News

The NGO White Circle of Safety has warned about the growing danger of domestic violence as a result of the ongoing quarantine.

The NGO says that due to the restrictions victims may be in a worse position that usual and virtually unable to call for help.

Police are reported to have barred 344 people from their homes over domestic violence since the start of the year, but experts say the full extent of the problem may only come to light after the crisis ends.

A law clearly defining domestic violence which enables the police to bar abusers from their homes for a certain period in order to give the victim time to consider their situation and act was approved in 2007.

Since then it has been applied in close to 16,000 households.

The head of the Central Crisis Staff, Jan Hamáček, has expressed concern over the fact that with the Easter holidays and loosening of restrictions people have become less disciplined in protecting themselves against the coronavirus.

Hamáček said that allowing people in certain situations such as biking, running or hiking, not to wear a face mask had been a mistake since it had triggered a more benevolent attitude which could prove to be a serious setback in the fight against the epidemic.

The health minister, Adam Vojtěch, and the country’s leading epidemiologist Roman Prymula have also warned Czechs that the danger is far from over.

The police, who are out in force monitoring adherence to the restrictions, report more people breaking the rules, gathering in groups without masks, eating, drinking or smoking together.

Hobby markets which opened over Easter were also reported to be packed with people.

As of April 11, people can start using the eRouška app, prepared by experts working on the COVID19CZ platform.

The application is one of the components of the smart quarantine plan and is intended to help hygienists trace people who have come into contact with someone found to be COVID positive.

The program can be downloaded for free on Google Play. The smart quarantine plan is being tested in South Moravia and will gradually be extended to the whole country as a means of keeping the spread of the disease in check.

Russia’s decision to file criminal charges over the recent removal of a statue of Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev by the Prague 6 district authorities is inadmissible, the Czech Foreign Ministry said in a statement made available to the press.

The ministry pointed out that Russian legislation is not enforceable in the Czech Republic. It also rejected any attempts by Russia to intervene in the internal affairs of the Czech Republic.

The statue of the controversial marshal who liberated Prague in 1945, but also had an active role in crushing the Hungarian Uprising and building the Berlin Wall, has been at the centre of a diplomatic row between the two countries for some time.

Moscow sees the statue's removal as a diplomatic insult and a dangerous attempt to rewrite history.

The statue has aroused controversy in Prague where it was repeatedly vandalized with red paint on significant anniversaries.

The Prague 6 authorities voted to have it dismantled in order to prevent further controversy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a law that made damaging such memorials a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.