From Monday, May 31, indoor restaurants and pubs, swimming pools, saunas and spas can reopen to the public, said Health Minister Adam Vojtěch after the government meeting.
When inside cafés, pubs and restaurants, the same anti-coronavirus hygiene measures should apply as in the outside area.
At most four people can be seated per table. Restaurant owners can host as many guests as the total number of seats available and live music remains prohibited indoors.
In the event of an inspection, guests will be asked to produce certificates of vaccination, negative Covid tests or proof of post-Covid immunity, but restaurant owners themselves will not be responsible for checking them.
A self-test will suffice, so it will not be necessary to have a test performed by a healthcare professional.
“We have agreed that the restrictions must be significantly relaxed. The reason is not only epidemiological but also legal “Adam Vojtech, Minister of Health, explained to iDNES.cz
“The epidemic is slowing down quite significantly,” he added.
On Thursday, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Vladimír Dlouhý, called on the government to speed up the opening of all businesses.
The initial plan was to fully reopen the restaurants from June 14, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said last week. Currently, restaurants, bars and cafes are only allowed to serve sitting guests in gardens and outdoor spaces.
Latest statistics
The health ministry recorded 505 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, down from 679 on the same day a week ago and 1,223 two weeks ago.
The official death toll has risen to 30,088, increasing by 29 on the day, which includes revisions to previous days, according to ministry data. Daily deaths have fallen from peaks of over 200 in March.
Hospitalizations have fallen to less than 800, the lowest since September last year.
