A year ago the Czech government announced they would be enacting restrictions to control the Covid pandemic. Their swift and decisive actions led to one of the lowest rates of infections and deaths in Europe. We had a very good summer until the government failed to act as swiftly and decisively as the second wave hit Europe. The inaction led to the highest infection and death rates in the world.
On 17 October, the Czech government finally put back in place restrictions to control the spread of the virus, but because they waited too long, it’s been five months and the pandemic is still not back under control. That means that in the past 12 months, we’ve been in near-lockdown for eight of them.
A lost year? In some respects, yes. Prague is still a wonderful place to live, but it has been half a life, given how little one can safely do in the midst of the pandemic. We still aren’t vaccinated. We probably already had the Covid virus over a year ago and aren’t that concerned about catching it again. Still, there is a sense of unease in the city that dampens everyone’s enthusiasm. This will all pass and life will return for those fortunate enough to avoid losing someone they love from the disease. Any day is a good day if you allow it to be.