After months of mandatory measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, thousands of residents gathered along both sides of a 500-meter-long table on the iconic Charles Bridge in the Czech Republic's capital Prague, in order to celebrate the lifting of restrictions on group gatherings. 

Some 2,000 seats set up, with people invited to bring and share food and drinks to welcome the summer.

The EU (European Union) member state of 10.7 million people has by now eased most of the anti-virus measures it introduced early on, thanks to which it has fared relatively well, registering fewer than 12,000 coronavirus cases and under 350 deaths.

The Czech Republic is also beginning to relax recommended rules on traveling into the bloc from overseas. It was one of the first countries in Europe to react to the pandemic by recommending the wearing of masks during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 14th-century bridge, merrymakers munched on snacks and sipped drinks they brought from home, sharing their fare with others, as local musicians played nearby.

"We want to celebrate the end of the coronavirus crisis with people meeting up and showing they're no longer afraid to meet others. That they aren't afraid to accept a bite of a sandwich from someone," Prague cafe owner and event organizer Ondrej Kobza said.

(With input from AFP)