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Industrial production in the Czech Republic saw its biggest fall since July 2009 in March, according to official figures released on Thursday. Working-day adjusted production declined by 10.8 percent year-on-year that month, following a 0.9 percent fall in February.

The government’s electronic cash register system is to be suspended until the end of this year in view of the coronavirus situation. The prime minister also says that he will push through a reduction in VAT on accommodation services in a bid to help the hard-hit sector.

The coronavirus crisis is not likely to cause a fall in property prices in the Czech Republic, the Association for the Development of the Property Market said this week. However, a slowdown in sales can be expected, the group said.

The coronavirus outbreak is forcing Czech consumers to change their shopping habits, the daily e15 reported on Tuesday. The number of cash withdrawals from ATM machines dropped by nearly 50 percent since the government declared a state of emergency in mid-March. At the same time, Czech banks have reported a steep increase in electronic payments.

Following a pause brought about by the arrival of the coronavirus epidemic, the company Lime is reintroducing its distinctive green, black and white electric scooters to the streets of Prague. The Czech capital is one of the first cities where Lime’s operators are resuming services.

The Czech Republic has been for years considered one of Europe’s leading countries in terms of alcohol consumption per capita. But recent data on the sales of spirits in the country suggest Czechs might not be such heavy drinkers after all.

Traffic at Prague airport has been steadily declining since a state of emergency was introduced on March 12 and since the Czech Republic’s borders were closed, Czech Radio reported this week.

The Czech Republic’s culture sector has been responding to the government’s freshly announced plans to slowly get the country’s economy moving again. Booksellers say they fear for the existence of outlets, while festival organisers say they are still awaiting official guidance.

Deputy prime minister and minister of trade, Karel Havlíček has indicated that the Czech government is working to resolve the present lack of respirators for the home market once and for all. He says there is a project in the pipeline for respirators to be produced in the town of Olomouc, which would fully cover the country’s future needs.

The Czech government has unveiled details of an economic aid package to help entrepreneurs hit by the coronavirus crisis and try to prevent massive lay-offs with a kurzarbeit scheme. Further measures, such as a moratorium on mortgages and loans, are expected to follow.