Daily news summary
Coronavirus: Czech state may cover a third of rent for closed businesses
The Czech state should pay at least a third of the rent for the period of March 12 through June to entrepreneurs who have had to close due to anti-coronavirus measures, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) told the iDNES.cz server.
The support would go to businesses of all kinds, from shopping centers to small stores, pubs and hair salons, whose landlords agree to forgiving a third of the rent. The tenant would pay the remaining third.
The opposition has been pushing for such support. Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček (for ANO) said the government should discuss the measure next week, but no later than May 11.
Pedagogues criticize Education Ministry plans to reopen schools
The Pedagogical Chamber considers the Ministry of Education’s procedure to gradually open schools chaotic, and lacking in clearly defined and binding procedures.
The Ministry has also relieved itself of responsibility to ensure adequate conditions by issuing only recommendations to schools rather than enshrining them in laws and decrees, the Chamber said, and put the onus on school directors.
In response, the Ministry said it had already announced it would issue comprehensive guidelines and methodologies at the start of May.
Some ninth graders are expected to return to school on May 11. Secondary schools are preparing for the return of high school graduates in various ways, in some cases in small groups at school, elsewhere mainly online.
No new coronavirus deaths reported on Friday
Healthcare professionals performed 4,192 tests for the new coronavirus on Friday, far less than in recent days, due to the national holiday. No deaths were reported that day.
Friday’s tests showed 55 new Covid-19 cases, i.e. in 1.31 percent of samples. Since March, the coronavirus has been confirmed in 7,740 cases. To date, 3,378 people have recovered from Covid-19, while 241 patients have died.
Czech satellite to launch via Elon Musk’s SpaceX
Another Czech satellite will be sent into orbit this year, launched from a Falcon 9 rocket by the US company SpaceX of Elon Musk, the daily Mladá fronta Dnes reports.
The satellite, built at the Research and Testing Aviation Institute, will take detailed images of the earth’s surface and test a system for accurately determining its position in the sky.
It will provide farmers, foresters and water management experts, as well as those researching climate change, with detailed overviews.
Eset: Czech android mobiles hit most by ‘trojan horse’ Agent.BPO
The greatest threat to Czech owners of Android mobile devices in March was Agent.BPO, a type of “trojan horse” that installs malicious code displaying unsolicited advertising, the antivirus company Eset said.
Apart from Agent.BPO, which accounted for almost three percent of all attacks, there was a rise in incidences of programs that modify text messages and can circumvent online banking protections.
Weather
Sunday should be cloudy with rain likely in most of the country, and sleet or snow in the mountains. Daytime highs should range from 12 to 18 degrees Celsius.
