According to Fialy, not prolonging the state of emergency does not mean
Updates: 12/18/2021 16:00
Released: 12/18/2021, 4:00 PM
Prague – Non-prolongation of the state of emergency does not mean loosening the covid measures, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) told reporters today after the last ministers were inaugurated. The cabinet just wants to use other tools to fight coronavirus. At the end of the year, the government is monitoring the situation abroad and is ready to respond if it turns out that the covid-19 omicron variant brings serious health complications.
The Cabinet Together (ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09) and Pirates with Mayors and Independents (STAN) decided at its first meeting on Friday that it did not ask the Chamber of Deputies to extend the state of emergency. The state of emergency declared the previous government YES and the CSSD for 30 days, ending at midnight on December 25. For example, restrictions on opening hours in restaurants and nightclubs or a ban on holding Christmas markets will cease to apply.
Fiala refused to interpret the move as loosening. “It doesn’t mean everything is over. We’ll just move on to the covid with other legal instruments,” he said. The Cabinet simply does not want to use the extreme tool, for which it added, added. “But we have to be careful, we will see abroad that new variants are spreading and unfortunately it is possible that this may affect us as well,” he said.
He recalled the calls for responsible public behavior at Christmas and during New Year’s Eve celebrations, which, according to Fiala, would not even take place. “We have challenged everyone to reconsider whether to hold parties. If we all act responsibly, we are aware and act accordingly, we do not have to resort to widespread restrictions and orders that I think can be avoided,” he said. In this context, Fiala said that she refused access to people based on distrust.
According to Fiala, the government is monitoring the situation abroad around the omikron variant. “We are talking to experts and we are ready to act in time if it turns out that the option is not only very aggressive in terms of spread, but also brings serious health complications,” he said. According to him, data will be available within at least ten days from the United Kingdom. “And we will have time to adjust our policy accordingly,” he added.