Deník N: National COVID-19 testing coordinator resigns

The Czech Republic’s national coordinator for testing, Marián Hajdúch, has handed in his resignation and is expected to leave office at the end of 2020, Deník N informed on Tuesday. Mr. Hajdúch told the paper that he made this decision, because he does not like the falling testing rates and no longer wants to provide expert cover for decisions that are of a political nature and that he intends to focus on research.

He said that the Ministry of Health did not make its decisions based on expert recommendations, with several strategies drafted to combat the coronavirus not being pursued. Mr. Hajdúch also told the paper that he would often find out about decisions made by the government through the media which then made it hard to find expert justifications for the moves. An official reply from the Ministry of Health to Deník N stated that the ministry generally follows expert advice.

Daily infection rates have been falling over the past weeks in the country. However, so has the number of carried out tests.