Czech weekend news in brief: top stories for July 11, 2021

New Covid-19 cases continue to rise, R number at 1.35

The Czech Republic reported 159 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, 35 more than last Saturday, according to data released by the Health Ministry this morning. The R number, indicating how many people one infectious Covid-19 patient passes the disease to, rose to 1.35, the highest it has been this year in the Czech Republic.

On the other hand, the number of the Covid-19 patients in Czech hospitals continues to decline. There are currently 25 of them, with three in serious condition. Over the past six days, no Covid-19-related deaths have been reported. Over the past seven days, there have been roughly 12 infections per 100,000 people. A week ago, the incidence rate was about 9 per 100,000. Prague has the highest incidence rate in the country, at 36 cases per 100,000 people.

Protesters block Czech-Slovak border crossing

About 40 protesters with 15 cars, mostly from Slovakia, blocked the Czech-Slovak border crossing at Sudoměřice-Skalica on Saturday morning, demanding the reopening of the border without checks. The protest was quiet, and cars were crossing the border through the old road.

In response to the spread of the more infectious Delta coronavirus mutation, Slovakia has tightened its border rules. Earlier this week, it unexpectedly closed small border crossings with the Czech Republic, but now they are open again. Sudoměřice, Czech Republic, is very close to the Slovak town of Skalica. Many locals from both sides of the border are connected by family, and routinely cross the border in the area. Protesters blocked the crossing at about 9:00 a.m. Banners, some in Czech, read "No Checks At Borders" and "Same Conditions For All."

New Roma party stages demonstration against racism, discrimination

A crowd of about 200 took part in a demonstration against racism and discrimination on Saturday staged by the new Roma-led political party Roma Luma. The demonstration featured a moment of silence to pay respects to the Roma man who died after police intervention in Teplice, north Bohemia, on June 19.

"We are not a minority, we are a nation, a proud nation," activists said at the rally. They demanded not only an unbiased investigation into the case, but also equality within that state's approach to work and education, as well as security for their families and children.

Protest against nuclear repository held in West Bohemia

Locals and activists from Germany supported municipalities in Bohemia that are fighting the proposition that a deep nuclear repository could be established in Březový potok on Saturday. During the afternoon, about 100 people took part in a protest march from Pačejov to Maňovice.

During the event, which ended with a music concert, there were events for families as well as a panel discussion about the nuclear repository. Dozens of Czechs and activists from nearby Germany carrying protest banners and badges took part in the march.

Four migrants discovered in semi-trailer detained

Police detained four migrants hidden in a semi-trailer on Thursday, police spokesperson Dana Čírtková told journalists on Saturday. The police were tipped off by a truck driver who had just returned from Romania. The four men, who had no travel documents with them, attempted to flee after the truck was stopped.

A police patrol was called in and located them within an hour. They were sent to a center for foreigners, Čírtková said. The men, aged 17-37, were from Afghanistan and Pakistan. They only presented a document without a photo, a request for asylum that they had filed in Romania. All of them had to take a Covid-19 test, which came back negative.