The Czech Republic on Thursday announced a slew of new restrictions in an effort to curb the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country and ease the strain on health care services.
All the restrictions, announced at a government news conference Thursday, will remain in effect for two weeks.
From Friday and for two weeks, all restaurants and bars will close at 8 p.m. local time and tables can seat no more than four people.
Starting Monday, all universities and higher education institutions will close but primary and secondary schools will rotate classes.
Pools, gyms and fitness centers must close effectively immediately. All indoor professional and leisure sports are banned and outdoor sports will be limited to 20 people.
Shopping malls will remain open but will shut Wi-Fi services to deter teens, with tables inside the food court limited to two people maximum.
Cultural and leisure facilities like theaters and cinemas will close from Monday. Weddings will be limited to 30 people.
All nonessential visits to hospitals and social institutions like care homes are also banned.
By the numbers: The Czech Republic reported at least 5,335 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday, the country’s highest daily case count since the pandemic began. With that, the country has now overtaken Spain as the European Union’s country with the highest number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 of the population.
There has now been a total of 95,360 cases, and 829 coronavirus deaths in the central European country, according to Johns Hopkins University.
