PM negotiating with governors on country’s pandemic strategy after state of emergency expires

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is negotiating with regional governors about the country’s pandemic strategy after the state of emergency expires on February 14.

A number of governors have expressed serious concern over the fact that the lower house refused to extend the state of emergency beyond that date, saying that  the “state of danger” which they could declare on the regional level does not give them adequate powers to deal with the impacts of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on Friday that if governors asked the cabinet for the state of emergency to be extended, it would comply. He said the government could not act on its own initiative in this matter, given the decision in the lower house.

There are fears that the British mutation of the virus which appears to be getting the upper hand in some regions will drive up Covid numbers even more when the present restrictions are no longer in place.