Czechs lift more Covid-19 rules despite coal mine ‘hotspot’

The Czech Republic has recorded its biggest one-day increase in new coronavirus cases in nearly a month, but the government continued to lift health restrictions and discuss reopening borders with neighbouring states.

Officials said that Monday’s data revealed 111 new Covid-19 infections, the highest daily rise in cases since April 21st. A total of 8,604 people have tested positive for the virus in the Czech Republic, 301 of whom have died.

Many of the new cases are attributed to an outbreak at the Darkov coal mine in the eastern Karvina region, where all 900 or so staff are being tested after it was identified as a Covid-19 “hotspot”. Local media said that by Tuesday afternoon, about 600 employees had been tested, 82 of whom were found to be infected.

“At the moment the problem is only the Karvina region, it is not a reason for concern for the whole country,” government epidemiologist Rastislav Madar told Czech radio.

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From Tuesday, Czech office staff no longer have to wear face masks at work, as the country continues to unwind strict measures that kept the spread of the virus under control. Cinemas, shopping centres and outdoor areas of pubs and restaurants have reopened, and very limited cross-border travel has resumed.

Physical distancing guidelines remain in place and until next Monday it is still mandatory to wear a face mask in public spaces.

Czech prime minister Andrej Babis said on Tuesday he had talked to his Polish, Slovak and Hungarian counterparts and German chancellor Angela Merkel about how to "open the borders between our states . . . and create a zone of free movement. In which one could travel without tests and quarantine."

"I expressed the hope that between Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and ourselves, we could open the borders together on June 15th," he wrote on Twitter.

‘Living freely again’

Slovakia will reopen shopping centres, theatres and cinemas on Wednesday and people will no longer have to wear a face mask outside, but it will continue to be mandatory in offices and other indoor areas.

The following day, Slovak residents will be allowed to make 24-hour trips to eight countries – the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Croatia and Slovenia – without having to go into quarantine or produce a negative Covid-19 test upon their return.

"Our common responsibility has enabled this biggest easing [of restrictions] and I hope that in a fortnight we will be able to announce that we can live freely again," said Slovak prime minister Igor Matovic.

Adriatic neighbours Croatia and Slovenia have reopened their borders to each other's citizens. Prague officials say Czechs could be allowed to start going on holiday to Croatia in June and to Greece in July.

Bulgaria announced on Tuesday that it had agreed with Serbia and Greece to jointly ease travel restrictions from June 1st.