The Czech government has declared a state of emergency on Thursday for 30 days, closing the Christmas markets and nightclubs due to the spread of Covid-19.
In a country with a population of 10.7 million, 18,004 new infections were confirmed on Wednesday, up from a record high of 25,877 a day earlier.
Hospitals in the east of the country are close to peak hours, and some have begun moving patients to other parts of the country by helicopter and ambulance.
Some hospitals have reduced the volume of non-emergency care and the influx of unvaccinated patients.
“The situation will get worse in the coming weeks and the culmination is expected around Christmas,” Health Minister Adam Wojte told reporters.
Unlike its neighbors, Austria and Slovakia, which have declared “arcades” before the holidays, the Czech center-left government has decided to take less drastic steps.
Restaurants, nightclubs, discos and casinos will be closed from 10 pm to 5 am, Christmas markets will not be open, the use of alcoholic beverages in public places is prohibited.
The balls may be attended by a maximum of 100 people, cultural and sporting events may be attended by a maximum of 1,000.
Mandatory vaccination could be introduced, as only 6.3 million Czechs have been fully vaccinated, said Prime Minister Andrejs Babišs.
“We must introduce compulsory vaccination for people working in health and social services, firefighters, soldiers, police officers and people over the age of 60,” the prime minister said.
More than two million cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Czech Republic, with more than 32,500 people dying from Covid-19.
In the seven days, the Czech Republic has one of the highest rates of infection and death in the world in proportion to its population. In this section of the pandemic statistics, the Czech Republic was in first place for several weeks this year.
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