The Czech Republic announced Thursday new nationwide regulations to contain COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, after the country has seen a virus surge in recent weeks, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
From midnight on Saturday, the wearing of masks in indoor public events for over 100 people will be mandatory. From Monday, indoor public events will be limited to 500 people, said Health Minister Adam Vojtech.
It will be possible for large events to designate structurally separate spaces for 500 participants each, so long as there are separate entrances and no intermingling occurs.
The reintroduction of such measures should not be considered a reaction to a "second wave" of the virus and therefore businesses should not be disrupted, the minister noted.
"We will not introduce any measures that would restrict the economy or the free movement of people. The measures taken are based on information from the regional hygienic stations according to their experience with new outbreaks," Vojtech said.
As of Thursday, the Czech Republic had registered 14,724 COVID-19 cases and 365 deaths.