It's only been a few days since Thursday 3.12., when the measures have been eased and the Czech Republic made a transition from the fourth risk level to the third. Yet most regions have remained at the third level only for a short time, such as Prague (49 points), the Pilsen Region (58 points) and the South Moravian Region (51 points). The other regions have climbed back to level four or five. The worst affected is the Ústí nad Labem region, where the DOG score rose up to 76 points, which means it is now at the fifth level.
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"The anti-epidemic system is a crucial, but not the only source for our decisions. So far, we are not proposing a transition to the fourth level of the DOG index, even if the score was sixty tomorrow,"
said Minister of Health Jan Blatný at a press conference after a government session.
Despite the 64 point score, the government decided to keep the Czech Republic at level three, while adding a number of restrictive measures, which will enter into force on Wednesday, December 9.
What is going to change from Wednesday?
The changes will mainly affect restaurants (excluding hotels), bars and clubs. These can newly be open until 8pm. Dispensing windows will have to close along with the restaurants. Furthermore, it is forbidden to consume alcohol in public throughout the day. The sale of alcohol and food on the markets is also prohibited.
How about ski resorts?
One of the points the government was to discuss was the opening of ski resorts.
"We have postponed the decision on when ski lifts will be operational,"
said the Minister of Health Jan Blatný.
However, the Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček stated that they were intensively working on the change and that a manual for ski resorts was being created.
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Lidé na sjezdovceSource: Pixabay.com/pixel2013
Will there be tougher penalties for violating the regulations?
Today's press conference brought another significant change, namely the approval of the amendment to the crisis law by the government. The amendment proposed by the Minister of the Interior, Jan Hamáček, should make sanctions for breaches of the measures more effective. An approval by the Chamber is required before ithe amendment enters into force. It will be passed to the chamber this week.
"It is a problem to take action against those who violate government regulations, such as closed restaurants, and this amendment, which I believe will be successfully negotiated in the Chamber, proposes a tightening of these measures,"
said Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek, who represented Jan Hamáček at the press conference.
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Lubomír ZaorálekSource: Archiv L. Zaorálka
The amendment proposes that a natural person may be fined up to 50,000 crowns and a legal person up to three million crowns.
The government wants to extend the state of emergency by a month
At present, the state of emergency in the Czech Republic is in force until 12 December. The government will again ask the Chamber of Deputies for an extension of 30 days. If the proposal is approved by the Chamber, the state of emergency will last until 11 January.
