Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček reckons that starting in January, the Czechs will only have to pass an antigen test to be able to travel to the surrounding countries. The same should apply when citizens return to the Czech Republic.
“We have already launched negotiations with Slovakia, Austria and Germany. An agreement is very close. Austria, in particular, is in favor of this. However, we expect that the change will take place only after the New Year because, for example, Austria has a lockdown lasting until the tenth of January,” said Petříček.
The ministry plans to negotiate a concurrent date with Slovakia and Germany.
“In the case of Germany, I am convinced that we will be able to remove the remaining issues so that we can also recognize antigen tests for travel in mid-January. We are working very intensively on this with the Ministry of Health,” added the Czech Foreign Minister.
The new procedure would not be fundamentally different from the current one.
“In addition to PCR tests, we would also allow the use of antigen tests. For people to be able to travel to neighboring Austria, for example, they would take the test and be allowed to enter the territory of Austria within 48 hours,” explained Petříček.
The minister stated that it should work the same way in the case of citizens returning to the Czech Republic, and, in such a case, it should be possible to take the test on the territory of the Czech Republic.
Title image: A healthcare worker conducts a COVID-19 test at a drive-in sampling station in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic hit a new record high in early October, surpassing 4,000 cases in one day for the first time. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
