The opening of DIY stores in the Czech Republic before Easter annoyed the owners of shopping malls, which won’t be able to open until June. They complained that malls are much easier to control and much safer for shoppers than DIY stores with their narrow aisles and the long lines that form at cash registers. But rather than allowing shopping centers to open sooner, the government is creating stricter regulations for DIYs. The most likely outcome is that the number of customers that will be allowed into the stores at one time will have to be limited. For the moment, the government is waiting to see if there’s a spike in the number of cases of covid-19. With contact tracing of newly confirmed cases beginning tomorrow, it should become possible to find out which types of stores or activities are the most dangerous. Deputy health minister Roman Prymula said he didn’t think it would be necessary to close DIYs again but he admitted they were a potential risk.
