The number of cases of the new coronavirus in the Czech Republic has risen past 5,000, although a slower growth rate allowed the health minister to say he was confident the state had prevented an uncontrolled spread as it starts easing lockdown measures. The Health Ministry on Wednesday said 195 new cases had been detected the previous day to bring the total to 5,017. The Czech Republic was one of the swiftest countries in Europe to take action against the virus’s spread in March when cases start appearing throughout the continent.
