The Czech Republic reported on Wednesday its largest one-day spike in coronavirus infections, with 1,164 new cases.
It was the first time since the March outbreak that the number of new daily cases topped 1,000, amid a surge over the past month, although the government wants to avoid strict lockdowns of the kind imposed at the start of the pandemic.
The number of citizens hospitalized is also growing rapidly. In the last 14 days, it has increased by a hundred while the number of patients in critical condition has almost doubled.
Read: Coronavirus: All You Need to Know About New Measures Valid From Tomorrow
From today, September 9th, new restrictions are valid:
- Bars and clubs in Prague will have to close from midnight to 6 am
- Face masks will be mandatory in shops and malls
- Face masks will be mandatory at the post office
- Citizens need to cover their mouth and nose in all interior spaces at railway stations and at Prague Airport
“We are not preparing a lockdown, the hard restrictive measures that would fundamentally limit the economy, tourism and so on,” Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek said. “We are not underestimating the situation, we are acting locally.”
Read: WHO Czech Republic: “The Covid Situation in the Country is Worrying”
