The Czech Republic, a Central European country, faces near record-breaking levels of COVID-19 cases. After working ambitiously the past few weeks to keep the number of cases under control, the government has resorted to a last-ditch effort of locking down the country to stop the spread of the deadly disease.  

Recently, a new variant of the Coronavirus has surfaced in the Czech Republic, which is supposedly even more infectious. The death toll recently surpassed 20,000 cases, causing concern for government officials. 

“The devastation for the Czech Republic has saddened so many people. I believe that all nations should step up and support this country at this time to fight this deadly spread of disease throughout the entire world. This is a war that all nations are trying to fight against. I have seen and dealt with COVID-19 cases working at a hospital, and I believe the only way we can truly fight this is by working together as a whole, to defeat this pandemic,” stated Elizabeth Rossi, a nurse at Beaumont Hospital regarding the recent spike in the Czech Republic.

The real question is what are the Czech Republic’s next steps in putting this massive spike under control? This country is fortunate enough to have access to vaccines and advanced medical equipment, as they have a fairly strong economy. However, every person can’t be vaccinated and protected against this virus at once, so the Republic has demanded a mandatory lockdown. 

As most of The United States has experienced some form of a lockdown due to the pandemic in the past year, Lauren Kim, an Adams High School student understands the impact of a lockdown. 

“From experiencing two lockdowns first hand this past year due to COVID-19, I know how hard it can be mentally and physically. Despite how hard this can be, it is extremely helpful in a time like this when we can save hundreds of lives. A lockdown is one of the only ways we can stop this fast spread when not everyone has the opportunity to get vaccinated at this time,” said Kim. 

The people of the Czech Republic believe the main reason

for the surging cases and extremely high death rates are solely based on the government’s poor leadership, although one government advisor, Dr. Rastislav Maďar, wanted to make it mandatory for all people to wear a mask in public. According to a reporter from CNN, the government does admit to its poor decision-making in reopening shops ahead of Christmas, as well as failing to take immediate action on the new variant that surfaced in early January. 

Now, it seems as though the Czech Republic is diligently working every day to prevent the number of COVID-19 cases from growing. With new restrictions and a mandatory lockdown, it is trying to get its country back on track to ensure the people are in good health, as well as the nation as a whole.