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With COVID-19 infections on the rise, local quarantine will be introduced in Kaunas starting Wednesday. The main accent is to wear protective gear to cover your nose and mouth in public, even outdoors. More attention will be paid to catering establishments. The representatives of the city do not hide that it is in view of the officials that they will come more frequently.
Paulius Keras, director of the Kaunas Operations and Emergency Management Center, told the kauno.diena.lt portal what awaits citizens as of Wednesday and how we will live in the next two weeks. According to the specialist, everyone must comply with the quarantine requirements, because otherwise the virus is unlikely to stop.
– What are the main things that will take effect from Wednesday?
– The main thing is to wear masks in all places, even outdoors. In addition, the limitation of the working hours of cafes and all places without services should guarantee an area of 10 square meters per person and 2 meters of distance between people. There will also be distance learning for students in grades 5-12 next week. For primates, there is no such rule yet.
Photo by Paulius Keras / Vilmantas Raupelis
– What controls will be in place? Will only the Department of Public Order or the police do it?
– Both the Police and the Department of Public Order will carry out periodic inspections in various companies. Both working hours and compliance with the prescribed distances and other quarantine requirements will be checked. Of course, it will also be controlled whether residents wear masks.
In recent weeks, the Public Order Division has been inspecting the catering establishments, so now it will be even more intense. When irregularities were detected, it was usually sufficient to issue a warning and action were taken and requirements were followed.
– What about public transport? Will there be no refund when it was not possible to buy tickets from the driver?
– We will now monitor passenger flows as they change during the quarantine period. If the number of passengers increases, we plan to allow more routes to ensure safe distances and avoid congestion on public transport. We do not intend to change the ticketing procedure at this time.
– Will public spaces and benches be disinfected?
– Disinfection stops we started a good month ago. It also disinfects public spaces, benches, other small architectures that people can access. Of course, public vehicles are constantly being disinfected.
Now we must urge the townspeople to comply and protect themselves for the next 14 days so that we can return to normal life after that.
– In the spring, basketball hoops were removed from public fields. Will you also practice this during this quarantine?
– Well now the weather is such that a lot of people are probably not on the basketball courts. Of course, we will look at people’s consciences. If we see that people continue to surf basketball courts, we will reconsider that decision.
– Are there plans to restrict movement between the city and the district?
– Until now there are no restrictions on circulation, but of course this is no longer a decision by us, but by the central government. If the National Center for Public Health recommends additional measures, they will be introduced.
– Are there plans to increase the scope of testing?
– The scope of the test depends on the need. To this day, we have enough places at the mobile point, vacancies can be found every day, so for now, the evidence is sufficient. However, if necessary, we can certainly increase the volume.
– In your opinion, will this local quarantine significantly affect the economy of Kaunas?
– It is difficult to say how long the quarantine will last, if it will be extended or if the restrictions will be tightened. However, current decisions should not significantly worsen the economic situation. Now we must urge the townspeople to comply and protect themselves for the next 14 days so that we can return to normal life after that.
How do you respond to posted local quarantines?
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