On 12 March 2020, the government of the Czech Republic declared a 30-day state of emergency and instituted a number of travel restrictions in response to the worldwide COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Under the terms of the state of emergency, all public events involving more than 30 people are banned and public places — such as gyms, shopping malls, libraries, bars and spa centers — face government-imposed operating restrictions and some must close. For example, restaurants and bars may operate until 2000 local time (1900 UTC). Per the new travel restrictions, entry into the Czech Republic is banned for foreigners from the following 15 high-risk areas: Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. Exceptions will be provided for foreigners who have temporarily resided in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days, or foreigners with permanent residency. Additionally, citizens of the Czech Republic will not be allowed to travel to those areas most affected by COVID-19. Czech citizens abroad will be permitted entry, but those who arrive from high-risk countries will be quarantined. The government has designated 11 specific border crossings where entry and exit are allowed, which will be heavily monitored starting at 0000 local time on 13 March. The Interior Ministry will also cease issuing all visas until further notice.