Czech Republic scraps plans to reopen shops, mandates DOUBLE masking in public

RT
Fri, 19 Feb 2021 12:57 UTC

© Global Look Press / Keystone Press Agency / Cadu Rolim

Citing an ongoing surge in Covid-19 cases, the Czech government abandoned plans to re-open "non-essential" shops next week. It also ramped up its masking game, urging people to wear two surgical masks or a respirator in public.

Stores, expected to re-open on Monday, will not be allowed to do so, Czech officials said on Friday following a government meeting on tackling the pandemic.

"The pandemic situation is not good, the UK variant is still spreading. That's why we decided not to open closed shops for now," the country's industry minister, Karel Havlicek stated on Twitter.

The re-opening of "non-essential" stores, however, will be debated by the government again next week.

The Czech Republic has been heavily hit by the ongoing pandemic, registering more than 1.1 million cases and nearly 19,000 deaths - meaning effectively one tenth of the country's 10.7 million population has been infected. It also currently has the worst infection rate in Europe, reporting 968 new cases per 100,000 people on a two-week basis, data by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) indicates.

Seeking to halt the ongoing spread, the government is also set to tighten up masking rules, Health Minister Jan Blatny revealed. Starting from Monday, the country's residents will be required to wear either respirators or two surgical masks while in high-traffic public spaces, such as on public transport.

"It will not be possible to consider various self-made fabrics as sufficient protection," the minister said, adding that a full list of places falling under the new rule will be unveiled on Monday.

Ministers have been warning that more restrictive measures are needed, fearing a full collapse of the health system which has been struggling with the intake of coronavirus patients.

As of Friday morning, only 14 percent of intensive care and high dependence units were available across the country, including just 149 beds for Covid-19 patients. Earlier this week, Blatny warned that Czech hospitals may be completely overwhelmed with patients in just two or three weeks.

Comment: Meanwhile in the Netherlands, the elite show their contempt for the law by extending the lockdown:

Via RT:

Dutch senators have voted overwhelmingly to pass an emergency act to continue a nationwide curfew, disregarding a judge's ruling this week that the restriction violates the law as well as the rights of citizens.

The emergency bill passed in a 45-13 vote on Friday evening, according to local media, upholding the nightly curfew in the face of an ongoing legal challenge to the restrictions, intended to stem the spread of Covid-19.

While a lower court ruled in favor of Dutch activist group Viruswaarheid (Virus Truth) on Tuesday, deeming the 9pm curfew "not legitimate" and a "far-reaching violation of the right to freedom of movement and privacy," the decision was swiftly reversed on a last-minute appeal from the government. The court reconvened on Friday to rule on the issue, but decided to take another week to reach a final verdict and is set to meet again on February 26.

Following Tuesday's court rulings, Prime Minister Mark Rutte introduced emergency legislation to buoy the curfew order, rushing the bill through the lower house of parliament before senators passed it on Friday. The law keeps the curfew in force at least until early March, though it is unclear what effect the legislation will have should judges rule the restriction illegal next week.