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The Czech Republic registered 7,798 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, roughly a thousand more than on the same day a week ago. Close to 150,000 people are currently fighting the infection, of which 1,500 are in a serious condition.
The first three cases of Covid 19 were registered in the Czech Republic on March 1 of last year. Since then 1, 235 480 people have been confirmed Covid positive; over 20,000 have died of Covid or related complications. The current number of infected is the highest on record.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has said he sees no reason to resign over the worsening coronavirus crisis in the Czech Republic.
In an interview for TV Prima Mr. Babiš said that while he was aware the cabinet had made a number of mistakes in fighting the coronavirus epidemic in the past year, he was working night and day to turn the situation around and save lives. He said he had personally used his managerial skills to acquire 15,000 vaccines in the past fortnight.
The prime minister also rejected speculation that he was planning to replace Health Minister Jan Blatný, saying he was doing his utmost to help the health minister who was under enormous pressure. In a separate interview President Miloš Zeman said Jan Blatný was burnt out and should go.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has said he wants to make antigen testing compulsory in companies with over 250 employees in order to be able to maintain industrial production at the height of the coronavirus crisis.
The Social Democratic Party, a junior partner in the minority government, has said it will propose closing down companies which are not crucial to the country’s economy, at Monday’s meeting of the cabinet.
Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamáček said the government should consider closing them down until there were enough antigen tests to enable a regular testing of employees in the industrial sector.
The prime minister warned of the dangers of closing down the country’s industry which accounts for 40 percent of the GDP.
President Miloš Zeman said he has been promised a delivery of the Russian vaccine Sputnik, which could be used in the Czech Republic as soon as it acquires the necessary certification by the European Medicines Agency EMA.
The president told CNN Prima News that, after consulting the matter with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, he had written a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin making the request.
Mr. Zeman said that as far as he was concerned certification by the Czech Institute for Drug Control would be sufficient, but the Czech Health Ministry insists on only using vaccines that have been certified by EMA.
Twenty-six thousand police officers will be deployed around the country to monitor adherence to the tightened Covid restrictions aimed at curbing mobility which come into force on Monday.
As of Monday, people will not be able to travel between different districts with exceptions for medical reasons, work or to look after a relative in which case they will be asked to produce an affidavit or written statement from their employer. People can be fined up to 20,000 crowns for violations.
Interior Minister Jan Hamáček said officers would be placed along the country’s main roads and highways and would also make random checks of trains and busses. The army is expected to be called on to help as well, as it did last spring in helping to secure the country’s borders.
A delivery of over one million antigen tests intended for testing in schools has arrived in the Czech Republic, the Czech Ministry of Health reported.
Altogether the Czech Republic has ordered 3.6 million of these non-invasive tests for school children, such as are being used in Austria. The whole consignment should arrive by mid-March.
Plans to gradually reopen schools in the country starting March 1 have failed due to the worsening epidemiological situation in the country, but the authorities say sending children back to school as soon as possible remains a top priority.
Teachers started registering for vaccination this Saturday.
Monday should bring clear skies, with morning fog in places, and day temperatures between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius.
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