Morning Briefing │ Tuesday, January 30th, 2024
* HEALTH: The number of acute respiratory infections in Czechia have reached epidemic levels, according to Health Ministry Data. Doctors have reported a 23 percent increase in patients in a week-on-week comparison with 1,748 patients per 100 000 inhabitants. The epidemic threshold is considered to be between 1,600 and 1,800 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. * DEFENSE: The Czech Republic’s government has signed an agreement with the United States to acquire 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets as part of a deal worth about $6.6 billion, the biggest single purchase for the Czech military. This decision positions the Czech Republic as the 18th nation to join the program. * JOB MARKET: According to the data provided by the labour office of Czechia, the number of foreign workers in the country reached a total of 823,945 in December of last year, 30,700 more than in 2022. Moreover, such a number recorded at the end of last year is 2.5 times more than in 2015, and the increase is mainly attributed to arrivals from Ukraine. * ECONOMY: In 2023, 28,960 companies were established in the Czech Republic, 662 more than in 2022. 16,063 companies were dissolved, 1,677 more than in the previous year, the...