Babiš: Restaurants could reopen on June 14

Restaurants could fully reopen from June 14, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said in his weekly Sunday address on social media. This Monday, the government is set to discuss a long-term strategy, developed by Chief Hygienist Pavla Svrčinová, for how to proceed with the epidemic. Aside from reopening restaurants and fitness centre locker rooms, the plan also includes new measures, such as obliging travellers to take a coronavirus test after they return from summer holidays.

Not everyone has welcomed the proposed reopening of restaurants in three weeks’ time. The head of the Association of Trade and Tourism, Tomáš Prouza, reacted by saying that June 14 had been selected without any explanation and that restaurants would be opening at least one week sooner if the government kept to its already announced conditions for reopening.

Currently, restaurants, bars and cafes are only allowed to serve sitting guests in gardens and outdoor spaces.