Nine out of ten Czechs claim to strictly adhere to the current anti-epidemic measures, according to a survey conducted by the Median survey agency for Czech Radio. Eight percent of citizens then admitted they do not follow the rules.
Czechs consider the mandatory wearing of face masks and respirators to be the most effective measure, while the closure of shops or restrictions on movement between districts the least helpful.
The measures are mostly followed by the elderly, three-quarters of whom said that they strictly follow them. On the contrary, in the youngest group, it is only a third.
The government has restricted movement between districts since Monday, March 1. People can only go to work, to the doctor, or to the authorities. It is also mandatory to wear respirators in shops and public transport. Schools and kindergartens and some shops that previously had an exception are closed again.
According to the survey, anti-epidemic measures are completely understandable for more than half of the population, and a third understand them only partially. Nine percent of respondents are not familiar with them at all.
“The rules are most understandable for seniors. On the contrary, in the youngest age category of 18-29 years, only a fifth of people are completely knowledgeable of the rules,” Přemysl Čech from Median told the Czech Radio, adding that more than half of the people in the youngest group partially understand the measures.
According to him, those who want to be vaccinated, as well as those who comply with the measures, show better orientation in the system of regulations.
Survey participants were also asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures on a scale of one to five. The rules evaluated as most effective were wearing respirators in public spaces, which received an average mark of 2.03, and mandatory testing of company employees, which received a 2.08. The closure of schools and restrictions on movement between districts ended with a mark of three. The closure of business4es was evaluated as the least effective measure.
“Seniors were the least critical in all evaluations, while people in the age category of 30-44 were the most critical,” described Čech. Mandatory testing bothers both entrepreneurs and employees.
“In general, opponents of vaccination are more critical in every aspect,” he added.
Opponents of vaccination mainly reject the closure of businesses and industry.
“People who want to be vaccinated have a balanced opinion, but the supporters of closing the industry slightly prevail,” Čech concluded.
