Czech government re-declares coronavirus state of emergency

Medical workers move a Covid-19 patient at a hospital overrun by the pandemic in Cheb, Czech Republic (Petr David Josek/AP)

The Czech government re-declared a state of emergency for two weeks to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in one of the European Union’s hardest-hit nations.

The decision comes in defiance of the lower house of Parliament, which has refused the minority government’s request to extend the powerful tool that gives the Cabinet the extra powers needed to impose nationwide restrictions and limit people’s travel and rights.