Czech news in brief for December 5: Friday's top afternoon headlines

Prague’s Pankrác station on red metro line C will reopen to passengers on Dec. 19 at 2 p.m., 17 days ahead of schedule, officials announced. Trains have bypassed the station since January due to reconstruction tied to the future line D transfer. Escalators and elevators were also replaced. While technical work continues, normal operation will resume. A temporary tram extension to Arkády Pankrác has supported transport during the closure. Meanwhile, Českomoravská station on line B remains shut for its own renovation, slated to open early next year.

Leaders of ANO, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party and the Motorists expect their government to be appointed within days of Andrej Babiš becoming prime minister on Dec. 9, lower house speaker Tomio Okamura said. A confidence vote could follow on Jan. 13. Coalition partners agreed on their first cabinet meetings, likely before Christmas, with Okamura attending in his role as speaker. Ministers will begin organisational work immediately after appointment, including early debate on building-law changes.

Czechia has recorded 2,880 hepatitis A cases this year, 4.5 times last year’s total and the highest since 1984, along with 32 deaths, health authorities reported. Prague accounts for over 40 percent of infections, with further clusters in Central Bohemia and Moravia-Silesia. The most affected age groups are 30 to 44. Older residents retain immunity from past epidemics. Risk groups include drug users, alcoholics, and homeless people, and most patients require hospital isolation.

A majority of Czechs oppose Motorists' honorary president Filip Turek becoming the environment minister, according to an NMS Research poll for Czech Radio. Of 1,021 respondents, 52 percent objected to his appointment, 30 percent supported it, and 17 percent were undecided. Analysts say public opinion on Turek has deteriorated regardless of his political experience in Europe. The party’s earlier plan to nominate him for foreign minister also met significant public resistance.

Meteorologists have issued a low-level warning for icy conditions expected from Friday evening to Saturday morning across Bohemia and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute says clearing skies and widespread freezing fog may lead to ice formation as temperatures drop below zero. The alert applies from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday in Prague and several regions. Drivers and pedestrians, especially older or less mobile people, are urged to exercise caution.