Banning medical opinions

Health Min. Roman Prymula warned Czechs yesterday that if 30-40% of them don't respect the covid-19 restrictions, tougher measures will have to be imposed. When hearing this, most readers probably conjure up lax mask-wearing and illegal groups of seven people at a restaurant table, but Prymula said in Právo on Sat. that the biggest problem are the doctors who present their views in public, although they are not epidemiologists or virologists. They are underplaying the seriousness of the disease, he said. He wrote on Twitter yesterday that he is "very upset by the absolutely irresponsible approach" of doctors who signed a petition calling on the government to stop terrifying the people. Pres. Milan Kubek of the Czech Medical Chamber told Czech TV last night that the petition is "absolutely absurd." If Prymula thinks that the opinions of leading doctors are the biggest problem, he has the legal ability to impose tougher measures. The state of emergency and Para. 5 of the crisis law give the cabinet the power to shut down anyone or anything that gets in the way of necessary crisis measures.