Prague, March 23 (CTK) – Czechs commuting to a neighbouring country for work must newly find accommodation there for a recommended period of at least three weeks, Interior Minister Jan Hamacek (Social Democrats, CSSD) told journalists today.
The government consulted representatives of Austria and Germany on the new measures.
Hamacek said that although it is important to allow commuters to work, commuting also represents the last infection vector for the virus from abroad.
Commuters, who will be registered when crossing the borders, thus have to choose between not working abroad or securing accommodation in the country where they work.
According to data collected by the Eurostat statistical office last September, roughly 60,000 Czechs commute to work in neighbouring countries every day.
Several regions of the Czech Republic called on the government to solve the issue of commuters after it became apparent that some of them falsified the official documents needed to cross the border.
“We made these measures stricter and stricter each day and this is the result,” Hamacek said, adding that the government appealed to employers to help their employees find accommodation abroad if needed.