Czech Republic coronavirus updates, August 31: 274 new cases, Hungary closes borders to non-residents

In education news, school starts on Tuesday for most Czech children, though things will be different this time around due to COVID-19

Samantha Tatro

Written by Samantha Tatro Published on 31.08.2020 08:49:25 (updated on 31.08.2020) Reading time: 2 minutes

There were 274 new COVID-19 cases in the Czech Republic yesterday, according to the latest information posted by the Czech Health Ministry this morning.

Over the past week, more than 2,400 new cases have been reported in the Czech Republic.

The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in the Czech Republic since March now stands at 24,367, with more than 17,000 recoveries and 423 COVID-19-related deaths in that span.

That leaves 6,397 known active cases. Of those, 153 patients are currently being hospitalized, with several dozen in serious condition, the highest figure over the past three months.

Prague and the Hodonín region are currently the most-affected locales in the Czech Republic. Prague has reported about 45 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week, and Hodonín has reported the same numbers.

Several other Czech district have reported more than 30 new cases per 100,000 residents in over the past week, including Beroun, Příbram and Mělník. No Czech districts have reported no new COVID-19 cases during the past week.

In education news, school starts on Tuesday for most Czech children, though things will be different this time around due to COVID-19. We’ve put together a complete list of FAQs about going back-to-school right here. On Monday, up to ten schools had already announced that they did not plan to open this week due to COVID-19 measures. 

According to local epidemiologists, the situation is expected to worsen in the coming weeks as schools throughout the Czech Republic open on Monday.

In travel news, Hungary will close its borders to foreigners for at least one month starting on Sept. 1, according to a report in Seznam Zpravy. However, the move will not apply to Hungarian citizens and citizens of other countries with permanent residence in Hungary, or a valid residence permit for at least 90 days. Special rules will apply to foreigners working in border areas. The government made the decision to close borders to limit the spread of coronavirus.

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However, Czech PM Andrej Babiš wants to negotiate with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about the border closure, so foreigners with paid stays may still be able to visit. Previously, Czech PM Andrej Babiš successfully reversed a decision by Greece to put the Czech Republic on its list of risk areas.

Late last week, the United Kingdom announced that it would be removing the Czech Republic from its list of safe countries, effective Saturday. Travelers going to the UK from the Czech Republic will need to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Czech officials, however, have stated that they will negotiate with UK counterparts to change this.

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