Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamáček says the current COVID-19 restrictions likely won’t be enough, and the Czech Republic may very well be in the exact same situation after the three weeks are up.
The current measures have closed all schools, bars, restaurants, most shops and services, and don’t allow for people to go outside of their province of residence. Masks are required everywhere outside of your home, and non-essential visits to friends and relatives are banned.
“It turns out though that even these drastic measures may not lead to the desired goal. A decrease in the reproduction rate and the number of people infected can be expected, but it’s not necessarily going to be significant,” Hamáček said.
“Our estimates show that after three weeks, after some culmination, we could still have the same numbers as today. That’s not good news because the numbers are alarming.”
Czech government officials will be discussing the possibility of mandatory testing for companies with more than 250 employees starting March 5. Anyone who refuses the tests or doesn’t comply with them properly would face a fine of up to 500,000 CZK.
Hamáček wants to start testing as much as possible and prevent people from interacting with others.
“No one wants to close down industries, but we should take steps to start testing as much as possible or to have as little human contact as possible.”
Featured image via vlada.cz
