CZECH REPUBLIC
/The following information has been collected and collated by convergence consulting in collaboration with our in-country Global Alliance Partner. Please let us know if you have additional questions by emailing us at COVID-19@cc-global.com.
1. Does your country’s health authority have guidelines or requirements for when COVID-19 cases are classified work-related and reported as a workplace illness?
Based on the preliminary Statement of the Society of Occupational Medicine of the Czech Medical Association dated March 25, 2020, COVID-19 shall be recognized as a work-related illness if it occurred at work with demonstrable risk of infection. It would be classified based on Government Decree 290/1995 Coll. as a communicable and parasitic disease, relevant primarily to the health sector.
The Ministry of Health agreed with this Statement as declared at its web page on March 30, 2020: (https://koronavirus.mzcr.cz/lze-uznat-onemocneni-covid-19-jako-nemoc-z-povolani/, in Czech only).
2. Is there information on the timing of “return to work” and the process for a worker to return, i.e. examination by a physician, or a negative COVID test?
The Ministry of Health published criteria for discharge from the hospital or from isolation of COVID 19 cases at home (https://koronavirus.mzcr.cz/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Krit%C3%A9ria-pro-propu%C5%A1t%C4%9Bn%C3%AD-pacienta-z-izolace.pdf). The patient will be isolated 14 days after first positive test or after release from hospital, and must be free of symptoms for at least 3 days and have two negative tests, with the first test performed no sooner than the 12th day of isolation and second after another next 48 hours.
In addition, a person, who was identified to be in a contact with a COVID-19 positive person has to be, regardless of whether tested or not, self-isolated at home for 14 days. Based on the decree of the Ministry of Health with the effective date, this person can return to work once is tested negative and has no clinical signs of COVID-19 after 14 days of quarantine. The test has to be performed at the earliest 14 days after the start of the isolation.
The isolation is formally terminated by practitioners. From the employment perspective the person at isolation is on a sick leave and is entitled to receive 60% of his average wage.
The Ministry of Health has launched a program called “clever quarantine” to support identification of contacts of COVID 19 positive persons. If agreed by the positive person, his cell phone data are used.
3. Does your country’s health authority have COVID-19 mitigation guidelines for the public and/or for business? If so, please list them below and how long they will be in place.
General guidelines have been outlined for both the public and for businesses and include the following:
Based on the Government Order dated May 26, 2020, there is no obligation for persons moving outside the building and employees at work to wear face masks, when minimum distance of 2 meters from another person is kept. If the minimum distance of 2 meters cannot be ensured, persons should use face masks (their own reusable textile or disposable). The obligation to wear face mask is still pertaining for all interior spaces of buildings (except residence), in means of public transport and in all other places where there are at least two persons at a distance less than 2 meters, unless they are exclusively members of the household.
Based on the Decree of the Ministry of Health dated May 27, 2020 there are some restrictions on crossing the state border of the Czech Republic for foreigners who had no temporary residence (for more than 90 days in the Czech Republic as of 12 March 2020) or permanent residence in the Czech Republic. Specific conditions are set according to the length of the stay and the purpose of the stay of the foreigner. EU citizens and foreigners with the status of a long-term resident in EU Member State may enter the Czech Republic in order to perform economic activities, to visit relatives or to study at a university. Everyone has to prove themselves with a negative test for Covid-19 upon entry.
A measure of the Minister of Health, effective from June, 15, 2020, will ease the current regime for travels to and from abroad. The EU member states, and other states of the Schengen area are divided into three categories (according to the level of risk of COVID-19 disease). Czechs and foreigners with a long-term stay in the Czech Republic will be able to travel to countries of all categories after this date and will not have to prove themselves with a negative test for coronavirus after returning from countries with low and medium risk. Foreigners arriving from medium and high-risk countries will then have to prove themselves with a negative test upon arrival (in case of absence of a negative test, these foreigners will be submitted into quarantine).
List of countries:
Low risk: Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Iceland, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Germany, Norway, Poland, Austria, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland;
Medium risk: Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain;
High risk: Sweden, United Kingdom.
Conditions and rules for entering the territory of the Czech Republic are available at the web page of the Ministry of the Interior also in English. (https://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/coronavirus-information-of-moi.aspx). This web page is regularly updated.
Updates as well as Guidelines for travelers, and those requiring border crossing can be found at: https://www.vlada.cz/en/media-centrum/aktualne/measures-adopted-by-the-czech-government-against-coronavirus-180545/
4. Which governmental authority issued these guidelines, and are they voluntary or mandatory?
These are orders issued by the Government and the Ministry of Health that are binding. In addition, guidelines and recommendations are issued by Hygiene Authorities. All are mandatory.
5. Do these mitigation measures have any consequence, such as, if a person does not abide by these measures must they pay a fine or go to jail?
Fines for breaching ordered isolation can be up to 3,000,000 CZK (approx. 110,000 Euro).
Fines may also apply for not covering mouth and nose in public places. Such a fine can be up to 10,000 CZK (approx. 370 Euro).
6. Has your country adopted any laws or regulations related to COVID-19?
A number of orders and regulation have been issued by the Government and the Ministry of Health.
Most of the guidelines and restrictions noted above have been adopted as laws. Regulations and restrictions specific to each are available at the Government web page, and are also available in English at: (https://www.vlada.cz/en/media-centrum/aktualne/measures-adopted-by-the-czech-government-against-coronavirus-180545/). This web page is regularly updated.
The data presented here is not a complete analysis of all COVID-19 information; however, our in-country Partner will provide updates as and when considered appropriate and as relevant data becomes available. If you have any additional questions, or request for country information, please email us at COVID-19@cc-global.com with additional inquiries.
