Czech labor unions have suggested that the government declare Monday, November 16 this year as a national day off as part of the fight against coronavirus. November 17 is already a bank holiday, the unions point out, and allowing people to take four consecutive days off of work could help cut the speed with which Covid-19 is spreading. Czechs have already been placed under a curfew at 9:00 p.m., while schools and non-essential stores have been ordered shut. The number of new daily cases appears to have peaked, as has the R0 number (now at 0.9) but the seven-day average ratio of positive tests is still at 30 percent. The government has been forced to extend a furlough program and to again offer to pay for half of the rent owed by store owners forced to close their doors. Remarkably, the Czech Deputy Premier Karel Hamacek complimented the strategy. “It seems like a reasonable idea, it could help the reduction of mobility a lot and possibly also increase the speed with which the epidemic is declining,” he said. “The key will be the position of the Ministry of Health.”
