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Starting Thursday, all shops and services in the Czech Republic will be closed, except for shops selling basic necessities, Prime Minister Andrej Babis announced at a press conference after the meeting. They also restrict the free movement of the population, with the exception of going to work, shopping when necessary, and visiting health centers. The new restrictive measures will remain in effect until early November.
Andrej Babis apologized to citizens and businessmen for the problems caused by the measures, but stressed that “the decision was taken to protect the lives of the population” by the government. The prime minister said that the precautions taken so far have not yielded the expected results, the epidemic is spreading rapidly, so radical action is needed because otherwise the Czech health system is forecast to collapse in early November.
According to the Minister of Health, Roman Prymula, the spread of the infection ranges between 1.37 and 1.47. The authorities have previously stated that measures restricting public life and economic life will be suspended if this indicator falls to 0.8.
The epidemic is expected to peak between November 3-11.
declared the Minister. According to the authorities, hospitals will soon be under extreme pressure, which is why a 500-bed field hospital is already under construction in Prague.
Babis said the number of special hospital beds suitable for intensive care had increased from 4,800 to 15,400 and the government had ordered 2,500 additional hospital beds. According to the prime minister, the Czech Republic has also requested foreign aid, and 28 doctors from the United States, for example, will soon arrive at Czech health facilities.
According to the latest data, the number of confirmed infections already exceeds 113,000.
The coronavirus test was also positive for Interior Minister Jan Hamácek, president of the National Crisis Team. Hamas, which likely received the infection from Agriculture Minister Miroslav Toman, has been quarantined and works from home. Toman announced Sunday that his test was positive and will be in quarantine for ten days.
A statement posted on the Department of Health website Wednesday morning shows that
on Tuesday, 11,984 infected people were confirmed by laboratory tests, the highest number yet.
Although in most cases the course of the infection or disease is mild, the number of patients treated in hospitals already exceeds four thousand, the number of serious cases is 634, more than three hundred of which require a ventilator. The number of fatalities rose to 1,619.
Starting Wednesday morning, the mask is mandatory in public spaces and in cars across the country. The exceptions to this are if only family members are together on the street or in the car, or if people are playing sports. The use of masks in closed rooms and in public transport is mandatory for a few weeks. The Czech Republic has been in a state of emergency since the beginning of October. Schools, restaurants, clubs will be closed until the beginning of November and cultural and sporting events will be suspended.
Cover Image Source: Getty Images
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