Intensive care unit in Prague half full as virus slows

The intensive care unit in Prague's General University Hospital was half empty on Tuesday, the day the Czech government relaxed some of the country's coronavirus restrictions.

People could also be seen strolling through Letna Park in the city centre and soaking up the sun.

Unlike doctors at overburdened hospitals in other European countries, Czechs have not been forced to make decisions on who gets the best care.

Five of the General University Hospital's intensive care beds were still unoccupied on Tuesday.

The outbreak reached the country slightly after Western Europe, giving authorities here a few extra days to react.

They imposed sweeping restrictions on daily life and the country also became one of the first to order people to wear protective masks in all public places.

Now, even though numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases are still on the rise, Monday's day-to-day increase, at 235, was the second lowest in a week.

The Czech government has agreed to relax some restrictions imposed to contain the epidemic.

Industry and trade minister Karel Havlicek said that starting Tuesday, people would not have to wear a mandatory facemask for outdoor individual sports activities, such as jogging or riding a bicycle.

He added that people still have to keep a compulsory distance of two metres (yards) from one another.

As of Thursday, more stores will be allowed to reopen, including hobby markets and businesses selling construction materials and bicycles.

The government has also approved a proposal to cancel the ban on Czechs travelling abroad, starting on 14 April.

Havlicek said people will have a chance to travel to foreign countries for business trips, visiting relatives, or for medical reasons. On returning, they will have to be quarantined for two weeks.

Currently, Czechs are barred from leaving the country and foreigners are barred from entering it.

The Czech Republic has 4,828 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and 80 people have died.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.