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On Thursday, restaurants, cafes, shops and other services (hairdressing salons, manicure, massage, etc.) reopened as Czechia entered the third level of PES. While there are already thousands of reservations to restaurants for the upcoming days, businesses shared how they will be dealing with a flood of customers. Currently, the most populated areas are hairdressing salons where people queue long before the opening hours. They are followed by beauty salons and stores with Christmas decorations, as well as cafes and restaurants. In restaurants, where the maximum capacity to be filled is 50%, almost all tables are reserved and some are already fully booked for Christmas. “We have a lot of reservations for Friday and Saturday, but tables for only four peopleContinue Reading

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In September, a massive contamination of Bečva River was discovered to have killed over 40 tonnes of fish, prompting an investigation by Czech police. The exact cause of the poisoned water has yet to be found, but speculation is mainly focused on a nearby chemical plant whose officials deny any wrong doing. “The poisoning of Bečva River has become not just an ecological catastrophe in central Moravia, but a case in point for the complete disfunction of our political instutions in our democratic state,” said Petr Gazdík, chairman of the Mayors and Independents (STAN). Gazdík called for the resignation of ANO’s Minister of the Environment Richard Brabec, stating: “Either he and his ministry failed, or he’s part of a cover-upContinue Reading

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The Prime Minister Andrej Babiš rejected the Minister of Health, Jan Blatný’s, proposal to monitor the phones of those citizens who tested positive for COVID-19. Jan Blatny proposed to the central office of the State Hygiene Service to be able to access the location data of the infected citizens from mobile operators. The data from up to three weeks ago should be provided and then reported to the Deputy Minister of Health. Apart from that, the minister also suggested being able to close universities and shops without the state of emergency in place. Currently, closing shops and many other restrictions including the anti-epidemic PES system are only possible under the state of emergency. Yet, the proposal to monitor the phonesContinue Reading

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For over 17 years, fugitive oligarch Viktor Kožený has been evading Czech and American authorities in the Bahamas for allegedly defrauding investors of billions of crowns. During the massive transfers of Czech wealth in the early 90s following the collapse of communism, Kožený and his company Harvard Capital and Consulting ensnared many people wanting to get in on the emerging markets of the Czech Republic. In 1990, Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed a new law that opened up previously state-owned companies to the public, allowing anyone to buy shares. This caused a frenzy of new capital flows which were then taken advantage of Viktor Kožený, offering to manage money for people who wanted to invest in the new market. It’sContinue Reading

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A few dozen officers were deployed searching for a senior man in the Prostějov region who was last seen on a walk with his pony. The man was found with a bottle of brandy – the price for his pony. The man’s wife reported him missing to the police as he never returned home from his walk with the pony. The man was found later on the same day lying drunk in a ditch – turned out, he sold the pony for a bottle of plum brandy. “Due to the related health condition and weather conditions, the police immediately organized a search operation,” said a police spokesman, Novinky.cz reports. A few hours later, the police found the man in aContinue Reading

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The government is planning to extend the state of emergency again – this time until the 11th January, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has announced. Yet, the opposition stands against the proposal. The news come following a considerable but not complete improvement of the epidemiological situation in Czechia.“The data for Tuesday did not inspire me at all. The numbers are still high. The only solution is the vaccine. Therefore, we will ask for an extension of the state of emergency for another thirty days,” he said according to Vinegret.cz. The Czech Republic has already committed to buying five million doses of the vaccine from different manufacturers. It has also started preparing a plan for those who will be vaccinated in January.Continue Reading

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The Christmas tree on the Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) will be taken down after it serves its purpose in the centre of Prague. However, its journey will not end there. The 17.5-meter Christmas tree from Kamenný Přívoz embarked on a long journey on its way to Prague’s historical center. It’s decorated with six kilometers of Christmas chains, 40 stars and 300 Christmas ornaments. The Christmas tree will stay on the Old Town Square until the 6th January. After that, once it’s taken down, its branches will be delivered to Czech zoo as per annual tradition. The branches will serve as food for some of the inhabitants such as giraffes. The trunk will be delivered to Střední odborná škola JarovContinue Reading

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While thousands of independent businesses in Prague allowed themselves to be crushed by the COVID-19 restrictions, Daruma Coffee & Tea on Dittrichova street has never closed, never enforced masks, and continued on as normal the entire time. The owner, David Tesař, says that shutting down businesses has neither hygienic logic nor legal justification, citing his protected rights on the Czech Constitution and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. Of the restrictions, Tesař said the government was “chrlí jako chrliči”, or “spewing them like gargoyles”, a Czech phrase that references the gothic gargoyles on cathedrals and fountains that shoot water out of their mouth. “The only time we ever closed was for three Sundays in the spring… We realised thenContinue Reading

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Reader, I screwed up. It was deadline day for my latest review and I was up against it, having just moved into a new house in the countryside. The place doesn’t have a working kitchen, bathroom or heating system. As I type this, I’m pressed against an oil radiator wearing four layers of clothing and a blanket wrapped around me. In desperation, I reached for a movie to review on Netflix. Only when I got to the end did I realise that it was a Slovak film. Perhaps the cold has got to my senses. While I don’t speak Czech, I have lived in the country long enough to tell the difference between the Czech language and Slovak. But notContinue Reading

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Finally, it seems like the end to the pandemic which has locked people in their houses for months, seems to be around the corner. The Czech Republic is expecting to begin the vaccination in January, but not everyone will be able to get the vaccines. The vaccines will first be available for healthcare workers, the elderly and patients with the diseases which put them at a high risk. The teachers might also be in the first wave of those vaccinated. “In the first months, millions of doses will not come, but tens, maybe hundreds of thousands. First of all, they are reserved for seriously ill, especially the elderly. And paramedics who provide crisis care,” said Health Minister Jan Blatný. TwoContinue Reading