Czech Republic coronavirus update, September 29: 1,287 new cases, state of emergency possible from Wednesday

Monday's public holiday saw the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 increase by 1,287, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

While this is the third day in a row the daily increase in cases was below 2,000, less testing is done on weekends and holidays than on working days.

Sunday, however, saw an increase of 1,306 COVID-19 cases -- a record high since the start of the epidemic in the Czech Republic at the beginning of March, according to the ministry figures.

Sunday is typically a day in which the infection recedes due to the lower number of the tests conducted over the weekend.

Since March 1, when the first cases of coronavirus appeared in the Czech Republic, there have been 65,883 total cases. There are currently 33,466 active cases of coronavirus, 820 hospitalized, and 618 deaths.

The number of the patients with coronavirus in hospital has increased about five times since early September to 820, while the number of those in serious condition has risen more than five times reaching 187.

During a pre-election debate on TV Nova over the weekend, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said he assumes an extraordinary government meeting on Wednesday will approve the declaration of a state of emergency. The proposal will be submitted by the Minister of Health Roman Prymula.

Prymula announced over the long holiday weekend that the Czech government would be implementing new anti-covid measures this week aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

Those measures would limit The Czech government may limit leisure activities to 10-20 people and introduce distance learning in secondary schools.

The infection has recently been spreading fastest in the capital of Prague and its surroundings.

New data shows the highest rise in new cases in the Pelhrimov district, south Bohemia, with 223 new confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days, followed by the the Uherske Hradiste district, south Moravia, with 219 cases per 100,000.

In the Prague-West district, there were 206 new cases per 100,00 in the past week, in Prague it was 199 and in the Prague-East district over 193.