Coronavirus update, May 31, 2021: Inside dining, pools, saunas, more reopen in Czech Republic today

Measures against the spread of Covid-19 are further relaxed in the Czech Republic today. Following the Health Ministry decision announced Friday, the interiors of the restaurants will reopen after more than five months. Outdoor and indoor swimming pools, saunas, spas, clubs, discos, and casinos can also resume operations. Conventions and other mass events can be attended by more people than before, and the number of people playing sports indoors has been increased. The ban on group tours of monuments or museums also ends and outdoor schools can start. Dancing is not allowed in discos. People must continue to show a negative test for coronavirus, vaccination, or confirmation of recovery from Covid-19. A maximum of four people can then sit at the table and it is necessary to keep the spacing or cover the mouth and nose out of consumption. According to the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch restaurants are the only facilities where guests can submit a self-test for coronavirus. In all others, only the test from the official sampling center is valid. See our full story here.

Health Minister Adam Vojtěch plans a blanket testing of children for Covid-19 by PCR tests as of the beginning of the school year in September and wants to discuss this with Education Minister Robert Plaga on Monday, Vojtěch said on CNN Prima News TV. Vojtěch defended the step by the effort to prevent new infection clusters from emerging at schools, which had occurred last year after children's return from the summer holiday. No final agreement exists in this respect yet, he added. However, he expected the PCR tests to be organized rather within schools. Vojtěch said he would like to draft a clear strategy by the end of June for the schools to be able to prepare in time and inform the parents about it.

Many people have reported problems with the automatically assigned date for a second vaccination dose due to already-booked vacation plans. People who get their vaccination from a general practitioner can ask to swap dates with another patient, according to doctors cited by Lidové noviny. Many large vaccination centers, though, are unwilling to change dates due to logistical problems. Head hygienist Pavla Svrčinová, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, previously said the only excuse for missing the second date of vaccination is illness. If someone hasn’t had a the first dose yet, then they can cancel the process and restart it to get better dates.

Self-employed persons who have had to reduce their business due to the care of a child under 10 years of age or a disabled person due to the closure of schools and social facilities can apply for nursing allowance for April and May from 9 a.m. today. Those interested in nursing must fill in the online form for the fastest processing of the application, the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends submitting it with its own data box. People can also send it by e-mail with a recognized electronic signature, or by mail.

There were 113 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, which is 83 fewer than a week ago and the lowest daily increase since Aug. 2, when 101 new cases were reported, Health Ministry data shows. The reproduction number R rose to 0.8 today from Sunday's 0.72. It has kept below the breaking point of 1 since April 14, which is 47 days in a row. The country has seen 28,303 new cases in May so far, which means the average daily increase by 943. The highest daily increase this month was 2,416 on Tuesday, May 4. The epidemic has continued receding in May. In April, the country saw almost 93,200 new cases and the average daily increase of 3,106. A total of 629 Covid patients died in May so far, 21 a day on average. Last week, the daily death toll never exceeded 12.