91% of Czechs agree with measures taken by government against coronavirus

Prague, March 17 (CTK) – Three-quarters of Czechs feel threatened with the novel coronavirus to a certain extent and nine in ten consider the government measures taken over the infection spread needed, a poll conducted by the Ipsos agency and released today shows.

Czechs wash hands more often to protect themselves from the virus, avoid crowded places and use public transport less.

A total of 383 people have contracted the coronavirus in the Czech Republic with a population of 10.6 million as of this morning, according to the Health Ministry’s data.

Seventy-three percent of Czechs feel more or less threatened with the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 disease, while 11 percent feel immensely threatened. Mainly Prague inhabitants have fears, the poll shows.

Ipsos was collecting data for this poll before the nationwide quarantine was declared, valid since midnight from Sunday to Monday.

A crushing majority of Czechs (91 percent) approved of the government measures taken until then, including the closure of all schools, the abolition of cultural events and ban on entering the Czech Republic for foreigners from risk countries.

“Mainly the elderly and women are convinced that these measures are needed,” the pollsters said.

Two-thirds of the respondents fully observe the preventive rules and recommendations as the protection against the coronavirus, while another 28 percent respect just some recommendations, such as avoiding places with a quite high concentration of people and contacts with the elderly and a better personal hygiene. Elderly people show more willingness to follow the rules and recommendations, according to the poll.

“While in the group of the elderly over 66, 79 percent fully respect the recommendations, among young people aged between 18 and 29, it is just 52 percent,” Ipsos says.

People most often choose regular washing of hands as prevention against the coronavirus, since 85 percent of the polled said so. Seven in ten Czechs avoid quite crowded places.

More than a half of the respondents said thy had started limiting visits to restaurants and bars even before their official closure, while 44 percent limited their trips by public transport and the same share of people regularly use disinfectants.

Ipsos conducted the poll on a sample of 1,094 respondents over 18 between March 12 and 15.