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Prague (dpa) - Because of the corona pandemic, the Czech Republic has had an almost complete entry ban for foreigners since Saturday.
Fixed checkpoints at the border crossings to neighboring countries are not planned, as the police headquarters in Prague confirmed to the German press agency.
The patrol officers would randomly check compliance with the new restrictions.
"We will want to know what the reasons for the trip are," said the spokesman.
In any case, shopping trips are not allowed.
There is a margin of discretion for officials.
Since Saturday, the Czech Republic has expressly only allowed foreigners to enter the country if necessary.
Exceptions apply, among other things, to business trips, essential family visits, participation in funerals and visits to authorities that cannot be postponed, according to a government resolution.
The departure remains possible.
The government under Prime Minister Andrej Babis had expressed concern about the dangers of new virus mutations.
In the discussion forums of the Czech newspapers, the measure was largely met with incomprehension in view of the massive numbers of infections in the Czech Republic.
"Our government protects foreigners from being infected with us," wrote an Internet user.
"The virus mutations will not stop at the border," said another.
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For travelers from risk areas, including the Czech Republic, Germany, numerous restrictions have long been in place.
Among other things, an entry form must be filled out and a negative PCR test submitted to the responsible health department.
The authorities in the Czech Republic reported 8010 new corona cases within 24 hours on Saturday.
There have been more than 980,000 confirmed infections and 16,211 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210130-99-235325 / 2
Entry requirements, in Czech
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State Department Tweet, in English
Information from the German Embassy, in German