Czech Health Minister Petr Arenberger said on Saturday that the restriction on outdoor meetings would be kept in place even when the state of emergency ends on Monday, April 12.
“It is better from a medical standpoint to keep the rule that only a maximum of two people (except those from one household0 can meet together inside or outside,” confirmed Arenberger.
The statement comes ahead of the planned easing of coronavirus restrictions on Monday, which, for example, includes the possibility for up to 20 people meeting outside and 10 people meeting in inside spaces.
The government is due to discuss his proposal on Monday afternoon.
The Interdisciplinary Group on Epidemic Situations (MeSES), led by epidemiologist and member of the Government Council Petr Smejkal, pointed out that allowing up to 10 people inside and 20 outside “can be an epidemic risk”.
Smejkal considers gatherings restrictions to be one of the most effective measures against the spread of the coronavirus.
Protests of sports organizations
Sports organizations are unpleasantly surprised by the quick turnaround. The Czech Sports Union (ČUS) calls on the government to mitigate the impact of gatherings restrictions on children and young people.
“We call on the Ministry of Health and the government to allow the outdoor training of children and young people up to 20 people,” said the chairman of ČUS Miroslav Jansta.
“Can epidemiologists explain to us the threat posed by children’s outdoor training if all precautions are followed?”, he added.
