This Saturday, the Czech Republic registered 1541 cases of COVID-19 infection. Currently, there are more than 13,700 cases in the entire country. Most of the infected have mild symptoms or don’t feel them at all. 297 people were hospitalized and 69 of them are in a serious condition.
While the Czech Republic faces a crisis, Germany, which is an eight times bigger country, published 948 cases on the same day. Belgium and Germany put Prague on the “red list” meaning that after the visit, their citizens will have to take a COVID-19 test and go into a self-isolation.
Based on the number of cases over 2 weeks per 100,000 citizens, the Czech Republic is the third country among the most affected ones in the European Union. Spain and France share the first and second places on the same list.
The number of performed tests increases daily. This Friday, Czech laboratories made more than 18 000 tests. The government plans to establish even more test points, for example at Vítězné náměstí and the Džbán natural reservoir.
Epidemiologist Roman Prymula is afraid that Czech hospitals might run out of capacity by the end of October if the government doesn’t introduce strict measures. He also stated that the responsibility falls mainly on citizens who must wear masks everywhere they go.
Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister of Culture, shares the same thoughts. He expressed that the cancelation of the masks was a big mistake. The government thought that it had everything under control, however, the uncautious move might have affected the spike in the cases.
Since 1st September, it is required to wear masks in every public place and public transportation. Zdeňka Jágrová, the director of the Prague hygiene station, stated that from Monday, it’ll be required for every employee to regularly sanitize hands during work. It’s not a requirement for customers, even though it’s strongly recommended.
