The government may take a decision on further restrictions on Thursday.

The Czech Republic may impose further, severe restrictions due to deteriorating pandemic figures. The government may decide on the tightening on Thursday. Primary schools, kindergartens and shops selling non-essential products may be closed, and travelling between regions may also be restricted, according to local press reports. From Thursday, masks classified at least FFP2 will have to be worn in shops, as well as on public transport and healthcare facilities.

On Wednesday PM Andrej Babis announced that his government will ask MPs to extend of the state of emergency for another month, until the end of March. According to press reports, the Czech government will convene on Thursday night for another extraordinary session.

Health authorities in the Czech Republic registered over 13,000 new infections on Wednesday, according to the Worldometers portal. In comparison, the same figure stood at around 11,000 a week earlier. The Czech health minister had already indicated that the country s hospitals were reaching running at full capacity and any potential easing of the rules and restrictions could lead to a collapse in the country s healthcare system.