No concerts even with negative Covid-19 test, says Czech Health Minister

A concert that was scheduled to take place next week at Lucerna in Prague will ultimately not take place, Health Minister Petr Arenberger told journalists on Friday.

Organizers of the event, part of a project titled Cesta ze tmy (Road from Darkness), had planned to require a negative test for Covid-19 as a requirement for entry and test guests before admittance.

Arenberger said he would consult epidemiologists and Culture Minister Lubomír Zaorálek about the relaxation of current measures restricting cultural events, but that the concert could not take place next week given the current epidemiological situation.

Arenberger said he planned to meet with the epidemiologists and Zaoralek in order to prepare rules that would allow major cultural events to take place.

"However, we are not yet far enough to permit the concert next week," he added.

During May, a pilot project could be held based on model of major events held abroad, Arenberger said. Both the testing before the event as well as its organization are important, he added.

The Lucerna concert was intended to kick off a series of events under the banner of Road from Darkness. All those present would have been required to take PCR test and present a negative result on the day of the concert.

The price of the test would have been included in the price of admission, and the testing would have been conducted near the concert venue.

Arenberger ultimately told organizers that the concert could not take place.

"The Health Ministry and other participating institutions had previously gave all required permits and promises to organizer Karel Luxik," Vít Rosenbaum, speaking on behalf of the organisers, told CTK on Friday.

"This is the worst dirty trick I have seen," he added.

"Yesterday [Thursday] I had a meeting with the minister, and he did not mention any cancellation," Luxik said.

"We only started preparing the concerts at the moment I had all the required permits and promises with concrete data. I have invested hundreds of thousands of crowns in its preparation."

"Now I threw out all this out of the window. The minister is to blame," Luxik said.

Luxik said he refused to postpone the schedule of the concerts.

"I do not feel like doing anything now. The Road from Darkness is ending due to the loss of confidence in the Ministry. This was just a dirty trick, absolute arrogance and politicking," he added.