Thousands of people in Prague, Czech Republic, were invited to dine on a 500-metre long table set on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the Charles Bridge to celebrate the end of the coronavirus catastrophe. It was to not only let the people meet and socialize, but to show that they no more are afraid to meet because of the fear of the virus.
Globally, most countries still maintain stringent rules for any gathering, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has cautioned that the pandemic is far from being over. The Czech Republic, however, has eased restrictions to allow public gatherings of up to 1,000 people and have allowed restaurants, bars and pubs to serve people for about a month. Ondrej Kobza, the organiser of the event remarked that: “The bridge is a good metaphor, different people can gather,” and indeed it became a bridge that connected all the people without social distancing that they had been observing since March.
The guests on the bridge were encouraged to share with their neighbours and there was no physical distancing, a sight of rarity in the present times, and something no other country can relate to presently. This “symbolic farewell” from the pandemic came as a palpable sense of optimism for the people. One of the foremost countries to impose a quick lockdown since mid-March, the Czech Republic managed to avoid the worst pandemic. As of June 30, the country of 10.7 million reported about 11,895 cases and a total of 349 deaths due to the illness, far lesser than its other Western counterparts.
