Czechia opens restaurants, wellness facilities and casinos on Monday

Customers must provide proof of vaccination, immunity, or a negative test

On Friday 28 May, the Czech government approved and announced the easing of certain anti-epidemic measures from Monday 31 May. More specifically, indoor restaurants, bars, wellness facilities, swimming pools, and casinos will be allowed to resume operating.

Proof of vaccination, immunity, or a negative test will be required

Staff and customers in all establishments must still comply with the health and safety measures by maintaining the appropriate distance and wearing face masks. That is, customers must wear masks at all times, except when eating or being inside the swimming pool.

More importantly, they must provide proof of vaccination, immunity, or a negative test in order to gain access to facilities and services. In a press release by the government, it was reported that restaurants will be the only establishments that will not require an official COVID test performed by a health care professional; in other words, customers can visit eateries with proof of a negative self-test.

Although bars and other nightlife venues will be allowed to reopen, live music and dancing will be prohibited. Health Minister Adam Vojtěch explained the logic behind this rule, noting that social distancing cannot take place if people gather to dance.

In addition to this, sports grounds and casinos will have to comply with further measures: they will be allowed to have only 1 person per 15 square metres and they must ensure social distancing. Taking this further, wellness facilities will only be allowed to operate at 30% capacity.

COVID statistics

On Thursday 27 May, Czechia reported 547 new cases and 5 deaths. These numbers have significantly decreased when considering the fact that, on the same day last month, the country recorded over 2,500 new cases. Therefore, it is evident that the country is making progress and containing the spread of the virus.

Czechia has recorded a total of 1.66 million cases and over 30,000 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic.