Czechs Rush for the Coronavirus Exit

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But are political and economic pressures pushing the government to rush its bid to exit the coronavirus crisis?

The ANO-led minority coalition government was swift to implement tough action against the outbreak. The first step came on January 30 as it suspended visa operations in China. Flight restrictions soon followed. Public events were banned and schools closed in early March, just before a state of emergency was declared and the borders sealed.

According to an Oxford University tracker of government responses to COVID-19, the Czech Republic had by March 16 imposed restrictions that were among the toughest in Europe. That put it on par with the likes of Spain and Italy, despite having a fraction of the number of cases. 

Many Czechs approved of the response and dug in. In the first weeks of the lockdown, more than 90 per cent nodded their approval, according to an Ipsos poll. 

With medical supplies limited, a government order on March 19 making face masks mandatory only encouraged a cottage industry already turning out home-made masks by the tens of thousands. 

Health ministry statistics suggest the response has been effective.

As of Friday, the Czech Republic had registered more than 7,000 COVID-19 infections and more than 200 deaths, out of a population of 10.7 million. Casualties in EU states of similar size such as Portugal and Sweden, or even neighbouring Austria with nine million people, dwarf those numbers.

"The Czech government's response was tough, especially compared with the likes of Sweden," said Pavel Havlicek, an analyst at the Association for International...

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