Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) admitted that emergency measures are being prepared to target the spreading delta mutation. He mentioned the younger generation, among whom the virus is spreading more.
The main weapon against covid-19 is vaccination, but measures are being developed to prevent the spread of the delta mutation. This is how Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) summarised his comments when asked what the government’s longer-term strategy for combating covid is.
One new measure to correct the delta was announced by the government after Monday’s meeting: from 19 July, organisers of events with more than 1,000 people will be obliged to notify the regional hygiene station. According to Health Minister Adam Vojtěch (ANO), they must specify the date, time, location of the event, telephone contact details of the organiser and the expected number of participants.
“If the sanitary service is to properly supervise the holding of these events, it must know about them in advance, it must plan the appropriate inspection, whether the OTN measures are being observed, i.e. whether the person has been vaccinated, tested or has had a disease,” the health minister explained at a press conference after the government meeting. He added that events before July 22 must be reported by organisers without delay, while events with a later date must be reported five days in advance.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also mentioned the need for new measures before the government meeting. “We have to react to the situation. Now we have a delta. The delta is spreading among the young population, which means that the Health Ministry will prepare some measures on this account,” the prime minister responded to a Seznam Zprava query about whether the state would return to something like the PES anti-epidemic system due to the gradual increase in the number of newly infected cases of coronavirus – and whether it was possible to predict what the citizens could expect thanks to it.
“Now there is nothing to predict, because fortunately the delta is not increasing the number of people hospitalized, but it is simply growing every day, especially in Prague, the Pilsen region, the Central Bohemia region,” continued Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, reiterating that the Ministry of Health will come up with concrete measures to limit the spread of the delta mutation.
The opposition has criticised the absence of any longer-term strategy. On Tuesday, representatives of the Pirates and Mayors have announced a press conference to present their own plan to tackle the coronavirus epidemic.
They must examine what is legislatively possible
The Prime Minister said he had a meeting on the worsening figures on Monday morning. It was a meeting of the Cabinet Council on Health Risks. Martin Kuba (ODS), head of the Association of Regions and a member of the council, confirmed that they discussed new measures and how to respond to the new mutation.
“The situation, which is developing for the worse in a number of regions, was addressed and there was a debate on whether the ministry and the chief hygienist will respond to this by changing the measures. However, none was adopted. There was also a debate on what would be effective and what would not,” says Kuba, the South Bohemian governor.
Martin Kuba specifically mentions that there was a debate about a possible modification of the maximum attendance at larger events, but adds that the ministry will have to examine what is possible to limit legislatively.
The governor and head of the Association of Regions points out that after a series of verdicts by the Supreme Administrative Court it is not entirely clear what the Ministry of Health can and cannot restrict. For example, a judgment from the end of May interpreted that the pandemic law does not give the Ministry the possibility to restrict the operation of food services in any way.