At a government meeting on Monday afternoon, ministers decided to move forward the opening of the Czech Republic’s borders, as proposed by Deputy Health Minister Roman Prymula. Photo: Vlada.cz
Czech Rep., May 18 (BD) – The state of emergency ended on Sunday, May 17th, in the Czech Republic. As of Monday, all government regulations are under the authority of the Minister of Health in accordance with the Public Health Protection Act.
Originally, the borders with Austria and Germany were not due to be opened until June 13th. However, Deputy Health Minister Roman Prymula said on Monday morning that the border with Austria could be opened as early as this week. He added that the situation is more complicated with other countries due to the different levels of coronavirus among the population.
From May 26th it will be possible to cross the borders and return, if you have a negative Covid test. The government will clarify which crossings will open later this week.
“The government has today agreed that the border regime will be relaxed from May 26th; it will be possible to cross at several border crossings and checks will only be random. With valid exceptions, the obligation to submit a negative test for covid-19 when entering the Czech Republic will continue to apply,” said Interior Minister Jan Hamacek.
Vláda se dnes shodla, že se od 26. 5. uvolní režim na hranicích: bude je možné překročit na více hraničních přechodech a kontrola bude pouze namátková. Dál však bude platit (až na platné výjimky) povinnost předložit při vstupu do ČR negativní test na covid-19.
— Jan Hamáček (@jhamacek) May 18, 2020
From midnight on Saturday (into Sunday), Austria opened all border crossings with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
The cabinet also approved a loan program for the self-employed and companies affected by coronavirus, “Covid III”. The government has set aside CZK 150 billion for guarantees. The Czech-Moravian Guarantee and Development Bank (ČMZRB) will therefore be able to guarantee loans for up to 150,000 businesses.
