Although the 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases in Lithuania and Estonia in the updated list of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) yesterday exceeded 16 cases per 100,000 population, Minister of Health Ilze Ņķele emphasized at the extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers The Prevention and Control Center (SPKC) has more recent information than that compiled by the ECDC, which shows that in Lithuania and Estonia this figure has not exceeded their critical threshold of 16 cases. Therefore, when entering from Lithuania and Estonia, 14 days of self-isolation is still not required.
Three hours after the beginning of the extraordinary session of the Cabinet of Ministers (SPKC), its list was published and in Lithuania and Estonia, the 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases did not exceed 16 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, ie 15.7 cases in Lithuania and 15 cases in Estonia. , 95 cases per 100,000 population.
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Previously, the SPCC compiled its list published on Fridays on the basis of data disseminated by the ECDC on Thursdays, and this week – using more up-to-date data by contacting Lithuania and Estonia directly. This was probably done so that Lithuania and Estonia were not included in the yellow list.
Almost all of Europe – yellow red
At the same time, the updated list shows that almost all of Europe is now on Latvia’s yellow or red list, so they are countries with a sufficiently high risk of Covid-19 disease, after which 14 days of self-isolation must be observed.
Cyprus is now on the white list, although it was still a high-risk country in Covid-19 a few weeks ago, and flights to that country were even banned. At present, you can travel freely again between Latvia and Cyprus, and when you return from it, you don’t even have to observe self-isolation. The white list also includes Australia, Tunisia, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Uruguay. When returning from these countries, it is not necessary to observe 14 days of self-isolation for the time being.
However, experience has shown that the situation can change dramatically in a few days. Therefore, if you are planning a trip outside Latvia, you have to take into account the probability that you will have to observe self-isolation for 14 days after returning from abroad.
The figures for Lithuania and Estonia show how much can be distinguished in one day. If the SPKC Covid-19 list of dangerous countries were updated on Thursdays, both Lithuania and Estonia would have been on the yellow list.
Flights to Covid-19 affected countries are allowed
From Monday, international passenger transport will be allowed to some of the countries that have so far been included in the Center for Disease Prevention and Control’s (SPKC) list of high-risk countries (red), while making mandatory 14-day self-isolation for travelers upon return. International passenger services will still not be available to countries if the SPKC website has a national prevalence of Covid-19 infection which, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, has a 14-day cumulative morbidity per 100,000 population twice the EU average. Economic Area countries and the United Kingdom. Passenger services to these countries will not be available from the third day after the publication of the relevant list on the SPKC website.
The government decided on such a step, because so far passengers from high- or medium-risk countries have arrived in Latvia, transferring to other airports or by land transport, thus increasing contact with other travelers.
Following the government’s decision to expand air traffic to Latvia in order to take care of the safety and health of passengers and employees, Riga Airport, in cooperation with the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA), will step up its monitoring of the incoming passenger survey process.
According to the current regulatory framework, each passenger is obliged to fill in a confirmation before entering Latvia, indicating his / her personal data, the countries where the person has stayed during the last 14 days, as well as committing to the epidemiological safety measures in Latvia and indicating the place of self-isolation. . This certificate must be handed over to the flight crew by the passenger. In turn, airlines are obliged to collect the completed certificates of passengers and hand them over to the State Border Guard if the person has entered from a high-risk country or to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The State Border Guard forwards the certificates to the State Police, which controls the fulfillment of self-isolation requirements.
Estonia wants to keep the bubble in the future
In May, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia lifted restrictions on cross-border travel between persons in the Baltic States, creating the so-called Baltic bubble, which meant that citizens of the Baltic States and persons entitled to reside in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia could travel without restrictions if they the persons have not been outside the Baltic States for the last 14 days, if they have not been identified as self-isolating, as well as if the travelers do not show signs of a respiratory infection.
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that its citizens refuse any foreign travel unless it is urgent, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said on Thursday.
According to U. Reinsalu, Estonia would like the requirement of self-isolation not to apply to those working abroad, so that transit through Latvia would continue and, as far as possible, the movement of people in densely populated regions, primarily in Valga and Valka, would be maintained.
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