Czech Republic imposes tightest COVID lockdown restrictions February 27, 2021 With new infections soaring due to a highly-contagious coronavirus variant and hospitals filling up, one of the hardest-hit countries Czech Republic is facing the inevitable: The tightest lockdown since the start of the pandemic. PRAGUE — With new infections soaring due to a highly-contagious coronavirus variant and hospitals filling up, one of the hardest-hit countries in the European Union is facing the inevitable: the tightest lockdown since the start of the pandemic. The Czech Republic’s Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Friday the new series of measures is necessary "to protect the lives of our citizens".