The epidemiological situation is getting worse. Is there a threat of closing shops and pubs again?

On Sunday, after recalculating the supplied data, the point score deteriorated sharply to 64. The fourth stage, which we recently left, but starts at 61.

Three days

“The increase in the risk index was due to two factors: an increase in the relative share of positive cases and, in particular, an increase in the reproductive number R above one,” said the Institute of Health Information and Statistics (ÚZIS). The reproduction number indicates the average number of people infected by one person with a covid, and has risen from 0.9 to 1.02 since Friday.

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At the time when the table with the list of PES measures was being introduced, the Minister of Health Jan Blatný (for YES) stated that if the score is three days in the worse degree of anti-coronavirus measures, the ministry should propose a tightening to the government. So he will decide today and tomorrow. However, even if the score drops below sixty points, we are still on the edge.

“The situation is fragile, so it is really important to follow the set measures. According to the numbers in the coming days, we will decide what to do next. The government will meet on Monday and it will certainly be one of the main topics, “Blatný said on his office’s twitter account. Earlier, in connection with the large crowds during the St. Nicholas celebrations, he warned that people were not following the measures: “It will hit us all and we cannot be surprised.”

Tighten the screws

Last week, for example, economist Jakub Steiner from CERGE-EI, who participated in its creation as a non-governmental expert, criticized the PES table. According to him, the interests of ministries prevailed over the advice of experts in its creation. “As a result, PES is not braking enough and the system will throw us back to higher levels,” he said on his Facebook profile.

According to him, further errors occurred in the timing of the transition from the fourth to the third stage of the measure. Contrary to the agreed rules, the government allegedly hastened the dismantling. “It did not take sufficient account of the fact that several regions were struggling near the border between the fourth and fifth degree of risk at the time of its decision,” he said, adding that the plan also failed to launch antigen tests in companies.

According to Steiner, the situation risks deteriorating to a critical fifth stage of the measure. The government will either have to tighten the screws or the PES system will be degraded.

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