Czech health minister quits amid surge in coronavirus cases


FE Team | Published: September 21, 2020 13:34:06 | Updated: September 22, 2020 21:26:38


People wait in line to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before a sampling station opens at Wenceslas Square in Prague, Czech Republic, Sept 16, 2020. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo

Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Monday he had submitted his resignation following criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as the central European country sees a surge in cases.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis thanked Vojtech for his work in a message on his twitter account, saying he could have been remembered as the country’s best health minister if he did not have to use all his energy to fight the coronavirus pandemic, reports Reuters.

The Czech Republic has reported growth in coronavirus confirmed cases at Europe’s second fastest pace in recent weeks, behind Spain, after the country lifted just before summer almost all measures taken during the first wave of the pandemic.

In the past 14 days, the Czechs had 193 cases per 100,000 people, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

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