As from 8:00 am local time (0600 GMT) on Tuesday, tighter Ebola virus checks will be in effect at international airports, according to a directive by chief sanitary officer Vladimir Valenta on Monday calling for incoming international passengers to fill in arrival cards aboard the plane.

Passengers who stayed for up to 42 past days in the most Ebola-affected African countries - Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone - will be required to undergo a medical checkup and have their temperature measured at Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport upon arrival. At the other four airports - Karlovy Vary, Pardubice, Ostrava and Brno - arrival cards will be collected and potentially at-risk passengers will be later checked by a doctor.

Valenta said the measures would help uncover passengers who had been in contact with a person suspected of suffering from Ebola. A passenger who fails to fill out the card is guilty of committing an offence and may be fined up to 10,000 crowns (about 500 US dollars).

Czech Health Minister Svatopluk Nemecek said the measure will remain in effect as needed, but would probably be months rather than weeks.

The Czech National Security Council last week approved to strengthen airport checks for the virus at airports in the country.