PRAGUE, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A military plane landed at Prague-Kbely airport in the early morning on Wednesday carrying 150,000 rapid COVID-19 testers from China.
The testers will be sent to distribution spots in localities in the Czech Republic that have been closed due to the infection, and will also be used for testing police, soldiers, firefighters and medical staff at large hospitals, according to Health Minister Adam Vojtech.
These rapid tests take between 20 minutes and 25 minutes, much less than the several hours previously needed.
The Czech Republic also expects to receive additional medical materials from China, including 30 million masks, which should be delivered on Sunday, Interior Minister Jan Hamacek has said.
With the rapid spread of the pandemic, the Czech Republic, like other European countries, is facing heavy pressure on its health system and severe shortages of protective equipment.
China is preparing to strengthen cooperation with the Czech Republic in its fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis also said that he hopes to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in the field of pandemic control and treatment when he met Chinse Ambassador Zhang Jianmin a few days earlier.
As of Wednesday night, the Czech Republic had 522 confirmed coronavirus cases with over 7,600 tests having been performed.
Meanwhile, the Czech government announced that a curfew will be implemented at 12 midnight on Wednesday, and that people will be required to cover their mouths and noses in public.
