Breaking: Czech Republic extends quarantine measures to April 1

The original quarantine measures were only valid until March 24, but the extension to that deadline was agreed upon today.

Since March 16, residents of the Czech Republic have been required to only travel when absolutely necessary: to work, to acquire essentials, to volunteer to help others, to visit health and social services facilities, and for necessary visits to see family.

The Czech Republic was only the fourth country in Europe – after Italy, Spain and Austria – to have limited free movement of its residents when it implemented the measures last Monday. A  ban on going out without a face covering followed days later.

One of the few exceptions to the nationwide quarantine was for Czech residents living within 50 kilometers of a border, who drove across the border to work abroad; they were allowed to continue to do so, but required daily paperwork.

Now, the government recommends anyone who falls within that category find temporary accommodation in their country of work for at least the next three weeks rather than commute daily. Upon return to the Czech Republic, they will be subject to a full 14-day quarantine.

New from tomorrow, however, will be that the two-hour window will only apply to larger supermarkets, and not small convenience stores.

It is expected by many that the measures will continue to be extended through mid-April before being relaxed.

Additionally at today’s press briefing, Finance Minister Alena Schillerová announced a number of economic moves intended to ease the financial burden of the coronavirus measures on small business and self-employed persons.

They include a six-month exemption on the minimum social insurance payments for self-employed persons, suspending electronic EET sales records, and postponing the deadline for filing real estate acquisition tax returns to August 31.

This is a breaking news item; we will update with more information as soon as possible.