Czech morning news in brief: top headlines for June 22, 2021

Slovakia likely to tighten entry rules due to spread of variants

Slovakia says it will tighten the rules for entry into the country for people who have not been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus due to the spread of more infectious variants, Health Ministry Vladimir Lengvarsky said after a meeting of the central crisis staff Monday. It is not yet known when the new travel restrictions will be introduced. All people entering Slovakia will need to be registered electronically, the same as now, but those who were not vaccinated against Covid will have to register for undergoing a laboratory test for coronavirus. Police officers will check at the border whether these rules are followed. The stricter rules will newly apply also for cross-border commuters who have some exceptions from the epidemic measures now. ČTK

Czech government releases 2020 report on extremism

The government on Monday approved the 2020 report on extremism and prejudicial hatred in the Czech Republic, which found that the opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party is the group most frequently espousing xenophobic and extremely nationalist positions. The report says the SPD overshadowed all other nationalist groups in the regional elections last October. Consequently, many supporters of nationalist ideas who had a reserved or critical view of SPD leader Tomio Okamura, have begun to change their position on him, the report writes. Extremist groups that focus on spreading xenophobic ideas were influenced by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, according to the report. Supporters of such groups often criticized government measures and adopted disinformation and conspiracy theories. The report is conducted annually. ČTK

Pilsner Urquell's net profit fell due to long-term pub closures

Plzeňský Prazdroj's net profit fell by a fifth to CZK 3.8 billion. Revenues decreased by more than CZK 1 billion year-on-year to almost CZK 16 billion. The main reason given for the decline in economic results was the long-term closure of pubs due to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated lower beer sales, the company said in a press release. The largest domestic brewery sold almost 11.2 million hectoliters of beer in the Czech Republic and abroad last year, down 4.2 percent year on year. Sales in the Czech Republic fell by eight percent year-on-year to 6.69 million hectoliters, while abroad they increased by one percent year-on-year to 4.52 million hectoliters.

76 percent of Czechs plan to spend their holidays in the Czech Republic this year

According to a survey by the state agency CzechTourism, 76 percent of Czechs plan to spend their holidays in the Czech Republic this year. On average, it will take 13 days, people will spend CZK 6,840 per person for it, which is CZK 700 more than stated last year. Czechs most often said they'll go to the South Bohemian region and South Moravia, while the least number of domestic tourists plan to spend their holidays in Prague and the Pardubice region. The most popular type of accommodation is in boarding houses, in which 45 percent of people will stay, while 29 percent of Czechs will use unpaid accommodation with acquaintances or friends, and 29 percent will go to camping grounds. The survey was conducted in May among 1,000 people. ČTK

Strong thunderstorms leave thousands across Czech Republic without electricity

Meteorologists are warning of severe thunderstorms throughout the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Heavy rain, gusts of wind, and hail can complicate transport and power services and lead to the flooding of smaller rivers. The storm period is forecast to continue until Friday. Due to severe storms, the distribution company eg.d from the E.ON group registered 25 high-voltage power lines and approximately 9,000 households with limited electricity supplies on Tuesday morning. ČTK