In the Czech Republic, the stories of people who have decided to violate or circumvent government measures against the spread of coronavirus resonate in recent days. The Šeberák restaurant in Prague’s Kunratice and a secret party for more than a hundred people in the center of the capital attracted media attention.
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However, there are actually many more cases when people went out for a beer during the strict ban. And along with the violation of the ban, the ongoing administrative proceedings are multiplying.
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The media reported on the Šeberák restaurant, which the owner Jakub Olbert opened on Thursday and Friday to protest against the government’s confusing measures. According to police spokesman Jan Rybanský, the police fined eight people on the spot in the amount of 500 crowns, for a total of 4,000 crowns. However, the owner of the restaurant claims that no one inside the company was fined.
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“There were five people with us inside the restaurant, and the police found out that they were not entirely our employees. They tell me that none of them received a fine. And the rest of the people were just our employees and one of our friends, and we certainly didn’t get any fines either. I’m not sure if it was someone outside because there were a lot of people outside. I can’t vouch for you, but definitely not the people inside, “Olbert said on Monday.
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Police say they handed out eight fines. “According to my information, as far as I know, there were eight orders on the spot on Thursday, ie a fine of 500 crowns. A total of 13 persons were inspected, eight of whom received an on-the-spot order and the rest were notified to the competent authority for settlement, “Rybanský told the News.
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“If that were the case, they would have to give 115 fines in that nightclub in Prague. That’s a bit misleading from them, “Olbert added his reaction, referring to another weekend-watched media event – a dance party in Anenská Street.
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However, the police did not distribute fines at this event on Saturday evening. Police spokesman Jan Daněk told the editors. As in the case of the Šeberák restaurant, the police documented the situation and handed over the documents to the administrative body, which is the Prague City Hall. He will now evaluate whether an offense has actually taken place.
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“We have been in contact with the police since the beginning. We will deal with the cases as soon as the police hand them over to us. Subsequently, we will initiate administrative proceedings, “wrote Vít Hofman, a spokesman for the municipality, to ČTK. He added that natural persons face a fine of 20,000 to two million crowns, legal entities up to three million crowns.
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“In the case of the Šeberák restaurant, where there was a deliberate bending of the law, the situation can be more complicated and more bodies can deal with it. In the case of an open bar, it is possible that, for example, hygiene will still solve the non-wearing of drapes, “the spokesman added.
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“I have no comment on that”
The owner of the Šeberák restaurant proudly volunteered for civil disobedience, but in the case of Saturday’s secret party, Prague may have a harder time.
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Before Saturday’s raid in Anenská Street and subsequently also after the publication of an article about this event, the editors of the List of Reports contacted the readers with a description of what the organization of the parties looked like.
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The invitations came from a private instagram profile, which gradually changed its name. At first his name was “midnightprague”, he called it a “passwordprague” at Saturday’s party and after Saturday he was to change to “losangelsfly.”
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The ‘midnightprague’ Instagram profile invites you to one of the secret parties, always with the support of the ‘MAD Prague’ profile.
It is not entirely clear who manages this account. According to information from readers, it is the agency MAD (Make A Difference) Prague. This organization has long organized parties for Erasmus students and other foreign visitors to the capital. Invitations to secret parties have always had the support of the MAD Prague profile on social networks.
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The agency lists its shared office on Wenceslas Square as its headquarters, but from where it left a few months ago. There is no company with this name registered in the register of companies. The editorial staff managed to contact a Portuguese living in Prague, who had organized parties for foreigners under the MAD Prague brand in the past.
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“I have no comment on that,” he said of Saturday’s event in Anenská Street. He added that he now has to wait until the spring, or in short, until government measures apply with the organization of the parties.
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Four times more than in the spring
From October to November 18, the Prague City Hall received about 190 notifications of violations of government measures against the spread of covid-19, 42 of which concerned restaurants, CTK reported. None of the administrative proceedings initiated by the Office have been completed yet. In the spring wave of the epidemic, the municipality dealt with about 500 notifications, but only about ten were affected.
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According to the spokesman, some of the hundreds of proceedings from the spring wave of measures, which also banned the operation of shops and restaurants, have not yet been completed. According to him, in some cases the office only used reprimands for those that were terminated, in other cases it imposed fines.
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According to the government’s decision on Sunday, the restaurants will be allowed to open from Thursday. They will be open from 06:00 until 22:00. It will be possible to serve only seated guests, a maximum of four people can sit at one table. Businesses will be allowed to fill capacity to 50 percent.
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