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The number of tourists staying overnight in Prague grew some 90 percent in the second quarter in annual terms, data published on Monday by the Czech Statistical Office show.

From April through June, 252,427 people used accommodation facilities in Prague. More than three-fifths of them were Czech citizens or residing in the country. The number of foreign guests rose 97 percent year on year.

Accommodated foreigners spent approximately 212,000 nights in Prague in the given period, while Czech visitors spent almost 319,000 nights. In year-on-year comparison, this is an increase of 125 percent for foreigners and 116 percent for Czechs.

The Czech Republic is among some 20 countries providing aid to Greece, which has been ravaged by forest fires. Some 36 Czech firefighters and 15 vehicles dispatched over the weekend arrived on Monday in Megalopoli for a 10-day mission.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday thanked all countries that are assisting in fighting forest fires there. In all, 22 countries offered assistance, including 11 EU members.

Unemployment in the Czech Republic in July, as in the previous month, remained at 3.7 percent, after having dropped four months in a row, data published by the Labour Office on Monday show.

Analysts say the development reflects the easing of measures to prevent spread of Covid-19. Usually in July unemployment rises slightly in line with seasonal developments.

Compared to June, the number of jobseekers fell by 1,124 to 272,178, and compared to July 2020, there are almost 7,500 fewer unemployed. Meanwhile, at the end of July, employers offered 358,152 vacancies through labour offices, 2,540 more than in June and 23,869 more in annual terms.

Regional differences were also evident in this year’s first full summer holiday month. The highest share of unemployed persons was reported by the Ústí nad Labem and Moravian-Silesian regions (5.5 percent each), followed by the Karlovy Vary region (5 percent). The lowest unemployment rate remains in the Pardubice Region (2.3 percent).

Thousands of police officers have begun an intensive monitoring of compliance with speed limits that will last until Friday. The action is part of a campaign against speeding backed by the Czech Insurance Association (ČAP), the Ministry of Transport’s road safety unit BESIP, and the Czech Police.

Speeding has long been the leading contributor to fatal traffic accidents. In the first six months of this year, it was deemed responsible for 78 fatalities and 195 serious injuries, the ČAP said in a press release. In addition to increased checks, BESIP is launching a preventive-educational roadshow in August.