Czech government announces new hygiene rules for reopening shops, restaurants, services

Prague, May 1 (CTK) – Hairdressers, manicurists and pedicurists will have to wear face masks and protective shields after their shops reopen on May 11, Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtěch (for ANO) told journalists today, announcing the partly relaxed rules for the coronavirus lockdown.

Their temperature will be watched and if it is over 37 degrees, they will have to stop working.

There will be a 2-meter distance between their clients.

The hairdressers, manicurists and pedicurists will have to replace their single-use gloves and disinfect their hands before any new client, Vojtěch said.

The duty does not relate to masseurs.

The hairdressers, manicurists, pedicurists, solariums, beauty parlor, masseur and related services will be able to resume their operation on May 11. Originally, the government lockdown schedule reckoned with the relaxation for May 25.

Thanks to the favorable epidemiological situation, the government has accelerated the relaxation.

Nine-graders will be able to go to schools again in order to be prepared for entry exams to secondary schools, Education Minister Robert Plaga (ANO) said.

They will not have to wear face masks provided there is a sufficient distance between them in the classrooms.

Plaga stressed the return would be voluntary and the pupils would be able to come for consultations in groups under 15 persons.

“No one forces the pupils to return to compulsory school attendance by June 30,” Plaga said.

Children in day-care centres do not have to wear face masks, but the authorities want them to observe increased sanitary rules.

The children should stay outdoors as much as possible, Plaga said.

Clients using restaurant outdoor seating will have to have at least 1.5 meters between them. When eating and drinking, they will be allowed to take down their face masks, Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček (for ANO) said.

Restaurant outdoor seating may also reopen on May 11, while indoor restaurant room will reopen two weeks later.

Under the new rules, the restaurants will have to disinfect tables after any client leaves and the take-away window once in two hours. Toilets inside restaurants will be open for the customers.

Sports events, including races and training, will be allowed for up to 100 people as of May 11, the chairman of the National Sports Agency (NSA), Milan Hnilička, said.

Locker rooms will still be closed, but toilets must be open, Hnilička said.

The duty for athletes to have a covered their nose and mouths will be lifted. However, coaches and other persons in the sports facilities will have to keep wearing face masks.

The distance between athletes and the rest will be at least two meters.

After every training, sports equipment must be disinfected.

On that Monday, fitness centers will reopen, provided sanitary rules are observed. Joint locker rooms will be still closed.

Only 100 people at the same time will be let in museums and galleries, maximally one person per 10 square meters, Vojtěch said.

In theaters, only every other row may be occupied and in the cinemas, every pair of visitors is to be separated by an empty seat, he added.

No food or beverages will be offered in the cinemas, Vojtěch said.

“Before the opening, all the space for visitors will be disinfected,” Vojtěch said.