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Czech NGO People in Need has launched a public collection called SOS World to help people in the poorest countries of the world who were the hardest hit by the current coronavirus situation. The NGO has already been helping those affected by Covid-19 here in the Czech Republic, including children from disadvantaged backgrounds struggling with home education and remote schooling.

Although the coronavirus infection rate is continuing to follow a downward trend in the country, a recent outbreak in the Silesian coal mine of Darkov has seen the virus spread at an alarming rate. As of Friday morning 150 cases had been found among the miners, their families and the surrounding population. Nevertheless, mining work continues, albeit with tougher hygienic standards.

The central Bohemian home of writer Božena Němcová, known today as the “mother of Czech literature”, has been restored to its full glory to mark the 200th anniversary of her birth. As of June, visitors can again tour the grand merchant’s house in Červený Kostelec where Němcová, then a teenage bride, began to dream of a literary career.

Thousands of Czechoslovak citizens were among those who passed through the vast network of brutal Soviet labour camps known as the Gulag. In recent years Prague’s Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes has carried out extensive research into this little-known historical chapter – and has just shared its findings via a brand new website. I spoke to the Institute’s Adam Hradilek, who said Czechoslovaks had ended up in the Gulag in several waves.

A research project mapping the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the Czech cultural sector – from the fine arts, to music and theatre – has just published its initial findings. The aim is not just to tally the financial losses but also to help the sector navigate its gradual return to “normal”.

After more than a hundred years, the historical bell chime at Prague’s Loreto Church is getting a new melody. The song, a Baroque Hymn, will be played on the 27-bell carillon for the first time on Wednesday evening, at six o’clock.

For the first time ever archaeologists have uncovered a settlement belonging to the Corded Ware culture on Czech territory. This type of pottery is believed to have been typical for the Indo-European settlers whose language is the ancestor of modern Romance, Germanic and Slavic languages.

As life slowly returns to normal on the continent, people have started making holiday plans and bilateral talks are underway to ascertain under what conditions European states will be ready to open their doors to tourists. Many Czechs have become resigned to holidaying at home this year, but for those unwilling to forego foreign holidays several options are taking shape.

Amid constantly changing information regarding coronavirus travel restrictions, it can be easy to lose trace of what is allowed and what is not. For those who would like to travel to the Czech Republic in the coming weeks and months, here is a general overview of current restrictions and likely future developments.

Many Czech Roma long living in Great Britain have begun returning home in part due to Brexit, in part due to fear that the novel coronavirus is spreading unchecked in the UK. Misinformation about both phenomena is also playing a role, a Czech educator there says – and fraudsters are preying on the panic.