Fully vaccinated Czechs and long-term residents exempt from Covid tests when returning from abroad

Prague, July 8 (ČTK) – As of July 9, fully inoculated Czechs will not have to undergo the coronavirus tests or quarantine when returning from abroad, irrespective of where they are coming from, Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek tweeted today.

Vaccinated individuals will only need to fill in the arrival form, Kulhánek said.

This will also relate to the countries listed as extremely risky for Covid, and the Health Ministry will modify the measures accordingly later today, Health Minister Adam Vojtěch said.

Last week, Vojtěch said after a government meeting that as of July 9, the rules upon return would change and all arrivals would have to be tested.

If arriving from the orange (medium risk) and green (low risk) countries denoted so on the Foreign Ministry's traveler's map, they will have to fill in an arrival form and be tested with at least an antigen test not older than 48 hours or a PCR test not older than 72 hours.

In the case of red (high risk) and dark red (very high risk) countries, the conditions currently valid for the dark red areas will apply. Employers will not be allowed to let employees who returned from holiday abroad enter the workplace without a negative test.

Those return conditions will not apply to the persons who were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have undergone the disease in the past 180 days. However, all travelers except for those arriving from green countries must fill in an arrival form.

There is still a strong recommendation in place from the Health Ministry not to travel to countries with an extreme risk of new coronavirus mutations. These are Tunisia, Russia, Paraguay, Namibia, Peru, Colombia, Botswana, Brazil, Eswatini, South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and India.

Returns from these countries will be possible without testing for those who are fully inoculated, including foreigners with a long-term stay in the Czech Republic.

Entry to the Czech Republic without vaccination from these extreme-risk states is possible only for Czech citizens and residents, accredited members of diplomatic missions, and for those whose entry is in the interest of the Czech Republic.

These individuals must be tested before they return, then undergo a PCR test in 24 hours following their arrival in the Czech Republic, and then again on the tenth day at the earliest. They are also bound to the self-quarantine duty.