Czech morning news in brief: Top headlines for July 22, 2021

The Czech Republic will continue to observe time changes for another five years. "Summer time" should always begin on the last Sunday in March and end on the last Sunday in October according to a draft regulation, published by the government Wednesday on its website. Time changes in the EU were originally scheduled to end in 2019. However, the Member States did not agree on a single time. The next date for the cancelation of the time change was this year. "Further negotiations on this issue have not continued since December 2019, and it is uncertain whether and when they will continue," the Ministry of Labor said. Summer time was originally introduced to reduce energy consumption. According to the government, analyses from some countries have shown that savings are minimal. ČTK

Losses from foreign tourism will not be replaced by domestic tourists in the Czech Republic, Martin Plachý, Vice President of the Czech Tourism Union, told Právo in a new interview. Losses in 2020 alone are estimated at CZK 160 to 180 billion in tourism but billions in losses that are not figured into this number are reflected in the decline of railway passengers, losses from catering companies that did not deliver to hotels, etc. He said roughly 20 to 30 percent of hotels in Prague did not reopen. He continued to say that the shortage of foreign clients is so great that domestic tourism will not help the industry recover. The worst-hit are cities such as Prague, Karlovy Vary, he added.

Prague police have accused doctor Iveta Křížová of scaremongering after stating on social media and in letters to public officials that the Covid vaccination leads to mass deaths. She faces up to eight years in prison if convicted. Křížová has publically shared a number of conspiracy theories on the Covid vaccination, sects, satanism, and former U.S. President Donald Trump. The letter she sent calls for an "end to the vaccination Holocaust." She calls the Covid vaccine a crime against humanity and human experiments. Police have begun investigating her activities; the doctor has not commented. According to Manipulatori.cz, a server devoted to fighting disinformation, Křížová belongs among the top 50 fake news disseminators in the Czech Republic.

Medals will be awarded to six crews of two Austrian helicopters who helped to transport the injured in areas of South Moravia heavily hit by a tornado and thunderstorms on June 24. On Wednesday, Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamáček expressed thanks to the rescuers who will receive the medals at the Czech embassy in Vienna. Czech firefighters and rescuers are finishing their mission in the Hodonín and Břeclav areas. The police, soldiers, and psychologists remain in the storm-affected places. Hamáček estimated that the firefighters' mission comes to CZK 200 million. The storm was accompanied by a tornado of 324 km/h which claimed six lives and caused dozens of injuries. It damaged 1,200 houses out of which 200 required demolition. Over 1.1 billion crowns have been raised in public collections by Wednesday. ČTK

The September Book World Prague fair will host France as its main thematic country this year. French writers Laurent Binet (HHhH) and Muriel Barbery (The Elegance of the Hedgehog) are scheduled to speak in person about their work. The 26th annual year of the fair and literary festival will also feature sections on Poland and Belarus. Organizers also want to address the impact of the pandemic on the book market, how and whether it has changed. Book World Prague 2021, will open to visitors from September 23 to 26 at the Exhibition Grounds in Holešovice. ČTK

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