Government approves quarantine payments as stay-home incentive

The Czech government has approved a bill under which people who are forced to quarantine will receive a daily sum of up to CZK 370 as an incentive to stay home. The compensation would be paid by employers – who would then reduce social security payments by the same amount – and last for 10 days. Compensation for loss of income by the self-employed is to be doubled.

In addition the head of the national coronavirus taskforce, Jan Hamáček, said that the Ministry of Education was creating a blueprint of conditions under which students and pupils would be able to go back to school. Classrooms would reopen from early March, with final-year students the first to return.

Mr. Hamáček said that mooted strict new restrictions were not discussed by the cabinet. There had been speculation that movement between regions would be prohibited.