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To counter the economic impact of the coronavirus, the Czech National Bank has twice this month cut interest rates, which now stand at 1 percent. But it has balked at quantitative easing – even though central bank governor Jiří Rusnok says the most pessimistic economic forecasts are the most realistic.

Amid the doom and gloom of the coronavirus epidemic, Prague Zoo has announced a piece of good news: the birth of an elephant calf. The zoo closed its doors to visitors ten days ago, but it is promising fans videos and regular reports on the newcomer.

The Prague Public Transport Company has announced that it has started treating all public transport vehicles operating in the city with an antiviral and antibacterial nanotechnology polymer coating.

Czech artists and people from the cultural sphere have been looking for ways to boost public morale in the face of the coronavirus epidemic. Those artists who saw their concerts cancelled are streaming them from their homes, actors have recorded video spots broadcast on television telling people not to lose faith, while galleries are offering viewings of their exhibitions online to the millions stuck at home for an unspecified period of time.

In times of war, it is often said, truth is the first casualty. In the midst of the battle to contain the coronavirus, Czech authorities during a customs raid last Tuesday mistakenly seized 101,600 facemasks gifted by a branch of the Red Cross in eastern China to a Chinese community in Italy. Although Czech officials apologized for the mix-up, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Sunday published a bogus article claiming the Czech state had “stolen” that shipment – and much more.

March 25 is the 75th anniversary of the final bombardment of Prague by the Allies during World War II. Whereas previous bombings had been accidental, this time the US air raids were targeted at strategic sites in the east of the city.

Exactly 70 years ago, three former RAF pilots staged the greatest air escape in Czechoslovak history. Defying strict Communist security measures, they flew themselves, their families and a score of unsuspecting miners into West Germany. Their success brought them freedom, but also hastened the crackdown on any former RAF pilots remaining in Czechoslovakia.

Among the many coronavirus measures introduced by the Czech government is a “kurzarbeit”, or short-time working, programme. Under the scheme the state will make up some of the income lost by employees whose work is reduced by factory outages, helping firms avoid redundancies. The idea has received widespread backing, including from the Czech Confederation of Trade Unions, headed by Josef Středula. I discussed it – and the outlook in general – with the unions chief.

The Ministry of Health has developed a special information system that delivers complex up-to-date data on the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic and provides prognosis models on possible development. The system monitors the number of infected, their current state and needs regarding medical care, the capacities of hospitals, as well as people tested and quarantined, updated by the minute which should enable faster and coordinated decision making in view of saving lives.

Nearly half of the Czechs who were quarantined after returning from Italy, broke the government order, data released by an independent IT initiative shows. It was collected by analysing anonymous card payment details and is just one of the ways in which big data is being used to keep better track of COVID-19 and its spread. The government has also stepped in, giving patients the option to share their movement with hygienists.