The Czech football league and other sports competitions will resume under strict hygiene conditions after a three-week suspension due to the coronavirus spread, the health minister said Monday.

"For professional athletes, sports are a job and we want to allow them to get back to work," Health Minister Jan Blatny told reporters.

The government suspended all professional sports competitions and training indoors as of October 12 as the Czech Republic showed the worst Covid-19 figures in Europe.

The move led indoor sports clubs to look for training venues abroad, while several ice hockey clubs shared an outdoor rink near Prague.

Only a handful of international events including a WTA tennis tournament in the eastern city of Ostrava have been granted an exemption.

The country of 10.7 million people still tops the EU in terms of new deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

But the overall growth in Covid-19 infections started to slow down last week.

All Czech competitions will be played behind closed doors until further notice.