EU citizens may enter the Czech Republic for business trips, formal matters as of Monday

Prague, April 24 (CTK) – Citizens of European Union member states will be allowed to come on business trips to the Czech Republic for up to three days as of Monday, April 27, if they produce a negative result of their test for coronavirus that was issued not more than four days ago, Interior Minister Jan Hamáček (Social Democrats, CSSD) said today.

Season workers, for example, may stay in the country longer provided that their employer meets the set anti-epidemic rules, including accommodation and health care, and that they are EU citizens. These workers will not have to be in two-week quarantine, but their movement in the country will be limited.

Foreigners who need to deal with other formal issues in the Czech Republic can arrive in the country as of next week as well, Interior Ministry asylum and migration section head Pavla Novotna said.

Hamáček said the test for coronavirus that people show at the border must be a PCR test, not for example a rapid test.

He said it is not possible for people to get tested in the Czech Republic after they enter the country. However, it is possible for Czechs to be tested in Czechia, go abroad and within four days present the test result at the border when they are returning to their homeland.

Hamáček pointed out that people must find out whether the country they would like to visit really permits such visits and under what conditions.

The Czech government has also extended controls at the border with Germany and Austria until midnight of May 14, Interior Minister Hamáček told journalists at a press conference after today’s meeting of the Central Crisis Staff which he heads.

As the border controls would otherwise end at midnight today, they have been further extended by 20 days in order to curb the new coronavirus pandemic. These controls were introduced on March 14, originally for five days.

Hamáček said it is allowed to cross the border only at the set border crossings, and it is against law to cross the border anywhere else.

The government declarations do not concern the border with Poland and Slovakia.

Interior Ministry asylum and migration section head Pavla Novotna said Slovakia and Poland may be entered at crossings set by the Slovak and Polish measures reintroducing border controls.

She said Austria introduced border control, too, but at the same crossings as the Czech Republic.

“Germany reintroduced border controls at its border, but it does not apply them at the German-Czech border because Czechia closed the border,” Novotna said.

Hamáček said it is likely that Germany will introduce controls at its border or send people in quarantine after the Czech border regime is loosened.