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In the center of Prague, hundreds of police officers will be ensuring safety on New Year’s Eve night, and emergency medical services will also be reinforced. A rescue service station will be set up at Old Town Square. It will include the Golem rescue vehicle, which has 12 beds, as well as additional ambulances. Firefighters are also preparing for the celebrations and will have a unit on standby in the city center. However, they do not expect an extreme number of emergency call-outs. This follows from statements by their spokespersons. Police also reminded the public of a regulation in force since December 1, 2020, which bans the use of consumer fireworks in central Prague and other parts of the capital.

During New Year’s Eve and the first day of the New Year, around 8 centimeters of snow will fall in the northwest and north of the Czech Republic, and in parts of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, up to 15 centimeters in the mountains. From Wednesday evening, snowdrifts will begin to form, particularly in higher areas, and by Thursday, snowstorms will develop in the mountains. From Thursday morning until Friday afternoon, stronger winds will blow in Central and Western Bohemia, the north of Moravia, and Silesia, with gusts reaching around 70 kilometers per hour. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) issued this warning on Tuesday.

The culling of a large poultry farm hit by avian influenza began on Tuesday morning in Habry in the Vysočina region. Around 30,000 laying hens are to be destroyed, after part of the original stock of 32,000 birds had already died. The farm is close to another facility where nearly 35,000 hens were culled last week. Both operations belong to Xaverov, part of the Agrotrade group. Firefighters, veterinarians and inmates from prisons in Pardubice and Hradec Králové are involved. The birds are being euthanised using carbon dioxide and transported to a rendering plant.

The Czech Republic’s under-20 ice hockey team beat Finland 2–1 in overtime at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Minneapolis, earning their second win of the tournament. Defenceman Adam Jiříček decided the game 3:39 into overtime with a spectacular between-the-legs finish past Finnish goaltender Petteri Rimpinen. The Czechs had taken an early lead through a power-play goal by Matěj Kubiesa, while Emil Hemming forced overtime by equalising for Finland during a late power play. The Czech team now has five points and sits third in Group B. Their final group match is against Latvia on Wednesday.