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| - Czech Post will deliver face masks and respirators to millions of senior citizens this week as the country scrambles to stem a steep rise in Covid-19 cases, a spokesman said Monday. Around three million Czech pensioners will get envelopes containing five face masks and a respirator as part of a government initiative criticised by the opposition as a populist campaigning ploy ahead of October regional elections. "It's a standard envelope. We will deliver them to the mailboxes of people aged over 60 between Tuesday and Friday," Czech Post spokesman Matyas Vitik told AFP. After fighting off much of the Covid-19 pandemic with timely measures including mandatory face masks outdoors in the spring, the Czech Republic is now experiencing a second wave with record daily increases. On Saturday, the EU member of 10.7 million people registered 1,541 new Covid-19 cases, posting a record spike for the third day in a row. The country has had more than 36,000 confirmed cases since the March outbreak, including 456 deaths. The Czech centre-left government led by populist billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis lifted most of its anti-coronavirus measures before the summer holidays. But it reintroduced mandatory face masks on public transport and in hospitals on September 1, before extending the measure to most indoor areas including shops and restaurants on September 10. Both the clampdown and the masks are too little, too late, according to the opposition. "The masks will last them (pensioners) for about three days," Petr Fiala, head of the right-wing opposition Civic Democrats, said on Twitter, calling the initiative "a mockery". "Instead of trying to tackle the situation, Babis & Co. are merely trying to abuse the pandemic in their campaign," he added. frj/mas/pma
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