Hot take: Coffee to-go is back on the menu in the Czech Republic

Customers may now enjoy soft drinks for take away now that the ban on their consumption is reversed.

Tom Lane

Written by Tom Lane Published on 15.12.2020 10:19:00 (updated on 15.12.2020) Reading time: 1 minute

The PES system may have moved to the fourth tier, but good news for fans of takeaway soft drinks: the decision to ban them has been reversed.

Buying takeaway drinks intended to be consumed on the go from a restaurant or coffee shop window was officially prohibited last week, a move Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš later described as “absolute nonsense.”

The ban led to widespread confusion and creative workarounds with some restaurants in the center of Prague selling coffee to go cloaked in paper bags, reminiscent of the way alcoholic beverages are disguised by outdoor drinkers in the United States.

On Monday, following the latest round of government restrictions, Health Minister Jan Blatný confirmed that non-alcoholic takeaway drinks could once again warm hands across the Czech Republic.

"We have amended the criticized ban on the sale of beverages on the street so that it is now explicitly written that it only applies to alcoholic beverages," Health Minister Jan Blatný said after Monday's government meeting.

Restaurants and eateries are set to close again on Friday under the fourth tier of the anti-COVID system, meaning that, unfortunately, people won’t be able to consume beverages inside of restaurants, cafes, or pubs.

But while takeaway alcohol consumption is still banned according to the latest round of restrictions (so long, svařák) your morning to-go coffee is safe. For now.

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