Prime Minister Andrej Babiš already outlined during the weekend that shops with clothes and shoes for children or stationery stores could open on Tuesday. That was confirmed today. The shops can open as soon as tomorrow. The government didn't discuss further changes in education or services today. The Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic, Jan Hamáček, announced that the government would also ask the Chamber of Deputies to extend the state of emergency by another 30 days.
The government wants to extend the state of emergency until February 21
The government has decided to ask the Chamber of Deputies to extend the state of emergency by 30 days, i.e.until 21 February. Currently, the state of emergency is in force until January 22. The MEPs have to decide about the appeal this week; they will likely do so on Wednesday 20 January. According to the Minister of Health Jan Blatný, failure to prolong the state of emergency and excessive easing of measures could lead to the collapse of the health care system.
"If we ease all measures at once, we know that we have about 400,000 people aged 80 and over in the Czech Republic. When these people fall ill, about a third of them will end up in hospital. An estimated 130,000 people. Twenty percent of those who end up in hospital need intensive care, which would be 26,000 people,"
stated Jan Blatný. According to his words, it won't come to such a situation, but hypothetically, if it did, the capacity of the health care system in the Czech Republic could be exceeded within three weeks. At that moment, he warns it would be a problem for everyone in need of regular medical care.
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Ministr zdravotnictví Jan BlatnýSource: Profimedia.cz
Byt na pronájem na Vinohradech 50m, Praha 2
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The British strain in the Czech Republic
Blatný also said that the British strain of coronavirus has probably already arrived in the Czech Republic. He believes it will be verified in the coming days.
"This mutation of coronavirus spreads about 40 percent faster. That means that what would otherwise happen within ten days can take place in mere six days with this strain,"
stated Jan Blatný.
A large vaccination center will be established in the O2 Universum
The government also informed that a large vaccination center was about to be established in the O2 Universum in Libeň, Prague. It will be coordinated by the Central Military Hospital and the army of the Czech Republic will once again call in soldiers to help.
“Rent will be free, for the price of energies only. The plan is to vaccinate up to ten thousand people a day,"
Andrej Babiš, who didn't attend the press conference after the government meeting, posted on his twitter account.
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Premiér Andrej BabišSource: Profimedia.cz
Bankrupt entrepreneurs, taxi drivers and executives of s.r.o. companies can claim compensation
One of the more pleasant changes announced by the Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová is that bankrupt entrepreneurs, taxi drivers who are self-employed or executives of small s.r.o. companies will be able to claim a compensatory bonus in the amount of 500 crowns per day, even retroactively, i.e. from 22. October, when the new anti-coronavirus measures entered into force.
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Ministryně financí Alena SchillerováSource: MICHAL ŠULA / MAFRA / Profimedia
The current coronavirus situation in the Czech Republic
The government has not yet discussed a transition to the fourth level of the DOG system. To date, 6,330 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19. In total, 891,852 people have already tested positive for the coronavirus, 732,446 of whom have been cured. The number of active cases is 144,957.
