The emergency could take effect as early as this week if it is decided to prepare for its implementation

If the Crisis Management Council decides today to prepare for the introduction of an emergency situation, it could enter into force around the end of the week, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (JV) Parliamentary Secretary Evika Siliņa (JV) said at a meeting of the Saeima Defense, Interior and Corruption Prevention Commission today.

Kariņa’s statement about the need to consider declaring a state of emergency does not mean that the relevant decision would be made today, Siliņa explained.

If the Crisis Management Council decides that a state of emergency should be declared, then time will be given to prepare for it, the representative of the Prime Minister said.

It has already been reported that today the government will meet in an extraordinary meeting with the Crisis Management Council to assess the epidemiological situation of Covid-19 in Latvia and possibly decide on the restoration of the state of emergency in the country.

The extraordinary sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers in remote mode will start at 13.00.

On Monday, after the meeting of the coalition parties, Kariņš expressed the position that, taking into account the spread of Covid-19, it was time to decide on declaring a state of emergency in Latvia. However, some other coalition parties did not agree to agree to this.

After meeting with coalition representatives on Monday, Kariņš admitted that he had convened an extraordinary meeting of the government and the Crisis Management Council, where experts from the Ministry of Health and the industry would be heard, as well as decisions were planned on the next steps.

“I see that the capacity of hospitals is slowly and gradually overheating. If the situation does not change, we may be in danger of disrupting health care services as a result of the pandemic. For this reason, and with the proportion of positive tests stable above 4%, which is recognized as the level of uncontrolled spread of the disease, I think it is time for us to consider declaring a state of emergency, “said the Prime Minister.

Kariņš emphasized that this would be necessary in order to be able to weigh up the measures that the current scope of legislation does not allow to control the pandemic.

Yuri Perevoshchikov, an expert at the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC), recommends strengthening restrictive measures in the country.

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