Coronavirus and the Visegrád countries – Polish and Czech expectations

The Czech Republic reported that confirmed COVID-19 cases had surpassed 5,000 but health officials are confident that measures can soon be lifted.

“Recent developments have shown that we have managed to stop the uncontrolled spread of coronavirus and can prepare for a gradual and controlled return to normal life,” Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Twitter after a press briefing.

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Vojtech projected that the country could have 10,600 cases by the end of April at the current infection rate, a significantly lower figure than the over 14,000 estimated last week.

Officials based the current projections on the country’s early actions in tackling the spread of COVID-19, including declaring a state of emergency 11 days after the first confirmed infection. The parliament voted on Tuesday to extend this till the end of April.

What’s more, the country quickly closed schools, shops and restaurants, border crossings, and implemented social distancing strategies as well as mandatory mask usage.

Vojtech Filip, first vice-chairman of the Czech Parliament’s the Chamber of Deputies, said the country started taking action in a timely manner, learning from its own development and from foreign experience, including that from China. The measures adopted were proved to be effective, he added.

On Monday, the government relaxed some limited measures and is planning to relax more after the Easter holiday, according to officials.

As of Wednesday evening, the country has had 5,221 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 233 recoveries and 99 deaths.

Source: Xinhua – PRAGUE, WARSAW