After his inauguration, the new Health Minister Vlastimil Válek (TOP 09) called on citizens not to meet at Christmas and not to hold any parties, not even on New Year’s Eve. He dismissed a question about whether the government intends to impose any further restrictions to prevent parties and gatherings of people, appealing to people to be responsible for their actions.
The Health Minister stated that “We no longer live in communism, so the Communist Party Central Committee has to order people to do something. We live in a democratic country, and everyone should be responsible. “
“I ask everyone not to plan parties on New Year’s Eve. It’s not only about you, think about our children, the elderly, and healthcare workers. One hospital can collapse due to one of these parties, “Válek said at the press conference after taking over the ministry.
“Let’s take advantage of the Christmas period by minimizing the risk of the spread of Covid. Let’s try to limit all parties and activities. I want to do everything I can so that our children can remember their beautiful childhood and not the time of the pandemic, “he added.
According to the Health Minister, reducing the viral load is also important because the more contagious variant of omicron is expected to spread, which could cause terrible consequences for the health care system. He also took the opportunity to urge the public not to delay the third dose of the vaccine against Covid.
Meanwhile, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Tradesmen complained on Friday that the government had given them no instructions on how to operate on New Year’s Eve. This is because restaurant owners are in a quandary even after the state of emergency ends after Christmas and the rules are loosened. The government’s announcement that it could promptly re-declare it if necessary can cause further problems as they are unable to react immediately to every change.