Babis: Health-care system will collapse if state of emergency ends

Not extending the state of emergency to curb the Covid epidemic in the Czech Republic would mean a total collapse of the country's health-care system and an exorbitant rise in the coronavirus death toll, Prime Minister Andrej Babis told reporters before his departure for Hungary this morning. The Communists (KSCM), who have so far supported Babis's minority cabinet of his ANO and Social Democrats (CSSD) in requests for another extension of the state of emergency in the Chamber of Deputies, said they cannot see a reason for its prolongation beyond February 14.