Thursday news summary

Covid update

There were 4,931 cases of the coronavirus infection on Wednesday. Compared to the previous week, it is an improvement. However, the ministry had problems updating the data. In recent days, some indicators on which the risk score of the anti-epidemic system (PES) is based have deteriorated, with the reproduction number reaching 0.96. The Minister of Health has also mentioned the possibility that the degree of risk would increase again. So far, however, the score has remained on the fourth day in a row at 57.

According to the Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), the statistics are not improving as the government imagined. The situation is still not good, it is important to relax with forethought, he told reporters today. The prime minister did not say whether this could affect the planned relaxation of measures on Monday.

Czechia to offer period products for free?

As Scotland has become the first country to offer period products for free, Czech journalists have asked the Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) if this was possible in the Czech Republic as well. Babiš stated on his Twitter account that the Scots wanted to break down the stigma of menstruation and fight poverty. According to him, this would also be possible in the Czech Republic for the poorest ones. The solution is to be found by the Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (for ANO), said Babiš.

Diplomatic trip to Russia?

The president's adviser, Martin Nejedlý, has been planning a trip to Russia. News providers Respekt and Aktuálně.cz drew attention to Nejedlý's planned trip to Moscow. According to the servers, the visit is arranged by the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, which some members of the Parliament consider scandalous. "In a situation where the representatives of the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation have not met at the prime minister's level for over ten years, I consider this a mockery of the office of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic," Jan Lipavský, Deputy Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (Pirates) said. Nejedlý has already said that he did not intend to negotiate a tender for the construction of a nuclear unit in Dukovany in Russia. According to the available information, the Russian company Rosatom is among the possible bidders. The mentioned media stated that Nejedlý had secretly met with the head of Rosatom Alexej Lichačov three years ago. Other interested parties are the Chinese company CGN, the North American company Westinghouse, the French company EdF and the South Korean company KHNP.