date, on a bridge arcade on the Lesser Town side.

“We know about the new graffiti and we are already dealing with the National Institute for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and the Department for the Preservation of Monuments of Prague,” said Barbora Lišková, spokesman for Technical Administration of Communications (TSK).

None of the security cameras apparently caught the vandals.

Nové graffiti na Karlově mostě. Krakóv + Moscow = Prague
8.3.2020 pic.twitter.com/l8hxoOlU5I

— janekrubes (@janekrubes) March 9, 2020

The stones are very porous, and it could be very difficult, maybe even impossible to clean them so that there are no traces of the graffiti left on the wall.

Prague is not a crime-torn city. Prague’s crime index is only 24.65. The highest risk of crime seems to come from corruption and bribery, with a 53.61 rating. Vandalism was second with a crime rating of 37.63, still considered very low.

Last year, two German tourists accused of spray painting the Charles Bridge were sentenced to a one-year suspended term sentence, 5 years expulsion from the Czech Republic and a 100,000CZK fine.

But vandalism is pervasive across the board in Europe, perhaps more so than ever. The Sun UK reports that of France’s 42,285 churches, 875 had been desecrated in 2018. Sadly, this report came just a week before the Notre Dame fire, which devoured much of the 850-year-cathedral. The same year, 59 cemeteries were reportedly vandalized.

Czech government decides to suspend flights to and from Italy (Milan, Venice, Bergamo and Bologna) and South Korea amid coronavirus outbreak (2019-nCoV).

This was announced by PM Andrej Babiš after the meeting with the State Security Council.

The Czech Republic is negotiating this step with the European Commission and expects to limit flights from and to Italy for 14 days.

Moreover, the upcoming Biathlon World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě, where up to 100,000 people are expected, will take place without an audience.

The Prime Minister stressed that anyone who has been in high-risk locations and has coronavirus-like symptoms should report their symptom by phone rather than seeking medical attention at clinics or hospitals.

Yesterday, the Czech health minister confirmed the first three cases of coronavirus infection in the country.

It is not yet clear how many other people that the three came into contact with will be quarantined. None of the patients are reported to be in serious condition.

LIVE UPDATES

12.30

Following the decision by the State Security Council, Czech Airlines is suspending the service from Prague to Milan and Bologna with immediate effect. The interruption of the flights is valid from today to 6 April 2020.

12.25

All bus connections between Prague – Brno – Venice – Rome and Prague – Milan operated by RegioJet will be suspended from the end of this week until further notice.

10.58

The State Health Institute is operating two information lines around the clock. (People who have questions regarding the coronavirus can call 724 810 106 or 725 191 367.)

10.44

Lufthansa calls off flights to Milan, Rome, Venice, Verona, Turin, and Bologna.

10.39

Andorra reports the first case of coronavirus. The patient is a 20-year-old man who came from Milan.

10.31

The Czech University of Life Sciences Prague canceled all the classes on Monday and Tuesday. One of the three confirmed cases of coronavirus should be one of the academics.

10.26

Indian health authorities have confirmed the first new cases of coronavirus in the country in several weeks – both in patients that had a history of overseas travel

10.00

The World Biathlon Cup in Nové Město na Moravě will take place without the audience.

09:48

The National Security Council recommended limiting visits to senior homes, and Alzheimer’s centers.

09.45

The Czech Republic has officially suspended flights to South Korea, as well as from Milan, Venice, and Bologna.

It is no longer necessary to prove a physical card to a conductor or inspector; a mobile application suffices.

The newest PID Lítačka application has arrived for regular passengers and public transport in Prague, as well as suburban lines in the Central Bohemia Region.

This is another step in the modernization and digitization of urban travel, in where the new transport system started in Prague and the Central Bohemia Region last year. This significantly facilitated the purchase of tickets and coupons as well as their recording on physical carriers. Until now, only physical plastic cards have been used as identifiers with which you could prove yourself during the transport control.

Since the launch of the new transport system, the PID Lítačka application has also worked, but it was only possible to buy short-term fares. However, this is now changing, and it is finally possible to upload long-term coupons (i.e. quarterly, half-yearly or yearly) to a mobile application that works on both Android and iOS. As of December first, the application can serve as an identifier.

Lítačka has been ready for long-term coupons and their uploads for a while, but more than 3,000 check-in devices had to be ready for vehicles to work with in-app vouchers and reviewers. With the vehicles now prepared, they can safely recognize a long-term coupon on both a plastic card and a mobile phone.

Either a card or app

A long-term coupon can still be uploaded to a single identifier, but you can only have it on either a physical card (Lítačka, In ČD Card, Visa, Mastercard) or in the PID Lítačka mobile app. Therefore, it is not possible to prove your card just once, by your mobile phone— you have to choose, or manually change your coupon when you change the carrier.

As the representatives of Prague Integrated Transport have revealed on our inquiry on Twitter, the impossibility of multiple identifiers is mainly due to the possible misuse, which significantly increases the existence of one coupon on two identifiers. Two people could theoretically travel on one document, one showing the card and the other on their mobile application.

The developers do not exclude that the system will be technologically modified in the future for the possibility to use more identifiers, because—even according to them—although it would be a “more friendly and modern” solution, it is not yet possible. However, the Czech Railways In Karta card, for example, works both on the physical card and mobile application.

To verify the long-term coupon, the QR code will be displayed in the PID Lítačka application, which will be scanned by the attendant or reviewer. Contactless NFC chip will also work on selected Android mobile phones. It will be possible to identify in both metro and trams as well as buses or trains, as was the case with single tickets so far.

Passengers still have to go to the PID Lítačka e-shop when they want to buy a long-term coupon. Momentarily, the ICT operator is working to move this feature into the mobile app. We should expect further updates next year.

Dear friends of electronic music. The word legend is used far too often these days, but when we say we are ready to announce another legend, it is far from an exaggeration! This time it will be something very special, none other than, English record producer and trance DJ, Paul Oakenfold!

He is a three-time Grammy Award and two-time World Music Awards nominee. He was voted the No. 1 DJ in the World twice in 1998 and 1999 by DJ Magazine. This great star will come to Prague to play 7^th March 2020 at the DupleX, The Rooftop Venue on Wenceslas Square as part of our concept night DupleX Presents, which continues to bring the biggest stars of the world’s electronic music!

When it comes to a career of the magnitude of Paul Oakenfold, it’s hard to describe one of the true legends of electronic music in just a few words. For over three decades he has elevated and shaped an entire genre and remains one of the leading forces in the global music scene today.

Paul Oakenfold already visited the Czech Republic several times with his DJ set. Last time it was in 2012 at the Sázavafest, before that, in 2009 as a support DJ for Madonna and at festival Mácháč. But this time it will be something special because he is back for an unforgettable, breath-taking, intimate club show for the very first time!

Supporting DJs will be representatives of the Czech scene which we will gradually unveil on the Facebook event page

Paul has produced for megastars such as U2, Madonna, and The Happy Mondays. As well as three acclaimed artist albums under his name. He has remixed Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and Justin Timberlake and released over 20 DJ mix compilations.

His work has taken him from the DJ booth of the world’s hottest nightspots and festivals to the studio producing soundtracks for Hollywood blockbuster movies – including The Bourne Identity, Matrix Reloaded, Shrek 2, Swordfish and Collateral.

Tickets available here

The Czechs have many bizarre and unusual traditions: the Christmas carp in the bathtub, and whipping the women in their lives in exchange for shots of alcohol at Easter, just to name a few.

On December 5^th is possibly the Czech Republic’s most bizarre, and terrifying tradition: St Nicholas Day.

There are a few legends about him, the most known is probably that one, which says how he saved there poor young sisters.

Their father had no money, so the girls were about to become prostitutes to make their living. Nicholas heard of it, and at night, when no one could have seen him, threw three purses filled with gold coins into the house, so the sisters were saved. Nicholas inherited a lot of money from his rich parents and thus he gave many other anonymous gifts to the poorest people.

Later it was found, that the benefactor was he, and after his death, rich people were anonymously gifting the poor ones in his honor.

On the evening before his svátek (name day) on December 6, squares in villages, towns, and cities around the Czech Republic come alive for a pre-Christmas celebration that is almost as big a deal, at least for children, as the full-blown Christmas holiday on December 24.

You will notice people walking around in groups of three, wearing eccentric costumes: Angel, devil, and Mikuláš go to see the kids! They usually ring on the door, parents bring the kids to the doorstep, St. Nicholas asks the kids whether they behaved well during the last year.

Children who have been well-behaved during the year will be rewarded with sweets or a small gift. The more impressive their song or poem is, the bigger this reward will be. Those unfortunate children who have not behaved well during the year will be thrust into the devil’s sack and… carried to hell!

With this in mind, small children are understandably worried by the presence of the Devil. So when St. Nicholas and his entourage approach, the children sing their song or recite their poem with great gusto.

Needless to say, Mikulas acts as a strong incentive to be good throughout the year!

Preschools usually teach children a poem to recite, and sometimes they let the children go in pairs to ease stage fright and perhaps to speed up the process.

So if you are in Prague on the 5th of December, it is worth it to take a walk in the city after the sunset. You can admire wonderful masks of Nicholas, beautiful angels and scary devils. Traditionally, the biggest meeting of them takes place in Old Town Square every year.

Czechs really know how to make the most of the holiday season. Christmas in Prague is a fairy-tale mix of twinkle lights, majestic trees, Christmas markets, smell of hot wine and sweets. So get out and enjoy the unique atmosphere.

November 30
First lighting of Christmas tree and opening of the Christmas market at Old Town Square
When: on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
other days every hour starting from 4:30 p.m., last lighting at 9:30 p.m.

Lighting of Christmas tree at Břevnov monastery
When: starting at 5 p.m
Where: Bělohorská 150

November 30 – December 1
Mint market
Design market with original Czech fashion, jewellery, accessories and delicacies.
Where: Pražská tržnice, hall 11&17
Free entry, pets allowed

November 30 – December 1
Dyzajn market winter
Buy an original xmas present at Dyzajn market where you can find original Czech artwork and design pieces.
There will be also creative workshops, theatre shows for kids, live music, good food & hot wine.
Where: Václav Havel square
When: from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Free entry

November 30
“Plný Block”
Enjoy xmas atmosphere at Vnitroblock. You will find here stands with local design products, creative xmas workshops, live music, DJs, special xmas drinks and sweets.
Where: Tusarova 31, Prague 7
When: 9 a.m till 11:59 p.m.

November 30 – December 1
“Mikulášské jízdy Prahou”
Special St. Nicolas rides with a steam train.
Where: Smíchov train station
For more info see www.cd.cz

November 30
Opening of ice skating rink at Letná
When: 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Free entrance

December 1
Opening of the ice skating rink under Zizkov TV Tower.
Entrance fee: 120 CZK for 2 hours

November 29 – November 30
Prague beer fest at Pragovka
You can taste winter and xmas beers of 30 Czech and foreign brewers and sample new gastronomic specialities matched to beers.
Tickets online on goout.net or on the festival. (100CZK or 150 CZK)
When: noon – 10 p.m.
Where: Kolbenova 34a

December 1
Charity bazaar with Czech bloggers
When: 2 p.m.- 7 p.m.
Where: Sochařská 8, Letná

November 30 – December 22
Advent on the Lucerna rooftop.
When: only advent weekends
Entry 100CZK, kids for free

December 5
St. Nicolas day at Old Town Square and Karlín market

December 6
“Dva kohouti” celebrates 1st birthday
When: 4:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.
Where: Sokolovská 55

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