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Government measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus have affected 90,000 to 127,000 businesses and 145,000 to 299,000 entrepreneurs directly or indirectly, according to the results of a poll conducted by the Czech Credit Bureau(CRIF).

A third of Czech firms and the same share of entrepreneurs are affected directly, meaning they were forced to close down their operations.

The worst hit is the Karlovy Vary Region, where up to 44 per cent of firms and 42 per cent of entrepreneurs were hit by the restrictions.

The hardest hit are the smallest companies with an annual turnover of up to one million crowns. Another 37,000 (10 percent) companies and 154,000 (17 percent) entrepreneurs have been partially affected.

They were not forced to close down their operations, but sustained losses due to a significant drop in sales as a result of the restrictions on the movement of persons.

The Czech National Bank has objected to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s words that it could share its profit with the state at this time of crisis and could further reduce interest rates.

The central bank responded via its spokesperson Marketa Fišerová who emphasized that the bank is independent of the government in moulding its monetary policy.

She further noted that it is not clear what profit the prime minister had in mind since the bank board had already agreed to use last year's profit of CZK 57.9 billion to cover part of the accounting losses from previous years.

Asked by journalists how the state would raise money for the economic losses incurred by the coronavirus crisis Mr. Babiš noted that Czech banks are in excellent shape.

"The central bank has huge reserves, it could share a little profit with us, by further lowering the basic interest rate," the prime minister said. He also praised the fact that the country had not joined the single currency and was still using the crown.

The head of the prison service Petr Dohnal has asked presiding judges not to serve jail sentences for banal crimes under the present conditions in order to prevent the coronavirus infection being imported to the country’s prisons.

Dohnal said that around 500 convicts are placed in Czech jail houses every month regardless of the coronavirus crisis. He said fines and house arrest as an alternative to standard incarceration for banal crimes would help reduce the risk.

No Czech prisoner has as yet been registered COVID 19 positive. Prisoners are currently spending their days sewing face-masks for hospitals, social workers and old age homes.

Deputy Health Minister Roman Prymula says the government will decide in the coming weeks whether to ease the restrictions on travel allowing Czechs to holiday abroad in a small number of countries that are perceived as “safe” destinations.

Prymula said the government was under considerable pressure to open at least a few holiday “channels” out of the country.

The country’s leading epidemiologist said Slovakia and Croatia were being considered as possibilities, adding that this would necessitate an agreement with the respective countries which would have to open their borders to Czech holiday makers.

The situation should become more clear in mid-June, Prymula said.