Czech government seeks tougher COVID measures to tame virus surge

The Czech government sought tougher lockdown restrictions on Thursday to rein in one of the world's fastest spreads of COVID-19, a day after Prime Minister Andrej Babis said hospitals faced "catastrophe" if no action is taken.

The Czech government sought tougher lockdown restrictions on Thursday to rein in one of the world's fastest spreads of COVID-19, a day after Prime Minister Andrej Babis said hospitals faced "catastrophe" if no action is taken. His minority government has sought backing from opposition parties because tightening measures, especially limiting people's movement and contacts, depend on extending state of emergency powers into March, which parliament has rejected once already.

Finance Minister Alena Schillerova said the government would have to wait until lawmakers vote again on emergency powers on Friday, or seek other options if lawmakers reject the emergency extension. Babis has come under fire from opposition and other groups for his handling of the pandemic, and critics say they don't want to continue giving a blank check for restrictions, some of which they say are ineffective.

The country has been in varying levels of lockdown since October. Non-essential shops and restaurants have been almost continuously closed since then. Schools are shut expect for pre-schoolers and first- and second-graders although they could be forced into home schooling under new measures. Industry Minister Karel Havlicek told Czech Radio on Thursday factory curbs for industry - which has remained running during the latest waves of the pandemic - were "not in play".

Over the past week, the country has had the highest per capita infection rate in the world and second highest death rate, according to the Our World in Data website. Its infection rate in the last two weeks is nine times higher than Germany. ** For interactive graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/3bFHw2R The total case tally of 1.198 million infections since last March and 19,835 deaths - rising from 700 at the start of October - are also among the highest in the world per capita.

Handling the pandemic has been hurt by growing fatigue with restrictions and slow vaccine rollouts. Babis said on Thursday France had promised some Pfizer vaccines. The British variant of the virus has also accelerated the spread and strained hospitals as the number of patients in serious condition hits records.

The pandemic has rattled markets, with the crown currency losing 1.1% since Wednesday's open, its biggest 2-day fall since October.