The new Czech government will not extend the state of emergency introduced by the previous Cabinet of Ministers. Therefore, it will automatically expire on December 25th.
“The government has decided that it will not ask the Chamber of Deputies to extend the state of emergency. We continue to monitor the development of the epidemiological situation, and if it worsens, the government will be ready to re-discuss the introduction of a state of emergency,” said the new Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
However, Fiala added that “the situation remains serious”. Therefore, the Cabinet will not leave for the Christmas holidays and will hold regular meetings on December 22 and 29.
The prime minister also announced the creation of a group of ministers who will immediately begin to resolve the issue of a sharp increase in gas and electricity prices.
Note that the state of emergency allows the government to take those quarantine measures that cannot be introduced on the basis of current laws.
The state of emergency came into effect on November 25, 2021.
All Christmas markets across the country are banned, as well as drinking alcohol in public places. Furthermore, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, discotheques, and casinos have to close at 10 p.m.
The number of people at culture and sports events is limited to 1,000 who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19.
All other public gatherings can be attended by up to 100 visitors, down from 1,000.
Many hospitals have cancelled non-urgent care to reserve capacity for coronavirus patients, and some, especially in the country’s southeast near borders with Slovakia and Austria, reported they were overflowing.
Health ministry data showed that 70% of patients in intensive care were unvaccinated. There were nearly 6,000 coronavirus patients in hospitals and around 850 in intensive care, the data showed.
