The Ministry of Health (MoW) urges to allow up to 1,000 people to gather indoors at the same time from August 17, as well as to reduce restrictions on catering providers and places of cultural, sports and religious activities, according to its amendments to the Cabinet Regulation “Epidemiological Security Measures To control the spread of Covid-19 infection “.
No changes are planned for outdoor gatherings – as at present, the maximum number of people allowed is up to 3000.
The ministry is calling for restrictions on catering providers to be eased by allowing eight visitors to sit at one table indoors instead of the previous four and by waiving the limit on the number of people at tables outdoors.
Catering companies are also encouraged to be allowed to work until 2 pm, ie two hours longer than the current regulations allow. This condition would apply to places where the main service is catering and where people are sitting at tables.
It is also planned to allow cultural, sports and religious activities to work until 2 o’clock – for two hours longer. The Ministry of Health (MoH) explains that such sites are basically organized and can provide control over the flow of people and compliance with Covid-19 containment regulations.
It is also proposed to reduce the required area per person in catering establishments, shopping centers and cultural venues – from four square meters to three square meters. In turn, the requirement for caterers to provide a distance of two meters between tables would be maintained.
At the same time, it is proposed to maintain the condition that the number of people gathering in a particular place at the same time must not exceed 50% of the capacity of the particular place.
In view of these changes, as well as the fact that 3,000 people can gather in the open air from 1 August at the same time, it is also proposed to review the obligation for event organizers or service providers with more than 1,000 square meters to draw up action plans to implement Covid. -19 measures to limit the spread at the place of provision of the economic service or at the place of the event.
The new norm stipulates that a plan of measures to limit the spread of Covid-19, including planning of human flows and other measures, will have to be developed by economic service providers and event organizers, which can gather more than 500 people both indoors and outdoors. outdoors.
The MoD also urges that the new list of countries from which return must be observed 14 days of self-isolation take effect the day after its publication on the website of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC), namely on Saturday. The VM explains that the SPKC publishes this list on its website on Friday, and under the current regulations, the list takes effect immediately. Consequently, it is difficult for the public to apply it, as it is not possible to trace from when compliance with the relevant conditions must be ensured. It is therefore proposed to set a specific point in time at which the list of countries published by the SPCC will apply.
Given that there may be situations where a person who has already contracted Covid-19 and cannot infect other people crosses the Latvian border, it is suggested that these people may disregard self-isolation when coming from a country that is published on the SPKC website as a country subject to special precautionary or safety measures. In such cases, the person should have a doctor’s report on the disease Covid-19, which the person can present to the family doctor. If necessary, your doctor may prescribe a Covid-19 antibody test for these people to check that the disease is progressing.
Given that in some situations, people who test positive for Covid-19 require health care in a medical facility, such as an antibody test to make sure that a person is indeed infectious, it is suggested that a person who has approved Covid-19 may leave the place of residence to see a doctor on the basis of a doctor’s appointment.
In such a case, the person would go to the medical institution, taking the precautionary measure to the maximum – using the medical face fee, not using public transport and observing other precautionary measures in accordance with the doctor’s instructions.
The MoD also encourages the identification of those responsible for educational measures in Covid-19 in educational institutions. In the opinion of the Ministry, when the full-time study process resumes, it is important that these persons can detect a case of illness in an educational institution as quickly as possible, be able to act promptly and inform the SPKC. This person, according to the Ministry’s offer, does not have to be a certified medical practitioner, but such duties could be performed by any registered medical practitioner.
The prevalence of Covid-19 in the world, including in the European Union (EU), has been gradually increasing in recent weeks. The incidence of Covid-19 in the EU has increased by 19%. Also in Latvia, there is a slight increase in the cumulative 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 from 1.7, which was registered on July 27 to 2.9 – on August 3. Last week, about 35% of cases were related to staying abroad. Cases of local Covid-19 have been associated with localized foci.
Therefore, in the opinion of the Ministry, the spread of Covid-19 in Latvia is controlled and there are opportunities to reduce certain restrictions.
The Ministry explains that in order to ensure public equivalence of the implemented Covid-19 control measures, it is necessary to gradually reduce them, in a situation when there are low risks of Covid-19 spread in the country.
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