Czech weekend news summary: December 25-26, 2021

The regions of northern Bohemia saw a sharp drop in temperatures last night, reaching -10 degrees Celsius in most areas. A minimum of -26.8 degrees was recorded by the Kořenov measuring station, Jizerka – Rašeliniště in the Jizera mountains, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.

Due to the low temperatures, drivers are advised to proceed with caution in the area, as well as in neighboring Liberec. Many roads are covered with layers of ice and snow, and salt is not effective in melting ice at such low temperatures. Before the end of the year, temperatures in the Czech Republic are expected to rise sharply.

Firefighters in the Czech Republic responded to 46 fires on Christmas Eve, according to Czech firefighter spokeswoman Nicole Studena. Although no casualties were reported, there were 21 injuries and fires caused damage estimated at 3.4 million crowns.

The largest number of fires broke out in the Moravian-Silesian and Prague regions, where firefighters were called in to put out six fires each. On the other hand, no fire broke out in the Olomouc region. In several cases, the fires were linked to Christmas celebrations, including incidents involving Christmas trees and Advent wreaths.

More than 30 people, including children, were poisoned by carbon monoxide in Prague’s Modřany district on Saturday evening, and paramedics took 27 of them to hospital, according to the Prague Medical Rescue Service. .

Due to the poisoning, the Medical Rescue Service activated a trauma plan used in mass accidents. At the scene of the accident, four teams of paramedics and Atego, a special ambulance for mass emergencies that can carry up to 12 people, took care of the patients. “No one has lost consciousness. We are treating them and taking them to hospitals in Prague,” the emergency medical service wrote on Twitter.

The demand for food delivery services in the Czech Republic has increased significantly during the Christmas holidays this year, according to information provided by Dáme jídlo. Pizza was the most popular choice, but traditional Czech cuisine also attracted increased interest in 2020. Last minute gifts, most often toys, were also ordered from stores registered on the platform. Most of the orders were delivered to major cities.

“In the case of restaurant food deliveries, two-thirds of the orders came from Prague and Brno,” Dáme jídlo said in a press release. “On Christmas Day, Dáme jídlo’s orders were delivered by 270 couriers. Of the total number of restaurants registered on the platform, including more than 6,000, people ordered food from 660 of them on the day. Christmas, which is a 30 percent increase over 2020. “

A sharp drop in temperatures led to snowfall and ice formation on roads in many parts of the Czech Republic overnight, but no significant issues were reported this morning. As a preventive measure, maintenance workers have salted main roads in many parts of the county, including the regions of South Bohemia, South Moravia and Vysočina.

Snowfall is expected to continue throughout the day on Saturday, with a low level snowfall warning in effect for parts of the west, south and central of the country. As of this morning, drivers in the Hradec Králové region have been advised to proceed with caution; weather conditions can also cause complications in the regions of Zlín, Olomouc, Moravia-Silesia and Liberec.

About 5,200 visitors came to the Prague Zoo on Christmas Eve, according to information posted on the zoo’s website. On December 24, the Prague Zoo sold admission tickets until 2:00 p.m. and closed at 4:00 p.m. Visitors were able to participate in a special Christmas program that included storytelling meals, as well as edible foods such as fruit. and vegetables from their own home for the enjoyment of the zoo animals.

Apples were the most popular food choice brought to the zoo by visitors, weighing in at 680 kilograms; carrots (560 kg) and bread (530 kg) were also common gifts. Food donated to the Prague Zoo will be distributed to its animal population throughout the Christmas holidays. The Prague Zoo is one of the most visited places in the Czech Republic, but attendance has suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 851,623 people visited the Zoo in 2020, more than 600,000 less than in 2019.

The growing popularity of online stores in recent years has also led to an increase in the use of boxes for shipping, which often end up in the trash. But a new project encourages consumers to donate these boxes to online stores, where they can be reused whole. On the site kamsnim.cz, an interactive map indicates the nearest collection point where you can donate used boxes for reuse. If there is no collection point near you, the map also displays the standard recycling areas where boxes and other materials can be disposed of.

“The boxes and the filling material are brought to Popůvek near Brno by private individuals who collect them at home, but we also contact companies with which we have organized regular collections of discarded boxes,” explains Petra Lopušníková of the Czech company Tierra Verde, which is participating in the project. “We will reuse everything when packaging new shipments for our online store.”

The vast majority of Czechs turn to television during the Christmas holidays, according to data from the Association of Television Organization (ATO). About 8.7 million Czechs turn on the television at least once during the holidays and spend an average of 5.5 hours a day watching television. December 24 is the most viewed date, followed by December 31 and December 26. Fairy Tales airing on December 24 are often the most watched programs and are frequently among the most viewed television events of the year.

“The fairy tales broadcast on Christmas Eve regularly occupy the first places in the list of the most watched programs”, specifies Pavel Müller, Head of Research and Marketing at Atmedia Czech. “Last year was a record from this point of view. In previous years, fairy tales broadcast during Christmas had occupied three to five positions in the ranking of the ten most watched shows of the year.

The operation of Prague’s integrated public transport network (PID) in 2022 will cost the Czech capital 19.15 billion crowns, an increase of more than 1.5 billion crowns compared to 2021, according to the approved municipal budget by the city for next year. The PID system integrates public transport in Prague and Central Bohemia, covering metro, tram, bus and train services throughout the region.

The increase in costs is in part due to lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in fewer local passengers as well as tourists. “The draft budget for 2022 includes tariff revenue expected at a reduced rate compared to the 2021 plan”, specifies the draft budget document. “Based on the current situation, the forecast for lost sales is around 20-25% from 2019.”