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Country eases coronavirus measures after quick response helped it limit cases to 7,400
Many shops outside shopping malls are reopening in the Czech Republic after the government brought forward its five-stage lockdown exit plan, amid reports that the British government is closely watching the country’s back-to-business strategy.
Under increasing pressure to lift parts of the UK’s lockdown and limit the damage to the economy, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is understood to be studying the Czech Republic’s approach to lifting the tight restrictions it imposed earlier than most countries further west, which have helped it limit cases to 7,400, with just 221 deaths.
Prague was one of the few governments to declare a state of emergency before the country had recorded its first coronavirus death. By 11 March it had closed all schools, limited public gatherings, banned all public events, sealed its borders and shuttered all non-essential stores. It also made face masks obligatory in public.
Early this month it became the first European country to relax its restrictions, initially by allowing citizens to cycle, jog and walk in the countryside without wearing their masks, as long as they stayed 2 metres apart.
Some sports facilities, such as tennis courts and golf courses, were allowed to reopen as long as no more than two people played together, and selected non-essential shops – including cycle stores, repair shops and hardware and DIY stores – also returned to business on 9 April.
On 15 April the government unveiled a detailed five-step plan to reopen the broader economy, with the deputy prime minister, Karel Havlíček, dividing businesses and activities into five main groups which would reopen their doors in stages over the following eight weeks.
Craft shops, car dealerships and farmers’ markets were the first to reopen from 20 April, with smaller shops outside shopping malls scheduled to follow on 27 April, then larger shops outside malls, driving schools and fitness centres.
The final stages were to happen in late May and early June, with restaurants allowed to serve customers outside, and hairdressers and beauty salons permitted to reopen, followed by shopping malls. Bars and restaurants were to be allowed to resume indoor service by 9 June, with hotels also allowed to reopen.
Public amenities and meeting places, such as museums and galleries, as well as cultural venues including theatres, would be among the last facilities to reopen, while schools were to start returning from 11 May. Havlíček stressed that the government reserved the right to adjust its dates.
As its infection curve continued to fall, however, the government last Thursday brought forward its exit plan, speeding up the process. Most venues are now to reopen two weeks earlier than initially planned, with gyms and all stores smaller than 2,500sq m outside shopping malls allowed to reopen on Monday.
The five-stage plan is now a four-stage plan: outdoor restaurant and bar areas reopen from 11 May, along with hairdressers and beauty salons, with restaurants expected to resume indoor service and hotels allowed to reopen from 25 May, two weeks earlier than the previous 8 June date.
The government also unexpectedly announced it would open its borders for outbound foreign travel after recording a decline in the number of infections. The health minister, Adam Vojtěch, said returning travellers would have to prove they were uninfected or spend 14 days in quarantine.
Face masks will remain mandatory until the end of June, but restrictions are being eased on movement within the country, with groups of up to 10 now permitted to gather, compared with a previous limit of two.
The full breakdown of the country’s lockdown exit plan is as follows:
Already open (since 20 April):
- Craftspeople and tradespeople with shops
- Farmers’ markets
- Car dealerships
- Weddings for up to 10 people
27 April:
- Most shops below 2,500sq m, unless in big shopping malls
- Driving schools
- Gyms, although changing rooms and showers remain closed
- Libraries
- Outdoor areas of zoos and botanical gardens
- Church services for fewer than 15 people
11 May:
- Retail stores in malls
- Retail stores larger than 2,500sq m outside malls
- Hairdressers, beauty salons, massage parlours
- Outdoor and garden areas of restaurants, pubs and cafes
- Museums, galleries, and art halls
25 May:
- Indoor service in restaurants, bars and cafes
- Hotels
- Taxis
- Theatres
- Tattooists
Some sort of Normality needs to return , Just went shopping No queue
2nd time in last 2 weeks
Apr 27, 2020 -- 6:08PM, jollyswagman wrote:
i could work my cab in london but put my elf and safet first (dont think there is any work anyway).
Elves don't exist!
definitely glad of a screen though, a bit bored now so may try soon but i dont think there is much work at all.
edy, german humour not as good as austrian humour, imo.
It is a bit shambles as a lot now scared to go out due to all the fear when actually very low number of under 40s with no health problems running into trouble with it.
Maybe I should've thought of that. I know the phrase "health and safety", but I thought it was some super fancy abbreviation. Even googled "elf cab" and "elf car" for hints what it could be.
There's a rather fancy 3-wheeler called ELF.
Apr 27, 2020 -- 6:43PM, Des Pond wrote:
The trouble is that you can't go down the same route as Czech Republic, Austria or any other country that locked down long before we did. Austria, Czech Rep, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea and a number of other countries have options regarding the easing of restrictions that we do not have because we left it too late to lockdown.
Germany locked down 22nd March, unless you're saying that one day alone made all the difference? Germany is the only remotely comparable country to the UK on your list.
New cases peaked 27th March.
Too soon to show lock down had any effect whatever on the decline given the incubation period.
Sensible distancing measures a good idea. 'lock down' the population outside those at risk is makes no real difference if you look country by country.
First they had the Velvet Revolution when they peacefully agreed to a split between them and Slovakia.
They they put 2 fingers up to the EU , when they said no to forced immigration
And now they have shown up as one of the best in Europe to deal with the Corona virus.
Could we put in a bid football style to buy some of their leaders?
Sunak is right to look at other countries to see how we could unlock. I would reopen the country. Construction, road, rail first. Outdoor people. Other sectors need to say what they want.
Obviously they are concerned with a second peak or wave so they would need to monitor the situation closely.
Apr 27, 2020 -- 7:10PM, Cider wrote:
Apr 27, 2020 -- 5:43PM, Des Pond wrote:The trouble is that you can't go down the same route as Czech Republic, Austria or any other country that locked down long before we did. Austria, Czech Rep, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea and a number of other countries have options regarding the easing of restrictions that we do not have because we left it too late to lockdown.Germany locked down 22nd March, unless you're saying that one day alone made all the difference? Germany is the only remotely comparable country to the UK on your list.
Germany had a well funded and extremely efficient Health Service. That probably made a huge difference. My point is that we do not have the luxury of easing lockdown as quickly as certain other countries. If you put too much ketchup on your pie and chips you can't put it back in the bottle.
This included things like school and restaurant closures, banning travelers from other states or countries
Apr 27, 2020 -- 7:15PM, InsiderTrader wrote:
Germany locked down on 22nd March.New cases peaked 27th March. Too soon to show lock down had any effect whatever on the decline given the incubation period.Sensible distancing measures a good idea. 'lock down' the population outside those at risk is makes no real difference if you look country by country.
I find this crusade and constant effort of some to manipulate news and data, cheery picking things in hindsight to try and make out UK did everything terribly utterly ridiculous. Sky are now running a story multiple times to say Iceland had a better testing strategy to the UK. An island miles from anywhere, with very few tourists or foreigners with the population of Coventry
Apr 27, 2020 -- 7:10PM, Cider wrote:
Apr 27, 2020 -- 5:43PM, Des Pond wrote:The trouble is that you can't go down the same route as Czech Republic, Austria or any other country that locked down long before we did. Austria, Czech Rep, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea and a number of other countries have options regarding the easing of restrictions that we do not have because we left it too late to lockdown.Germany locked down 22nd March, unless you're saying that one day alone made all the difference? Germany is the only remotely comparable country to the UK on your list.
You clearly wrote countries that locked down much earlier than the UK, and listed Germany. There are reasons why Germany has a lower death toll, but your fact was wrong.
Date Joined: 13 Dec 06
Blogger: edy's blog
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27 Apr 20 18:25
Joined: 13 Dec 06
| Topic/replies: 225,907 | Blogger: edy's blog
It's a bit more differentiated than that in Germany. 22nd might have been when the states and federal government came forward with a joint plan, but stuff had been done on state level before that (disease control is the constitutional responsibility of the states).
This included things like school and restaurant closures, banning travelers from other states or countries
^
Bavaria was the first state to lockdown on 20th March.
Still not enough time to explain it having any effect on the decline in cases in Germany.
Apr 27, 2020 -- 7:35PM, Des Pond wrote:
Some of the experts I have heard on Radio are quite prepared to compare the UK with countries like Austria when advocating an early exit strategy. But the comarison doesn't seem to work the other way when it is pointed out that the Uk didn't act as quickly as they did. Either Austria are comparable to us or not, surely.
We might get some ideas to look at from other countries, but in my view our changes will be bespoke to the specific and unique situation here. It's likely the London Underground was a huge breeding ground for virus transference, but even in lock down it still has to operate for key workers. I'm the only person that refers to it, it seems but Khan's moving to bank holiday services in peak week day rush hour will have had a big impact.
What Germany also did, maybe differently to other countries, was that people were allowed to call in sick if they suspected to have caught it, without having to first go to a doctor.
what do you think would happen if different parts of the country were opened up at different times,there,d be people travelling here ,there and everywhere, with little in the way of checking if they should be there
so if you are living in a relatively virus free area , why the fook would you want it advertised on national news ,encouraging people from maybe the worst hit area to descend on you, it would be akin to letting old people back into care homes untested
His next attempt in 1924 was to cost him his life.
27 Apr 20 18:40
Joined: 13 Dec 06
| Topic/replies: 225,913 | Blogger: edy's blog
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein banned travelers from other states from the 18th and 17th respectively. A lot of states closed schools on the 16th (which meant people from non-essential jobs were allowed to, or had to, stay home)
What Germany also did, maybe differently to other countries, was that people were allowed to call in sick if they suspected to have caught it, without having to first go to a doctor.
^
All nice little measures but help but not a 'lockdown'.
The evidence suggests the whole 'lockdown' thing is not necessary to flatten the curve.
Apr 27, 2020 -- 7:21PM, Des Pond wrote:
I remember when Frank Zappa ran as vice President.
Correction - He didn't actually run for Office, but was named by Vaclev Havel as a cultural attache or ambassador.
could see people havin a pint maybe outside like smoking,but who the fooook would go to cinesa,theatre etc in current climate,certainly cant see enough doing it to make it worthwhile for owners
Do you not think the Governments response was terrible?
Do you not think the fact that the three men who were there to protect us from the deadly virus all got it was shambolic?
Do you not think foresight is more important than hindsight particularly during times of a deadly crisis?
The thing about the whole crisis that is utterly ridiculous is the Government response!
