Czech Health Minister Roman Prymula to resign as soon as successor is known

Prague, Oct 25 (CTK) - Czech Health Minister Roman Prymula (for ANO) is ready to resign as soon as his successor is known, he told Czech Television (CT) in an interview today.

On Friday, Prymula refused to meet PM Andrej Babiš's (ANO) call on him to step down over tabloid photos that allegedly showed him breaching anti-COVID-19 regulations.

As soon as his successor is chosen, Prymula will hand over the office to them, he told CT.

On Friday, Czech tabloid Blesk released photos that showed Prymula and other officials apparently leaving a Prague restaurant late on Wednesday evening, and not wearing face masks.

Restaurants have been closed across the country since last week within a package of anti-COVID-19 measures, and face masks are currently required both indoors and outdoors if coming into contact with people outside members of your household.

Reacting to the photos, Babiš asked Prymula to resign as health minister on Friday. Prymula said he had violated nothing and was not going to resign. Babiš then proposed his dismissal to Czech President Miloš Zeman.

"At the moment, I am ready to resign immediately, but there must be a successor for me to hand over my office to," Prymula said on CT today.

"We cannot leave the ministry without a head in a situation that is very critical," he added.

On Friday, Babiš gave the CV of a candidate for health minister to Zeman, who will meet the candidate at his residence in Lany on Tuesday and could appoint him minister on Thursday.

Jan Blatný, a child haematologist and Brno Teaching Hospital's deputy director, has been mentioned by observers as Prymula's probable replacement.

Zeman's spokesman Jiří Ovčáček told Radio Z and CT on Saturday that he expects the appointment of a new minister on Thursday.

"At the moment, it seems that no other possibility has been left but to replace the health minister," Ovčáček said, adding that Zeman would like Prymula, an epidemiologist, to continue working in the field.

Babiš has offered Prymula the opportunity to join an epidemiological expert team.

Prymula today said he has not spoken with Zeman since Friday, but has spoken to Presidential Office head Vratislav Mynář.

"I would like to help," Prymula stated.

"On the other hand, I don't know whether I am capable of taking up any government post."

Prymula added that he would prefer being an independent consultant, and that he has been in close contact with an international group of experts. He will discuss possible further cooperation with Babiš later today, he said.

Earlier today, Prymula stated in an interview with iDNES.cz that he did not rule out his resignation as minister on Monday, but affirmed that in his opinion, he had not violated any of the government's anti-virus restrictions.