Prague is green: Czech Ministry of Health reveals four-color risk map for individual regions

Prague, Aug 3 (CTK) — The Ministry of Health has revealed this afternoon its risk map of the Czech Republic according to the epidemiological risk in individual regions.

The so-called traffic light will be divided into four levels according to the degree of risk, as indicated by white (no risk) and followed by, green, yellow, and red colors.

On the basis of each district’s color classification, relevant measures against the spread of the coronavirus will need to be adopted by local officials.

“It is not a robotic system that would mean automatic restrictions,” said chief hygienist Jarmila Rážová at Monday’s press conference.

There are no districts with a greater epidemiological risk for COVID-19 infection than the “green” level 1, which includes nine districts in the Czech Republic, Razova told journalists today.

These districts are Prague, Prague-West, Prague-East, Ostrava, Karvina, Frydek-Mistek, Brno, Jihlava and Prachatice areas, Rážová said.

The remaining districts on the map are white, denoting no risk, she added.

The map is intended for more comprehensive monitoring of the infection and in the future should not only cover COVID-19, but also other infectious diseases.

“There is an assessment of 25 parameters. They have resulted from a week-long summary of daily observations. The final decision on a given level is an output of an expert analysis conducted by epidemiologists and public health officials,” Rážová said of how the risk levels were developed.

The ministry will be updating the traffic lights determining the risk level in one-week intervals.

According to Zdeněk Jágrová, director of the Hygiene Station of the Capital City of Prague, the incidence of the virus in Prague will always be higher than in other parts of the country.

She says new cases are often related to groups of young people or agency workers. “Unfortunately, we forgot to keep distances where possible. As soon as the weather allows, masks will definitely be worn again in above-ground public transport,” Jágrová was quoted as saying.

Experts will evaluate the data every Friday, and every Monday the Ministry of Health will update the district traffic lights.