From 1 September, health insurance will not cover the preventive tests for covid-19, which people need, for example, when traveling or attending cultural events. Children under the age of 12 will have an exception, as vaccination is not yet available for them. The tests will also continue to be reimbursed to people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons and to those who have already started vaccinating but have not completed it.
Adam Vojtěch (for YES) has previously announced the abolition of the payment of preventive tests. According to him, people should be vaccinated. Vaccination is the only effective prevention of covid-19. “If we do not achieve collective immunity, even testing will not help us in the long run,” Vojtech said on Monday. Testing is not a prevention, it only helps to detect those infected, he said.
Tests indicated by a doctor or hygiene station will continue to be covered by health insurance.
Representatives of culture, tourism and pool operators have already spoken out against the decision to cancel the payment of preventive tests in recent days. According to theater representatives, this will damage cultural activities. According to them, people who pay for tickets will never be willing to pay for the tests. According to the Czech Tourism Union, tourism and related services will suffer. The Association of Swimming Pools and Saunas of the Czech Republic estimates that without the possibility of undergoing a preventive test for coronavirus at the expense of the health insurance company, interest in services will decrease by 40 to 60 percent.
According to Vojtěch, nothing has changed yet on the occasions on which proof of infectivity is required of people. In addition to vaccination and testing, they can also prove infectivity by proof of the disease in the last 180 days. He reminded that when traveling, however, the requirements for proving infectivity are set by the state to which people travel.
When asked, Vojtěch said that the government did not discuss the possibility of donating or selling part of the vaccines to other countries today. At the May European Council, EU leaders agreed to donate 100 million doses of vaccine to third countries. According to this commitment, the Czech Republic will donate about 2.39 million vaccines by the end of the year. According to Vojtěch, the possibility of selling part of the vaccines is also being discussed with the Ministry of Finance. Vojtěch would like the material to be approved by the government next week.
I was surprised by the decision of the Minister of Health to charge for testing. I believe that the motivation is for people to be vaccinated, says virologist Libor Grubhoffer. | Video: Daniela Písařovicová
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