Mr. Prime Minister, the State Material Reserves Administration canceled the tender for tests for schoolchildren this week. Their supply will last only until the end of next week. Although she announced a new one on Wednesday, will the lack of tests not jeopardize the planned return of pupils and students to schools?
If testing is expected at least until the end of May, how will the children be tested?
We do not have a state of emergency in which we were able to shop quickly. Unfortunately, the exception for state reserves, so that they could buy directly for another six months after the end of the state of emergency, was questioned by pirate senator Lukáš Wagenknecht as allegedly non-transparent, so the Senate rejected it. But we will solve it. The administration of material reserves repeated the announcement of the contract, because we must proceed in accordance with the Public Procurement Act.
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There were 32 registered companies that she contacted. However, only four of them submitted the offer. It is up to the Ministry of Health to make it clear which tests are acceptable. The new order for 5.6 million tests required by the school has a delivery date of 17 May. Until then, we will help with tests that are intended for the state administration.
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Are you seriously considering switching to PCR testing in schools?
Yes, that is the task of Health Minister Arenberger. It should map all capacities and try to find out the price so that their price decreases.
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You and the opposition blamed Blatný’s predecessors for chaotism. What Arenberger demonstrated this week about hairdressing testing was confusion over confusion. In one day, he changed his explanation of what tests customers would need. He has announced the partial opening of football stadiums for spectators, while most children do not have access to the sports field. Is it just a communication problem?
I learned about the football exception. The ministry did not inform the government. The government must not learn such things from journalists. They argue that this is a pilot project to try to return to normal, but the timing is not good. And when it comes to hairdressing, officials should engage in common sense, not introduce nonsense.
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What about the protection of personal data in hairdressing salons, massage parlors and similar services? So far, it seems that every customer will have to submit a certificate or confirmation of a negative antigen test, where there will be personal data, otherwise it does not make much sense.
Anyone who wants to use these services must prove themselves by a test. You will come to the barber as always. You call there when Mrs. XY comes and you have a reservation. It will not check if the hairdresser took people who had tests. This is for a possible trace, if, God forbid, one of the customers had a covid.
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Is Arenberger talking to the anti-epidemic group MeSES? Its boss, Petr Smejkal, let it be heard that no one consulted them about the admission of spectators to the football league.
An exception was allowed by the chief hygienist (Pavla Svrčinová). I had the government submit what other exceptions are planned. I was also upset by the exception for football. It is unacceptable for the government not to know and for hygiene to do so without telling us. As I mentioned, these are supposed to be pilot projects that are being prepared for gradual dismantling. They should take place not only at football, but also at the Prague Spring. In my opinion, those pilot projects could still wait for the children to return to school and playground.
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Why can’t children who are regularly tested in schools play sports freely, like professionals?
I ask just like you. This is decided by the Ministry of Health. So far, children can play sports only to a very limited extent, six pairs on the playground. So it was negotiated with the sports associations until the next disintegration, when 20 children will be allowed. This is in the next package.
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Vaccination takes place in waves, according to the vaccines that come to the Czech Republic. You promised there would be millions of vaccines in the second quarter. Have you confirmed that this will be the case?
Yes, there will be many more vaccines in the second quarter than before. 626 thousand doses will arrive this week. We have opened a registration for people aged 55 and over. We have already vaccinated over three million doses.
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I urge citizens to register mainly in vaccination centers, for example in Prague to the O2 Universum, where, according to my information, the capacity is 7,000, and in Brno up to 15,000. We will be opening so that all categories over the age of 40 will be open by the end of May, and I hope that vaccinations will be open to all from 1 June.
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You announced your intention to build an oncology center in Prague, and voices were immediately heard that this would worsen the care of oncology patients in regional centers. They’re right?
Of course they don’t. I would like to calm everyone down. The current system of comprehensive oncological care in the regions will be maintained, only a new center will be established in Prague, such as in New York, Oslo, Paris, Barcelona or Houston. It is a seven billion national project to fight cancer. Its goal is to improve care in the capital, because it takes a long time to be examined, to provide care to patients who do not have access to it, and to concentrate complex cases from all over the country.
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In my opinion, the criticism arises mainly because some are jealous of the great project. Some people do not invent anything, but when Babiš comes up with something, they are automatically against it.
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