Czech Republic coronavirus updates, October 14: 8,325 new cases, stricter measures take effect

The Czech Republic reported 8,325 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the second-highest daily total to date, according to the latest data published by the Czech Health Ministry this morning.

The record high daily total happened not even one week ago: on Friday, the country reported 8,616 new cases.

With about 521 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past 14 days, the Czech Republic has the European Union's highest rate of coronavirus infection, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The Czech Republic has 12 times more infected people than Germany. Over the past two weeks, Belgium (429 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents) and the Netherlands (387 new cases) have overtaken Spain and France as the second- and third-most-affected EU states after the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic has now reported a total of 129,747 COVID-19 cases since the start of the epidemic in March. The vast majority of those cases have come in the past six weeks, and there are currently 68,740 known active cases.

More than 1,100 people have died as a result of coronavirus; fifty-five of those deaths happened on Monday and 22 on Tuesday. In the country, 2,503 people remain hospitalized, a fast-rising number. Of those hospitalized, 467 are in serious condition.

During a televised speech on Tuesday night, Minister of Health Roman Prymula said that residents should expect an increase in serious cases and deaths in the coming weeks as the virus spreads.

He apologized for not pushing harder for stricter measures against the virus sooner.

"We have really three difficult and unhappy weeks ahead of us," he said.

Starting today, stricter anti-COVID measures take effect. The new measures include the closure of pubs and restaurants and the lower grades of primary schools, the implementation of new mask-wearing measures, and a ban on public alcohol consumption.

All restaurants and pubs in the Czech Republic must close their doors to patrons starting Wednesday. They may still operate on a delivery and takeaway basis. However, takeaway windows can only operate until 8 p.m.

All schools with the exception of kindergartens will switch to distance learning, if they have not already done so. 

The requirement to wear a face mask will be extended to all train, tram, and bus stations.

In addition, outdoor gatherings can only be limited to six people. There will be a ban on drinking alcohol outdoors as well, according to the Health Minister's Twitter account.

These measures will last through the end of the current state of emergency on November 3. By that date, they will be reevaluated and extended, modified, or repealed, presuming the state of emergency is also extended.

The situation continues to worsen in many districts across the country. Over the past seven days, there have been about 374 confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in Prague.

The highest rates of infection in the country over the past week are in Uherské Hradiště (581 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), Liberec (472 cases), Žďár nad Sázavou (468 cases), Plzeň-North (468 cases) and Příbram (488 cases).