Czech Republic President infected with Covid appoints Prime Minister from inside glass box (photos)

The president of the Czech Republic was forced to swear in the country’s new prime minister from inside a plexiglass box after testing positive for Covid.

Pictures shared online showed Milos Zeman greeting Petr Fiala from inside a cubicle during a ceremony at his residence near Prague on Sunday November 28.

Mr. Zeman, 77, who was wheeled in by a medic in full protective gear, caught Covid during a six-week stay in intensive care for unrelated issues.

Mr. Fiala, 57, who leads a bloc of five centre and center-right opposition parties that won an election in October, has called on people in the Czech Republic to get vaccinated.

The new government will have to tackle a new wave of Covid infections that is threatening to overwhelm hospitals and an energy crisis, after the collapse of a large electricity provider.

Mr. Fiala, who expects his cabinet to be appointed in mid-December, said: “The new government has a very complicated time ahead and many challenges… I want it to be a government of change for the future.”