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According to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the possibility of traveling outside the Czech border is “only theoretical”. He announced it during an interview with iRozhlas on Friday morning.
In his opinion, “the Czech Republic managed the epidemic very well and is one of the ‘world leaders’ in this fight.”
“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. The lifted ban on travel abroad mainly applies to business trips,” added the Prime Minister.
However, travel conditions are regularly negotiated with neighboring countries. Babiš took part in video conferences with presidents and prime ministers from Austria, Denmark, Norway, Australia, and Greece, which are successfully managing the epidemic.
There is criticism that the announcement sowed confusion, with no immediate information on when foreign visitors would be allowed to re-enter, which would help Prague’s beleaguered tourism industry.
“Has the government opened the borders only for Czech citizens or for foreigners who would like to come to the Czech Republic?” tweeted Jiří Pehe, a political analyst and director of New York University in Prague.
According to the Prime Minister, “the mass tourism is still unrealistic, although now we allow citizens from traveling across borders. “But I recommend people to stay in the Czech Republic. It is safe here, we manage the epidemic very well compared to other countries,” says Babiš.
“Now we need to open shops, restaurants, and other businesses,” he concludes.
On Thursday evening, the Czech cabinet lifted a ban on its citizens traveling abroad for reasons other than work following an improvement in conditions of the coronavirus outbreak.
“It is possible to travel abroad, even for a holiday. But when one returns, they have to be COVID-negative, with proof by a test, or go into a two-week quarantine,” Vojtech said at a televised news conference.
Restrictions are also being lifted on movement within the country, with groups of up to 10 people permitted to gather. Previous rules limited outdoor gatherings to two.
As all schools, kindergartens and other school facilities (such as forest kindergartens, children’s groups, etc.) have been closed in the Czech Republic, government measures have been extended to self-employed persons who are forced to stay with their children at home. Šárka Pelikánová, owner of the accountancy and tax office of Connect Economic Group s.r.o.
Who is eligible for the nursing allowance?
Self-employed persons have never been entitled to a nursing allowance. Now all entrepreneurs who undertake self-employment as their main activity and who are not employed anywhere have the possibility to apply for a nursing allowance. However, self-employed persons who undertake self-employment as their secondary activity due to disability pension, maternity leave, etc., and the reason for their secondary activity is not related to employment, are also entitled to apply. If at the same time, the entrepreneur, whether for the main or secondary activity, has a signed contract on the performance of the office of the company executive, this person is not entitled to receive the nursing care allowance.
Other conditions for receiving the nursing allowance
It should be taken into account that self-employed persons must be registered for income tax at the tax office. At the same time, it must not have any debts and arrears to state institutions and providers of support from projects co-financed from the EU budget. The last condition is that the applicant for the nursing allowance must meet the definition of an SME
How old must my child be in order to receive the nursing allowance?
Normally, the nursing allowance is paid only to parents whose children are under 10 years of age. Now, given the current situation, you can also receive a nursing allowance for children under 13 years of age.
How many people can receive nursing allowance per child?
Only one parent or a person who lives in the same household with the child can receive the nursing allowance. It can also be a grandmother or grandfather of a child. The condition is that no one else is receiving any other child care benefits.
What do I need to get a nursing allowance?
The applicant will need to complete a simple form in the Czech language for the application for a subsidy. Use this link
In addition, the self-employed person has to submit another application and affidavit Confirmation of the closure of school or children’s facility (school) or facility providing social services – original or simple copy (scan, photo)
Where to apply for a nursing allowance for a self-employed person?
Therefore, if you meet all the conditions and want to apply for a nursing allowance, go to your trade licensing office and file an application together with the affidavit that is part of the application. You can also do so via e-mail with your electronic signature or your data box. The Trade Licensing Office will forward your application to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and will reimburse you after the nursing allowance has been approved.
How much is the amount of the nursing allowance?
For each day you are entitled to the nursing allowance, you will receive 424Kč. This amount is tax-exempt and you do not have to pay social and health insurance from it.
When will I receive my nursing allowance?
The nursing allowance is always paid retroactively. You now have the option of applying for nursing allowance for the days when you had to be at home with your children during the month of March. However, if you are at home with your child only since April, you will not be able to apply for this allowance until May. At this moment, you have the option to claim a post only for the month of March.
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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.
If you want to experience an oasis of calm just a bus ride away from the bustling city center, Prague Botanical garden is a great choice. Located in the vicinity of the Prague Zoo, in the Troja basin, Botanical Garden has been growing significantly since its opening.
Prague city, in agreement with the Ministry of Health, reopened the outdoor exhibitions in the Botanical Garden in Troja on Monday. However, people must respect strict sanitary measures. However, all indoor expositions, including the tropical greenhouse Fata Morgana, remain closed.
Open-air expositions cover an area of nearly 25 hectares. Stretching over a large chunk of land, the Botanic Garden includes a Japanese Garden with a gorgeous grove of Japanese Cherry trees, an exhibition of irises, several small ponds, and lakes, and the vineyard of St. Claire.
The central bed of a perennial and annual plant collection is among the most attractive parts of the garden – it blossoms in a variety of colors and shades during the summer months. A valuable collection of bulbous and tuberous plants is also worth seeing. Blooms of crowtoes, crocuses, hyacinths, bluebells and grape hyacinths adorn the garden from early March.
The garden will be open every day from 9:00 to 18:00.
The Prague Botanical Garden warns that all three entrance gates will be opened (from K Pazderkám, Nádvorní and Kovárna public transport stops). According to the municipality, protective disinfection should also be available at the entrance.
The official Facebook profile reminds that people must keep the social distance, and groups of more than two people are banned from entering the space.
The public transport to reach the Botanical Garden is pretty convenient: from Nádraží Holešovice (metro red C line, or tram station) take the Bus No 112 to the last stop and then simply follow the signs (about 5 min on foot).
The Czech government will allow stores and restaurants to reopen gradually over the next two months to reawaken an economy paralyzed by the coronavirus lockdown, officials said on Tuesday (14 April).
Authorities said they would start by letting craft shops reopen on 20 April, larger stores on 11 May, and restaurants and shopping malls on 8 June.
“This scenario is based on a parameter where the coronavirus will be under control, as it has been until now,” Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek told a news conference.
Deputy Health Minister Roman Prymula said the virus reproduction or transmission rate, dubbed “R”, was now less than 1 – meaning a person with the virus typically infects less than 1 person on average, and that the epidemic is in decline.
Nevertheless, Czechs will need to continue wearing face masks until further notice and summer festivals and other events for large groups of people will probably not take place, officials said.
Theatres, other cultural venues for up to 50 people and indoor sections of restaurants would be the last to open on 8 June after beer gardens resume on 25 May under the current plan.
“We managed to get this epidemic under control in some way, the reproduction number has dropped below 1, meaning that the epidemic has a downward trend here,” Prymula said.
The plan also foresees a partial reopening of schools for student admission and graduation exams but normal schooling will not restart before the new academic year in September.
Borders would also remain shut except for travel related to business, medical and family reasons with a 14-day quarantine required on return. Any wider reopening would have to come in coordination with other European countries, officials said.
“Ordinary travel will depend on how the situation develops in Europe, it has to be in concert with other countries,” Havlicek said.
The lockdown has pummelled the Czech economy and cost the services sector an estimated 50 billion crowns (€1.86 billion) in losses through the end of April due to a lack of foreign tourists to Prague and other cities.
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Despite an increase in the amount of testing, the graph depicting the increase in transmissions is going down from 11 percent to around 5 percent.
According to the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch (ANO), this means that the Czech Republic has managed to stop the uncontrolled spread of the COVID-19.
“We managed to stop the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 and we can prepare for a return to normal life in the coming weeks. We are not in the same situation as Italy, Spain, USA or the United Kingdom. The situation is developing very well,” Vojtech said.
Ladislav Dušek, director of the Institute of Health Information and Statistics (ÚZIS), confirmed the data. “We have increased the testing capacity. It is a clear signal that something is happening in the population and that the spread has stopped.”
The reproductive number (R0) of the virus has also decreased, ie the number of people able to infect one person with the disease. It started at 2.64 and now fell to 1.1. The Ministry of Health expects it to decrease to 1.02.
R0 tells the average number of people who will catch a disease from one contagious person. If a disease has an R0 of 5, a person who has the disease will transmit it to an average of 5 other people, as long as no one has been vaccinated against it or is already immune to it in their community.
- If R0 is less than 1, each existing infection causes less than one new infection. In this case, the disease will decline and eventually die out.
- If R0 equals 1, each existing infection causes one new infection. The disease will stay alive and stable, but there won’t be an outbreak or an epidemic.
- If R0 is more than 1, each existing infection causes more than one new infection. The disease will spread between people, and there may be an outbreak or epidemic.
“It does not mean eliminating the virus, but that one person can infect on average one another,” added Dušek. According to him, it is important “to continue to know the behavior of the virus.”
Original projections saw 14,200 infections in the Czech Republic by the end of April, now it has been revised to 10,600.
The Czech Republic had 5,033 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection as of midnight. So far 181 people have recovered from the COVID-19 illness and 91 people have died.