Final Word from Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Health Min. Petr Arenberger told Parliament two weeks ago that the experts of the MeSES advisory team are making the epidemiologic decisions in the country, and more importantly, the anti-epidemic decisions. He repeated this to Blesk this week: "The people who are setting the rules recommend that restaurant gardens be opened when the inter-day average of new infections is somewhat lower [than 100 per 100,000 inhabitants]." He again had the MeSES advisory team in mind. It is currently made up of 14 people, only two of whom are epidemiologists. One of them is Rastislav Maďar, who has a blatant conflict of interest, because he works for Agel, which profits directly from testing and vaccines. The other is Petr Smejkal, who heads MeSES. According to Reflex, MeSES has no official status and was never approved by the ministry as an advisory body. Yet two epidemiologists, one with a huge conflict of interest, are "setting the rules." Businesses and others who oppose these rules should perhaps look at holding Smejkal and Maďar legally responsible as individuals for the damage they are causing. [ Czech Republic minister epideiological Avenier Tomáš Chrenek ]