Lower house debating extending state of emergency

The lower house of Parliament is debating the government’s proposal to extend the state of emergency in the country by another thirty days after February 14, when the current state of emergency is due to expire.

The minority government of ANO and the Social Democrats has failed to secure support for the proposal. The Communist Party, which previously supported the extensions is no longer willing to do so, on the argument that the government had failed to deliver on its promise to reopen schools and the opposition says the government should have found other instruments to deal with the coronavirus crisis by now. It moreover argues that the measures linked with the state of emergency are not working.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says that anyone who votes against extending the state of emergency will be directly responsible for the loss of human lives.