Prague — People installed a 1600-foot table in the Czech capital, Prague, and held a huge public dinner party on Tuesday to mark the end of the country's coronavirus lockdown.
People spread through the streets of the city and over its iconic Charles Bridge, after the government relaxed limits on large gatherings.
At the start of the global coronavirus outbreak, the Czech Republic was quick to implement a lockdown and became one of the first countries to tell its citizens to wear masks — helping it avoid the worst of the pandemic and ease restrictions earlier than many other nations. This meant local people could enjoy a jaw-dropping spectacle of alfresco dining, and forgo social distance to celebrate the success of the country.
But the World Health Organization has warned that the pandemic is not over and the Czech Republic still bans many foreigners from crossing its borders — a rule that allowed the event to take place.
"We want to celebrate the end of the coronavirus crisis with people meeting up and showing that they are no longer afraid to meet anyone. That they are not afraid to take somebody's bite of a sandwich," Ondrej Kobza, the Prague cafe owner who hosted the event, told the news agency Agence France-Presse.
"The idea was for everybody to get involved," Kobza said. "Everybody had to do something to be here, bring food or a flower.
Tables were decorated with white tablecloths and flowers, and as the sun set over the area, locals drank and shared food.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, a country of about 10 million, the Czech Republic has seen around 12,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 349 deaths. Compared with some of its near European neighbours, those numbers are fairly small.
In response to the pandemic, the European Union formally decided on a collection of guidelines on Tuesday that will enable travelers from outside the bloc to visit EU countries months after it shut down its external borders.
As was generally predicted, the list of 14 countries does not include the United States, whose current rate of infection with Covid does not meet the EU 's requirements for it to be considered a "secure country."
