Thousands of people marched through the capital of the Czech Republic on Sunday to protest against mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for certain groups and professions.
Protesters gathered on Wenceslas Square in central Prague to question the effectiveness of current vaccines and reject vaccinating children before marching through the capital chanting “Freedom, freedom.”
The protest in Prague followed smaller demonstrations in several Czech cities on Saturday.
The previous government issued an order in early December, making vaccination mandatory for the age group 60 and over, as well as medical personnel, police, firefighters and medical students.
The order will go into effect in March, but could still end up being overturned.
The administration of Prime Minister Andrej Babis was later replaced in December by a new five-party government that won the October parliamentary elections, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
The new administration opposed a vaccination mandate for the elderly and was ready to cancel it, but did not rule out that it is still mandatory for some, depending on the development of the pandemic. The government should announce its decision on the matter in mid-February.
In this nation of 10.7 million, 6.7 million are fully vaccinated, while more than 2.8 million have received a booster shot.
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