Czechia Obliges Arrivals From Belgium and Denmark to Test and Quarantine

Czech Republic’s government has placed Belgium and Denmark on the list of countries profoundly affected by the Coronavirus, known as the red list, due to an increase in the number of infections in both territories.

According to the announcement published by Czechia’s Ministry of Health, Finland and Ireland will move to the orange category, while Iceland will be included in the green category, as the latter has reported fewer cases of  COVID-19 infection compared to other European countries, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

Based on data provided by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the updated list of countries will take effect on April 19.

Under the current Coronavirus situation, unnecessary travel continues to be prohibited. Simultaneously, persons who wish to enter Czechia must follow some requirements depending on the COVID-19 situation in their country of origin and thus the list under which their country is placed.

Based on ECDC’s figures, the countries are divided into green, orange, red, dark red, and black groups.

Green – No EU Members in the List of COVID-19 Safe Countries

Countries included in the green list have lower rates of COVID-19 infection; therefore, they are considered safer territories, while citizens from this group are exempted from test requirements or quarantine rules upon their arrival in Czechia.

At present, this category includes the Vatican City State, the Schengen Associated Country of Iceland, and third countries Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, and Singapore.

Orange – Two Schengen Countries Included in Medium-Risk Group

Schengen Zone countries Malta and Portugal are included in this category of medium-risk countries, together with Ireland and the Balearic Islands.

Citizens of the countries included in the orange category who wish to enter the Czech Republic will be obliged to present a negative result of the Coronavirus if they use public transport to return.

Red – 16 European Territories Considered as Highly Affected by COVID-19

The red list includes countries considered highly affected by Coronavirus such as Monaco, Norway, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Latvia, Austria, Romania, Greece, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, Spain and the Canary Islands, Italy, as well as Belgium and Denmark.

The countries mentioned above will be subject to the exact requirements as those included on the orange list when planning to enter Czechia. Besides, they will be required to submit a second COVID-19 PCR test taken in the Czech Republic within five days of entry and remain self-isolated until they receive a negative test result.

Dark Red – Specific EU & Non-EU Countries With Stubbornly High COVID-19 Infection Rates

This category includes all European Union Member States and non-EU countries that are not mentioned in the categories above and are considered profoundly affected by the Coronavirus.

Black – Countries That Pose an Extreme Risk From COVID-19

“Due to the possible spread of this variant of the virus, the Ministry of Health has banned travel to countries where there is an extreme risk of spreading this mutation,”  Czechia’s Ministry of Health statement clarifies.

The black category includes Botswana, Brazil, Kenya, Colombia, Peru, South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho,  Mozambique, Swaziland / Eswatini, Tanzania (including Zanzibar and Pemba), Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Last week, the same ministry announced that only persons from the dark red and black category would be required to present a negative result of the COVID-19 test when entering Czechia.