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| - The Czech Republic and Slovakia will open their border this week for those travelling to the other country for up to 48 hours, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Monday. "This will be possible without tests or quarantine" starting Wednesday, he added in a message posted on Twitter. The Czech Republic and Slovakia formed a single country until 1993. Babis himself was born in the Slovak capital of Bratislava. Both countries have been doing well in the current pandemic, with Slovakia showing the lowest per capita death toll in the EU and the Czech Republic keeping its COVID-19 figures down as well. The Czech government will also open all border crossings with Austria and Germany on Tuesday but will still require negative COVID-19 tests from those entering the country. "We have negotiated similar conditions on the other side of the border with our German and Austrian colleagues," Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said in a statement. The interior ministry said that blanket border checks would be replaced with random ones and added it would still not allow tourists to enter the country. Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech said the government was working on other measures designed to ease the travel restrictions adopted in mid-March. "We would like to introduce them next week," he added. Czech restaurants, bars, hotels, castles, zoos and swimming pools have been open since Monday, when the government lifted many anti-virus measures. Czechs also no longer have to wear face masks outside their homes, except in shops and on public transport. frj/wai
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