The Czech Republic reported 15,729 new coronavirus cases for November 4, the highest daily tally since the pandemic started, Health Ministry data showed on Thursday.
Total cases rose to 378,716 in the country, which has seen one of Europe’s highest infection rates amid a second wave of the pandemic.
The ministry also reported 220 new deaths, including 123 on Wednesday along with revisions to previous days, to bring the total to 4,133.
According to the latest data, the Czech Republic reported the highest number of currently hospitalized patients since March. Almost 8300 patients are currently in hospitals, 1,244 of them in critical condition.
In the last few days, the virus has spread the most in the Pelhřimov region (1,119 people per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by Vsetínsko (almost a thousand new cases a week). The lowest numbers are currently reported in Prague, with 380 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Latest updates: traveling
The traffic light system of travel has been updated for the first time since September. The rules will come into effect from November 9 and will apply to both Czechs travelling abroad and foreigners coming to the Czech Republic.
Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček announced the change, showing a map of with countries coloured in red, orange or green depending on their Covid infection rate. Countries with less than 250 cases per 100,000 people in the last two weeks, where more than four per cent of tests are positive, are classed as medium risk, i.e orange. The entire of Europe is currently flooded with orange and red.
Latest updates: healthcare
Israel’s Health Minister Yuli Edelstein decided to send a delegation to the Czech Republic in order to assist with a COVID-19 outbreak in Brno.
The delegation will be headed by Colonel (Res.) Dr. Ram Sagi, deputy director of Beilinson Hospital, consisting of eight people in total.
Latest updates: EU support
On 3 November 2020, the European Commission announced that it has decided to approve, under the state aid rules, a CZK 3 billion (approximately EUR110.5 million) Czech scheme to support retail businesses and service companies renting premises, which were limited or forbidden to carry out their activities due to the measures imposed by the government in the context of the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease.
