Opposition not willing to extend state of emergency by whole month

The opposition parties in Parliament say they will demand an explanation from the government over its request for the state of emergency in the country to be prolonged by a month. The Chamber of Deputies is to meet to debate the proposal on Tuesday.

The head of the Civic Democrats Petr Fiala and the leader of the Pirate Party Ivan Bartoš have both said they will not support an extension of that length, indicating that a fortnight or until the end of April might be acceptable if the request was properly justified.

The head of the Freedom and Direct Democracy Party and the Communist Party have also said that in view of the impacts on the economy they would prefer shorter terms, with repeated extensions if need be.

According to Interior Minister Jan Hamáček a month-long extension from April 11 is essential for the government to be able to do its job, such as ordering protective gear without the need to hold an open competition for a supplier. He said restrictions could gradually be eased even during the state of emergency.