Trains coming to the Czech Republic from risky areas to be examined for coronavirus

Prague, March 4 (CTK) – The state wants to know about all the trains coming from risky areas to the Czech Republic, Transport Minister Karel Havlíček (for ANO) told journalists after the meeting of the National Security Council (BRS) discussing the novel coronavirus today.

A sufficient quantity of disinfectants should be in trains and at railway stations, Havlíček said.

“We will identify all the trains potentially arriving from risky areas. We will prepare certain measures at least on the disinfection level so that, similar to the passengers from the aircraft arriving from afflicted areas, the passengers from these trains, too, are identified,” Havlíček said.

“We should at least know how many of them come here,” he added.

“I have spoken with almost all organisations from the sphere of railway and public transport. I have calmed them down, having told them clearly that bus drivers and conductors do not have to use respirators or face masks at present. However, there should be a sufficient number of disinfectants,” Havlíček said.

Havlíček defended the decision today. “It is not true that the passengers can simply use different connections,” he said.

It is not easy to replace the simple connections from northern Italy since many airlines have started cancelling the flights. Some 90 percent of passengers from Italy use the aircraft to travel to the Czech Republic, Havlíček said.

The RegioJet bus company said earlier it would not operate the bus lines from Prague to Rome and Milan until further notice.