Hundreds of demonstrators, mostly hooligans, clashed with police on Sunday during a protest against the Czech government’s new measures in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic.
Czech Republic had record rise in the COVID-19 disease, increase in newly detected infections exceeded 11,000 in one day for the first-time last week and government imposed series of new restrictive measures.
Thousands of soccer and ice-hockey hooligans across country gathered in downtown Prague to protest against latest government’s restrictions and attacked police after demonstration ended. Police used grenades and water cannon.
The Czech Republic, which has the highest coronavirus infection rate in Europe, will wait at least two weeks before deciding whether to order a full lockdown to stem its epidemic, Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek said on Sunday.
In the past week, bars and restaurants in the country of 10.7 million have been ordered to close except for takeout orders, and schools have moved to distance learning. Sport and fitness clubs, theatres and cinemas had already shut, but shops have remained open.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said it had registered 828 cases per 100,000 population in the last two weeks, more than 10 times the rate in neighbouring Germany.
Via EPA-EFE/Reuters
