Amid surge in COVID-19 cases, Czech Republic declares state of emergency from October 5

Prague [Czech Republic], September 30 (ANI/Sputnik): The Czech government decided to declare a 30-day state of emergency across the country starting from October 5 due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Roman Prymula said on Wednesday.
"The state of emergency will allow us to quickly respond to the current situation amid new measures against the spread of the disease, in particular, to involve medical students in helping staff in hospitals and distributing necessary medical supplies. In general, the measures will be less stringent compared to the spring ones. In particular, stores, cafes or, for example, borders will not be closed. The government intends to preserve the economy as much as possible," Prymula said.
In accordance with the new rules, up to 10 people will be able to participate in mass events indoors and up to 20 people in open space, while sports competitions will be held without spectators. In addition, from October 5, secondary schools in the regions with the highest number of COVID-19 patients will be closed for two weeks.
In late May, the Czech government lifted almost all restrictions imposed during the first wave of the pandemic, and in recent weeks, the rate of new coronavirus cases has grown at the second-fastest rate in Europe.
Over the past day, the country registered 1,965 new COVID-19 cases that brought the total count to 67,843. As many as 636 people died since the start of the pandemic. (ANI/Sputnik)