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A representative of the Smartwings Group, which owns Czech Airlines, says its collapse could threaten up to 60,000 jobs. Firm ombudsman Vojtěch Lažanský said an analysis he had produced also indicated commercial flying schools in the Czech Republic could be forced out of business if the indebted company went bust.

Government members have spoken about the possibility of the state buying out Smartwings or providing it with some other form of support. However, opposition politicians and some analysts have criticised the idea, saying it is not a strategic company. Smartwings has around 2,000 employees.

Wearing face masks even in indoor spaces could cease to be obligatory in the Czech Republic at the end of June, says the minister of health, Adam Vojtěch. From Monday it will be no longer required to cover one’s nose and mouth in public unless one is in an enclosed space or in close proximity to others.

Government epidemiologist Rastislav Maďar said that said that requirements regarding face masks could in future be intensified in particular regions of the country depending on the public health situation.

In mid-March the Czech Republic became one of the first countries in Europe to introduce compulsory face masks in a bid to contain the coronavirus pandemic.  

It should overcast in the Czech Republic on Sunday, with temperatures of up to 16 degrees Celsius. Similar weather is expected over the following week.

Czech football’s first division gets back underway on Saturday evening after a two and a half month break. Teplice will welcome Liberec in the first game in the top flight since early March, when the league was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. More matches will follow on Tuesday and Wednesday.

All games will take place behind closed doors and under strict hygiene conditions. The Czech Republic is one of the first states in Europe to see its top level soccer return.

Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (Social Democrats) hopes to renew his regular joint trips abroad with Czech business representatives as of this autumn, he said during an online seminar for exporters on Thursday.

If the situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic allows, Petříček wants to start his originally planned trips to Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

He said he always tries to include industry and trade representatives on his foreign trips to help support the export-oriented Czech economy.

Saturday should be relatively cool and cloudy, with occasional light rain likely. Strong winds with gusts of up to 65 kilometres per hour – enough to snap trees and damage buildings – are due to hit much of the country from around 2pm to 10pm.

A green beer festival launched 15 years ago by the Starobrno brewery to mark Maundy Thursday is going ahead after a seven-week delay due to restrictions to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In Central Europe, Maundy Thursday, the day commemorating the Last Supper, has long been known as “Green Thursday”, possibly because centuries ago priests wore green vestments to celebrate Easter Mass.

Starobrno has since 2005 brewed a special 13 degree green beer for distribution during Holy Week. This year’s accompanying festival will start on May 29, several days after restaurants and pubs in the Czech Republic can reopen their interiors.

The Czech Republic has officially joined the European Union’s plan for achieving climate neutrality by 2050, Minister of the Environment Richard Brabec (ANO) said in a letter addressed to the EU executive arm and member states.

The business daily Hospodářské noviny, which has published the letter, notes that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) had repeatedly criticized the same plan, arguing the costs to industry by moving that fast were too high.

Brabec says in the letter that the Czech government supports the 2050 target date but also wants to use nuclear technologies, and argues that the country should receive the greatest possible support from the European budget, as the plan will affect poorer and industrial regions.

In the letter, the government also calls for a cautious approach to the EU’s plans for 2030 – by when emissions should fall by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels. Brabec first wants to evaluate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy, Hospodářské noviny adds.

Police in Ústí nad Labem are prosecuting a man who appeared in a recent Czech documentary highlighting the dangers posed by online predators, for spreading child pornography and related charges, iROZHLAS reports.

‘Caught in the Net’, which presented youthful-looking adult actresses as 12-years-olds on fake social media profiles to expose online predators, has led to several criminal investigations. The Ústí police studied his Skype communication, including unedited parts recorded during filming.

The other charges against the suspect include establishing illegal contact with a child, endangering the upbringing of young people, and the production and other handling of child pornography. The man co-organized camps, school trips to the countryside, and other children's events.

‘Caught in the Net’ is the biggest box-office documentary in the history of the Czech Republic. Previously, the most popular documentary film was ‘Citizen Havel’ by Miroslav Janek, released in 2007.

Turkey has criticised the Czech Senate for passing a motion condemning the Armenian genocide which took place in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs it was a malicious act, given the fact that the motion was approved by a small number of Senators at a time when the whole world is fighting the coronavirus .

The Senate on Wednesday approved the same resolution as the Chamber of Deputies did three years ago, condemning the genocide of Armenians which it likened to Nazi crimes against the Jewish, Slav and Roma populations.