PRAGUE, (Reuters) – Thousands of Czechs gathered in Prague’s Wenceslas Square Sunday to protest COVID-19 restrictions. They wave flags and chant slogans, as the number of infections rises.

Most protesters objected against stricter restrictions, such as a ban on restaurants and eating at unvaccinated places.

“The state must listen to people’s demands. These restrictions and arrangements lead us down the path to hell,” Zuzana Voizabova said, banging a drum in the crowd.

This country with 10.7 millions people reported Wednesday’s highest daily number of cases – 54 689. Other recent numbers have been among the highest ever since the outbreak.

To avoid any “deepening fissures” and despite the high numbers, the government scrapped last week a decree that made COVID-19 mandatory for all key personnel and seniors over 60.

As it prepares for Omicron, Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s centre-right coalition has reduced quarantine and isolation time. It also launched mandatory testing at workplaces.

The number of hospitalizations was 1,989 on Saturday. That’s far less than the 7,000 recorded in the last peak around the same time last year.

This is the worst per capita rate in the world for coronavirus mortality, with 37,184 cases reported since the beginning of the pandemic.