The Czech Republic announced that all schools aside from universities would close, starting on Wednesday.
“We may decide on additional emergency measures later,” Prime Minister Andrej Babis said in a statement on Tuesday. “It is necessary to take active, exceptional measures at the start of an epidemic,” he added.
The Spanish government stepped up its efforts to contain further contagion by closing all education centers in the Madrid region, from nursery schools to universities.
The measure means that more than 1.25 million pupils and students will have to stay at home.
The school closings, which have also affected Vitoria, the capital of the Basque region, another epicenter of coronavirus, will most likely force parents to work from home to look after their children, a spokeswoman for the national government, María Jesús Montero, said in a radio interview on Tuesday.
“Families who need support or specific help will get it,” Ms. Montero said, without specifying how.
In Poland, schools in Poznan, a city in the west of the country, were ordered closed after a case of infection was discovered. Swimming pools and other public places were also to be shut for two weeks, starting on Wednesday,
Across the Continent, countries stepped up travel regulations and guidelines.
Austria on Tuesday barred travelers from Italy without a health certificate, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said.
Serbia has temporarily barred travelers from the worst-affected places, including Italy, while Croatian officials said that people entering the country from highly infected areas would be put into a mandatory 14-day quarantine.