Employment "Antivirus" scheme

Czech Republic

Correct as of 10:00 CET, 2 April. This article is not being maintained.

The situation regarding COVID-19 and the Czech Government responses to the pandemic continue to develop. On 1 April, the Government approved and published its amended “Antivirus” programme, which sets out changes to employees’ compensation packages, including the part of their average earnings that they will receive depending on their circumstances, and specifies further requirements regarding employee and employer eligibility.

The below table sets out the scheme (split into parts A and B by the different amounts of state compensation to be provided) and shows the requirements, corresponding compensation and any additional conditions. The current package applies to the period of 12 March 2020 to 30 April 2020.

The above rules are binding and the contribution to be refunded to the employer will be provided by the Labour Office. The respective amount and duration of the support will depend on the specific type of impediment for the employee to work (grounds). It will be necessary to distinguish the type of impediment for each employee/group of employees.

The Antivirus programme will be launched on 6 April 2020, when first requests from employers will be accepted. The funds should be released from the respective Labour Office to the employers within a few days of a submission for reimbursement is made.

The requests will be accepted by electronic means, meaning it will not be necessary for employers/their representatives to physically go to a Labour Office branch.

For more information on Employment matters in the Czech Republic during the current crisis, contact your regular CMS advisor or local CMS experts.