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The Czech Education Ministry is scrambling to resolve a pending capacity crisis at Czech schools and kindergartens following the admission of some 3,000 refugees from Ukraine. If all refugee children due to start kindergarten wanted to enroll as of September 1, Prague would lack 2,300 places in its pre-school institutions, the ministry said. On the other hand there would be vacancies in Ostrava and Třinec, which have the largest capacities. According to a study by PAQ Research, there are 2,818 vacancies in kindergartens across the Czech Republic, but the capacities are very unevenly spread out.  In primary schools, there would be an overhang of 61,000 places nationwide from September, but in Prague there would be a shortage of around 3,000 places, the study said.

The government is planning systemic changes aimed at strengthening the state’s food reserves in the event of a crisis, Czech Television reported, citing government officials. According to the national broadcaster, at present the Czech Republic has only 1.5 days' supply of meat in state warehouses. In future, it should have enough for at least 15 days. While meat is now stored frozen, the government wants to negotiate with farmers to reserve live animals which could be culled in the event of a crisis. "The state would pay farmers a reservation fee for part of their herd and the actual purchase would only take place when the state need these stocks,"  Pavel Švagr, head of the State Material Reserves Administration told Czech Television. On the other hand, the state has more than forty days' worth of cereals in the state material reserves, long enough to tide the country over until the next harvest.

The Czech government is preparing a strategy to secure energy supplies for the next heating season, Helena Horská, economic advisor to the prime minister, told CNN Prima on Sunday. She said it was essential to prepare for a disruption of supplies from Russia since Russian President Vladimir Putin was likely to use it as a weapon in the war he is waging against Ukraine. We need to prepare for a worst-case scenario when gas stops flowing to the Czech Republic," Horská said. She said the government’s strategy includes a regulation of gas consumption and social benefits for households at risk of poverty, which now make up 20 percent of the population.

Czech breweries are increasing beer prices due to the growing cost of energy, packaging and raw materials. Budvar has increased the price of cask beer by about three percent since January and is not ruling out a further increase in the coming months. Plzeňský Prazdroj, the largest Czech brewery, has just increased the price of a pint of draught beer by one crown for all its brands - Pilsner Urquell, Radegast, Gambrinus, Velkopopovický Kozel and Birell. The Pivovary CZ Group, which incorporates the Zubr, Holba and Litovel breweries, will also raise the price of a pint of draught beer by one crown next week.