News

Health officials in South Moravia warn that the hepatitis A outbreak could intensify this autumn as infections have started rising again after a temporary decline in August. The region recorded 502 cases between January and September, with Brno and its surroundings most affected. Regional public health official Renata Ciupek said increased travel and crowded public transport hubs were contributing to the spread. Authorities are urging people to get vaccinated, particularly those working in restaurants and catering, and to observe strict hand hygiene. Meanwhile, health officials say the influenza situation remains calm, although other seasonal respiratory infections are expected to increase.

Retail sales in Czechia rose by 4.3 percent year-on-year in August, slowing from a revised 5.1 percent in July, according to figures released by the Czech Statistical Office on Thursday. Month-on-month, sales increased by 0.2 percent. Sales of non-food goods grew by 7.4 percent compared with August last year, while food sales rose by three percent. Fuel sales, however, declined by 3.2 percent. Online retailers traditionally recorded the strongest growth, statisticians said. Meanwhile, sales and repairs of motor vehicles, which are excluded from the main retail figures, fell by 2.2 percent year-on-year and 0.3 percent month-on-month.

Czechs will go to the polls on Friday and Saturday in municipal elections and the first round of Senate elections. Around 190,000 candidates are competing for some 62,000 council seats in 6,255 municipalities, with particular attention focused on Prague and other major cities. Voters will also elect senators in 27 constituencies, replacing one third of the upper house. Opposition parties are expected to retain their Senate majority, while the governing ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy would need to win all 27 seats to overturn it. Polling stations open at 2 pm on Friday and close at 2 pm on Saturday.

A water shortage has been declared on the Vltava and Labe rivers in Central Bohemia, the Czech News Agency reported. Due to the prolonged unfavorable hydrological situation, the regional commission has allowed the minimum outflow from the Vltava Cascade at the Vrané waterworks to be reduced from 35 to 20 cubic meters per second. The measure will remain in effect, until April 30 next year.

The move is intended to slow the decline in water levels at the Slapy reservoir and potentially also at the Orlík reservoir. Permitted water withdrawals will remain unrestricted for the time being, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Vltava River Basin Authority and the Central Bohemian Region said in a press release.