CNN: Czech PM apologies to nation five times over COVID-19 surge in speech

Washington, Oct 22 (CTK) - The COVID-19 situation in the Czech Republic is now so urgent that Prime Minister Andrej Babis apologized to the public five times during a press conference on Wednesday, U.S. news server CNN stated on Thursday.

"Babiš, who is overseeing one of the worst coronavirus epidemics in the world, admitted he and his government had made mistakes in handling the outbreak and pleaded with people to follow strict lockdown rules," reads a CNN article authored by Laura Smith-Spark and Ivana Kottasová.

The Czech Republic made the front page of cnn.com yesterday, with that article about Babiš and Europe's COVID-19 situation in the featured position ahead of U.S. election coverage.

Based on a government decision this week, most shops and services have been closed and meetings of people outside the household has been limited to a minimum.

There is also a requirement to wear face masks outside if people are less than two meters apart. Children are also unlikely to return to school by November 2, as previously promised.

On Wednesday, almost 15,000 infected were registered in the Czech Republic, making it one of the countries with the highest incidence of new cases per 100,000 population.

"The Czech leader's contrition came as other European nations, including Germany and Poland, reported record daily new case numbers, and Ireland prepared to impose the strictest lockdown in Europe," the CNN article reads.

"For weeks, the Prime Minister refused to impose stricter rules on the population, citing the need to protect the economy. But the decision -- which in some instances contradicted expert opinion -- has led to an out-of-control spread of the virus."

"The Czech Republic was praised for the way it handled the first wave of the pandemic in the spring when the government imposed an early lockdown and made masks compulsory at a time when most of the Western world barely considered that move. That strict mandate was lifted over the summer, however, when the government believed it had the epidemic under control."

"Babis admitted Wednesday that the country had become a victim of its own success."

"Measured against their populations, the Czech Republic and Belgium are seeing the highest number of new coronavirus cases worldwide, according to a CNN analysis of data from JHU and the World Health Organization."