Thousands protest against Czech Covid measures as hospitals fill

The outgoing government toughened measures, including a ban on Christmas markets

PRAGUE:

Several thousand people protested in Prague against anti-coronavirus restrictions on Sunday as many Czech hospitals halted non-urgent procedures in the face of one of the world's fastest rates of new infections.

Gathered in a park overlooking the Czech capital's centre, protesters waved national flags and carried signs with slogans such as: "Get vaccinated? Over your dead bodies".

The outgoing government toughened measures on Thursday, including a ban on Christmas markets, which was one of the main themes at Sunday's rally.

"I am here to fight for freedom. I am here because I don't agree with what is happening today," Jiri Hulec told Reuters.

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Czech hospitals, including the largest one, Prague's Motol, have ceased planned operations and limited other care in the past days as the number of patients with Covid-19 has doubled to around 6,000 over the past three weeks.

Newly-appointed Prime Minister Petr Fiala earlier called on people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others from serious conditions if infected.

Only 58.5% of Czechs are vaccinated against coronavirus, compared to a European Union average of 65.8%, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows.