News: Saturday, January 30th, 2021

Czech government bans all non-essential travel to the Czech Republic

The Czech government has banned all non-essential travel to the Czech Republic, regardless of which country people are coming from. The decision, made in connection with the worsening coronavirus pandemic, entered into force on midnight Friday.

The ban does not apply to foreigners working and studying in the Czech Republic, people visiting close relatives, medical facilities and care homes, or undertaking a trip to attend a wedding or funeral. According to the Interior Ministry there are random checks on the country’s borders.

People entering the Czech Republic or returning to the country must present a negative Covid-19 test no older than 72 hours or self-isolate and undergo a PCR test within five days upon arrival.

Tightened coronavirus measures in effect

Tightened coronavirus measures are in effect as of midnight Friday, aimed at lowering the mobility of the public in view of the presence of the more contagious British variant of Covid-19 on Czech territory.

People have been asked to keep contacts with others down to an absolute minimum and remain in their own homes as much as possible, with the exception of going to work and doing essential shopping.

People are only allowed to stay at their own recreational properties and exclusively with members of their own families.

In an effort to reduce the number of people at winter mountain resorts, the government has issued a regulation according to which accommodation facilities may only accommodate people on work trips. They will have to produce a letter from their employer confirming the fact and are not allowed to bring family members with them.

Chair lifts may only be used by emergency crews.

Most hospital visits are also banned.

Czech Republic joins appeal for fast certification, distribution of Covid-19 vaccines

The leaders of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Greece have sent a letter to European Council President Charles Michel, telling him that EU governments must send a strong signal to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to ensure the approval of vaccine candidates is "as efficient as possible".

They also suggested that the EU consider distributing as yet uncertified vaccines to the member states so that inoculation with them can start the minute they are certified.

The signatories of the joint letter stress that “every week counts“ in the race to bring the pandemic under control.

Covid risk index drops to 68 points

The Czech Republic registered 8,010 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, and the risk index dropped from 70 to 68 points, which corresponds to the fourth level on the five-tier scale of the counter-epidemic system, according to data released by the Ministry of Health.The restrictions in place correspond to the fifth level.

The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 has dropped slightly to 5,812, of which 947 are in a serious condition. Coronavirus death toll has now reached 16,211. The number of people currently fighting the infection is 104, 099.

Transport Ministry planning to expand highways to reduce congestion

The Ministry of Transport plans to gradually reduce congestion on Czech roads by expanding 90 kilometres of Czech motorways by a third lane.

The construction of the third lanes will be undertaken in stages, due to the complicated administrative process involved,  with work due to begin in two years on the D1 motorway, from Prague to Brno.

The Czech Automotive Club has welcomed the news, saying it will not just save time, but will likely reduce accidents by up to 20 percent.

Pandemic drives up sales, rents of country cottages

Interest in renting out or buying country cottages is still growing in the Czech Republic, with some real estate companies reporting a growth of 40 percent year-on-year.

The trend is directly linked to the coronavirus pandemic that has restricted or banned travel.

The price of such properties has risen by 20 to 35 percent since the beginning of 2020.

People are also increasingly converting recreational facilities into permanent housing.

Weather forecast

Sunday should be partly cloudy to overcast with scattered snow showers and day temperatures between -3 and 1 degrees Celsius. Night time lows could drop to as low as -12 degrees.