Electronic incoming form as condition for entering the Czech Republic

On September 18th, 2020 the Minister of Health approved the new Health Ministry Protective Measure which defines rules for entering the Czech Republic up to Monday September 21th, 2020 until further notice. This measure adopts orders and restrictions from previous measures and there are minimal changes. However, we can see the effort to make the system more effective than system in spring or summer, especially creating of an electronic incoming form.

Up to Monday September 21th, 2020 all persons travelling to the Czech Republic, who spent more than 12 hours in the last 14 days in the country that is not on the list of countries with a low risk of contagion, they have an obligation to fulfil an electronic form before entering in the territory.

By completing and sending the form these people automatically inform regional Public Health Office about their arrival. You will get a confirmation that you completed the form. This confirmation could be printed or you can show it on your mobile phone. Arriving person than has 5 days from entering the Czech Republic submit at his own expense, to an RT-PCR test for the presence of SARS CoV-2, after that the person has to deliver the the result of an RT-PCR test for the presence of SARS CoV-2 to regional Public Health Office. If you don't deliver it, the regional Health Office will decide on the necessary quarantine measures. In case of positive result, the Health Office decides on isolation. The duty to meet the requirement of submitting themselves, at their own expense, to an RT-PCR test for the presence of SARS CoV-2, can be done by presenting a negative result of RT-PCR test for the presence of SARS CoV-2, which has been performed in the territory of the EU member state and which is not older than 72 hours. This rule is used for  that EU citizens (as member states of European Union understood, aside from the member states of European union, the following countries: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Swiss Confederation, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of San Marino and the Vatican City State), including Czech citizens and third country nationals with permitted long-term or permanent residence in the European Union.

So in this context the new measure also comes with duty for international bus carriers and air transporters to prevent those who travel from third countries or their parts that are not on the list of countries or their parts with a low risk of contagion of COVID-19 under clause and who are required to fill in the electronic form, from using their services, if they do not submit the certificate received on filling in the electronic form.

The electronic form is here: http://www.prijezdovyformular.cz . In this form you have to write your personal data and contact, also which country you visited in last 14 days before arrival to the Czech Republic except countries where person were for less than 12 hours (transit country). In form you also choose means of transport – you can choose from train/car/plane/bus/others. You can't choose combination of means of transport. We think that you can choose “others” and then write all kinds of transport you used. In form you also have to write the flight, bus or train number, carrier or operator name and seat number. Then you have to write places of stay in the Czech Republic during 14 days after arrival in the Czech Republic and the family members under 18 who travell with you. In the end you give simple yes/no answer if you are aware that in the last 14 days you have been in contact with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19

The aim of this form is that the public health authorities can contact you, should it be discovered that you may have been infected by another person during your trip or that you yourself may be a source of infection for other passengers. The form should make the system more effective. The question is if in the state of pandemic now, the regional Health Offices will have time and capacities to evaluate those forms. So, if the electronic form will have some benefit/effectivity in practice.

To sum up, we add that all personal data which you write in the form are for activities of public health authorities conducted in the interest of protecting public health. Your personal data will be processed exclusively for the purposes of exercising public authority in the sphere of public health protection.

Author: Martina Šumavská

The Article has been published on © EPRAVO.CZ.