Czech republic continues to ease coronavirus restrictions

In my last blog post, I reported that the Czech Republic had begun to ease Coronavirus restrictions. This decision was made after we had good results from a five-week strict lockdown.

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So Far, so good

Naturally, there was some concern about whether easing too soon might tempt people to let down their guard completely, given that we had all been indoors isolating for so long and the spring weather was beautiful.

And even though there was an easing of restrictions, they by no means went away altogether. Only a very few businesses other than grocers and pharmacies were allowed to open, and social distancing and masks were still required in public. But you could now exercise without a mask - in the forest.

To be sure, some people did stretch the rules:  city parks were interpreted by some as "forests" because they had trees, and people without masks started gathering in parks. Long lines quickly formed at hobby shops, one of the businesses that were allowed to reopen.

But overall, the results have been good. In the first week after Easter, the Czech Republic has not seen an increase in the rate of infection or deaths, and from Saturday to Sunday, April 18-19, we had our first day with no deaths since the first reported cases in the country. That is great news, and we hope the trend continues.

Testing for herd immunity

This week, a study to test for antibodies to determine herd immunity in the general population began. Citizens in various cities can appear at public testing points where a blood sample will be taken with a finger prick to test for antibodies. On the first day that such tests were available, the capacity of the testing sites filled up within 15 minutes!

It will be interesting to see what the results are.  In the meantime, we hope that the rates of infection and death continue to decline. In the meantime, the government has a very detailed plan on when which businesses can reopen - the whole process will last through June.

I will keep you posted!