Czech Republic to implement smart quarantine system to trace infected people's movement

Prague, March 24 (CTK) – A new smart quarantine system of the coronavirus infected identification to be launched after Easter will enable to map an infected person’s movements in the past five days thanks to the data from mobile phones and payment cards, Czech Central Crisis Staff head Roman Prymula told CTK today.

The coronavirus-infected persons will have to give an informed consent to the monitoring. During an interview with a sanitary officer, they should remember whom they met, Deputy Health Minister Prymula said after a meeting of the Central Crisis Staff.

He added that he would like to test the system in the second week of April.

With the infected persons’ consent, their movement will be traced back on the basis of the monitoring of their mobile phone operators in the past five days plus their card payments, Prymula described.

The contacts with the infected, found out during the interview with a sanitary officer, will be addressed immediately, quarantine will be imposed on them and their samples will be taken for testing, he added.

Not all people with the new virus will be detected this way due to the absence of the symptoms among some 10-20 percent, but the majority will be found, Prymula noted.

PM Andrej Babis (ANO) decided that the military would be strongly involved in the new system and get many powers in this respect, Prymula said.

The smart quarantine system will be accompanied by sanctions for the quarantine violations as well, he warned.