Another new one: Christmas trees will go out, there will be no fireworks, and the police could hit the house.

The old years will be accompanied and the new ones will be greeted with dead fir trees, traffic restrictions and other measures to control the coronavirus pandemic. It is true that residents should not be surprised if the police officers knock on the door of the house during the long New Year’s weekend.

Restrictions on Christmas trees in Vilnius and Kaunas

The Christmas weekend showed that Lithuanians were having a difficult time meeting quarantine requirements during the holidays: people gathered in public places, not everyone wore masks correctly, and movement bans were not taken into account. Edita Tamošiūnaitė, deputy mayor of the municipality of the city of Vinius, assured that the restrictions applied during Christmas in the central spaces of the city worked, so they will also be used during the New Year.

“We want Vilnius to remain calm on New Year’s Eve and for all Vilnius residents to stay home. We have decided on New Year’s fireworks, there will be no more this year. We had to make such a painful decision, but we really want Vilnius residents to be safe, because we see that the virus is flourishing. Another solution is to restrict traffic at the entrances to Cathedral Square, as well as prohibit parking, these restrictions we have introduced during the festive period “Christmas. We see it was worth it.”

There is a call to the city to put out the Christmas trees. In an hour we will have a Christmas committee, which is probably what we decide: December 31st. put out both the fir tree in the Cathedral Square and the fir tree in the Town Hall Square, ”said the representative of the Municipality of Vilnius.

The Provisional Capital, according to the new year, plans to restrict the access of residents to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The adviser to the mayor of Kaunas, Tomas Jarusevičius, was glad that there had not been a critical situation in Kaunas last weekend, therefore, according to him, there is no reason to discipline the population.

“New Years Eve, New Years Eve from December 31st. 8 pm until January 1. 8 pm People’s access to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento will be restricted by physical means. We believe this is the measure that will help prevent the most massive gathering of people in one place on New Years Eve. The festive fireworks in the Town Hall Square will not go up to the sky, ”said the Kaunas representative.

However, according to T. Jarusevičius, the city is making a decision to resolve the current situation in its own way. “To encourage Kaunas to stay home, the city decided to select up to ten city locations, not advertise them in advance, and to launch symbolic fireworks at those locations. This strengthens the holiday spirit and encourages the residents of Kaunas to stay home, ”he explained.

Also focus on sleeping areas

Over the next long weekend, an additional force of police and support officers will also monitor order and compliance with quarantine conditions in sleeping areas in major cities.

E. Tamošiūnaitė reported that, seeing in practice that people still tend to gather together, greater security will be ensured in different districts of the capital. The adviser to the mayor of Kaunas, T. Jarusevičius, emphasized that, firstly, the aim is to get people’s attention, but additional capabilities will be taken in Kaunas to maintain order and security.

“Let’s face it: we won’t cover all the sleeping areas, but a certain part of the forces will also be dedicated to ensuring order there.” In the first place, we must ask our neighbors to understand responsibly and consciously that the current situation is such that we cannot hug each other and at least this year we have to face the festivities in a different way ”, he emphasized.

Officers can also knock on house doors

Attorney dr. Dovilė Murauskienė recalled that one of the restrictions is related to the possibility of meeting in more than one family farm in a private space. Therefore, officials can knock on the door of the house during the holidays if they suspect a violation of this restriction.

“One of the prohibitions provided by the Government Decree that declares the quarantine is precisely the prohibition to meet, carry out personal, private celebrations both in private space and in public space, and gather more than one family. This prohibition is provided by law. This prohibition is one of the quarantine conditions and non-compliance may be subject to administrative responsibility ”, he explained.

According to the lawyer, the insurance in question differs from others because it significantly affects people and restricts people’s right to privacy and the inviolability of the home. “There is no other way to verify that this requirement is met, except for the police or other entities that have the right to decide on the application of administrative responsibility to verify if only one family is gathered in a truly private space,” the lawyer assured.

At the same time, D. Murauskienė also detailed the concept of family. “The legal definition of a well-established family is quite appropriate in this place. The person who entered into the marriage or partnership contract is considered family. But when it comes to this insurance, family farming needs to be understood a little more broadly. These are people who have a joint farm, they live under the same roof, ”he said.

Family members, according to the lawyer, are also considered divorced parents in relation to their children. This means that parents who divorce during vacations or other times can spend time with their children, even if they are not living together.

When asked if the agents could perform preventive inspections when inspecting more than one family farm in the home, the lawyer assured that, in her opinion, there should not be preventive inspections as this would be a disproportionate interference in human life.

“I am of the opinion that the police officers should have some primary information that allows them to believe that a violation is being committed in a certain private space,” Murauskienė detailed.

The main information can vary: complaints from neighbors about noise, the officials’ own notices that a large group of people is meeting in a house.