The Czech government announced Monday, December 14 the reinstatement of a nighttime curfew, as well as the closure of restaurants and bars in the country for Christmas, in the face of the strength of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read also: Curfew: what is allowed and what remains prohibited from December 15
The measures announced also include a limitation to 6 people for indoor and outdoor gatherings, and a ban on consuming alcohol outdoors, from December 18.
“
It was a very difficult decision to take because we know how much it will impact on people's lives
,” Prime Minister Andrej Babis told reporters.
Shops and services will nevertheless remain open, he said.
The Czech Republic, which has 11 million people, experienced an outbreak of coronavirus earlier in the fall, with 15,000 new cases a day, and has since struggled to contain the epidemic.
In recent weeks, it has recorded around 6,000 new cases of contamination per day, for a total toll since March of more than 580,000 cases and more than 9,600 deaths.
The slowdown in the epidemic led the government to relax some restrictions in early December, including reopening restaurants, museums and galleries, but the relief was short-lived.
Exasperated by the new restrictions, bar owners have threatened to stay open unless the government promises compensation for lost revenue.
The government, which forecasts a record budget deficit (nearly 10% of forecast GDP), also announced on Monday an aid program for companies affected by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prague has also announced that the government will offer free antigenic tests for Covid-19 to all citizens, from December 16.
Babis said the country expected to receive a first batch of Covid-19 vaccine at the end of the month.
