CZECH Republic mull Lockdown amid Fastest Coronavirus Spike

 

PRAGUE: The Czech Republic was facing the prospect of lockdown because the growth in Covid-19 cases within the EU member reached a fourth straight daily record, consistent with data released Saturday.

The health ministry said the country of 10.7 million people had 8,618 new cases on Friday, beating Thursday’s record of 5,394 and bringing the entire tally to 109,374 cases with 905 deaths.

In comparison, neighboring Poland with 38 million inhabitants said Saturday it had registered 5,300 new cases over the last 24 hours, which was also a record.

Friday’s data from the ECU Center for Disease Prevention and Control showed the Czech Republic recorded the fastest two-week growth per 100,000 inhabitants within the EU.

The Czech Republic had 398 cases per 100,000 people, leading the grim statistics before Spain with 307 and therefore the Netherlands with 304.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Friday the govt may reimpose a lockdown if the expansion continues, calling on Czechs to behave responsibly.

“The situation is extremely serious,” he added.

“Either we'll all suits the security measures, or we'll need to adopt further restrictions fast, and that we can’t rule out a lockdown,” he added.

After weathering much of the primary Covid-19 wave within the spring with timely measures including a lockdown, the Czech Republic has seen a spike in infections since August because it had lifted most restrictions over summer.

The government has since reintroduced the compulsory wearing of masks for indoor premises, reduced the number of individuals at both indoor and outdoor events, and closed swimming pools, zoos and gymnasiums.

From Monday it'll suspend sports events and shut cinemas, theaters, museums, and galleries, while Czech universities and secondary schools will switch to distance learning.